Daily Post 1484
THE CHANNEL WAR
Turf war we are accustomed to in each and every industry, trade, enterprise and vocation. That is the curse we have been carrying through and for that reason whole world could never be serviced by best quality; products, services, prices, maintenance and like. We are still a long way off, as on date we don’t even have a thought process, leave aside getting into that journey. That the pie is unlimited has still not hit the professional mind. My glory and success can happen at the expense of others is the thought process which has been killing nation, for quite a long time now. The worst to hit the market is not a business enterprise in the true sense of the term, but it happens to be so; a TV channel.
Electronic media journalism and the business enterprise behind it are not operating vending machines. They come from a print genealogy which had proved its worth since the days of the freedom struggle. Quality with credibility can be the only mantra. Relentless to increase their base only through this means is only going to stay, there is no other way. Effort is on a short fuse, coming to studio and shouting has become the epitome of effort. Research has long been abused, picking up some half baked data is research. I scratch your back and you scratch mine is the running philosophy. In an age of transparency, when public faith in question, let them make public full academic and professional credentials of all in the trade, to the last data point.
Transparency has to start at home. The consumers / customers need to know the capability of the journalists parceling news. Crash course like the one given to lots of them cannot become journalistic acumen, which we as viewers are supposed to digest. The so called Talkers of the Evening, should also pass on their credentials to the viewers. They are representative of parties, organisations and agencies which makes you feel, that you are permanently of an election campaign ratha. Their expertise and objectivity can be termed as near zero. On the top of it they keep running from one studio to the other. Can they speak any different.
The Anchor is the manager, head of business development, editor, model and finally a moderator. As there is no news, so there is no newscaster. He is also the propaganda machine and the rabble rouser. The way they model, eulogising themselves, can give 125 crore Indians an inferiority complex. When you need a lawyer to defend yourself in a court of law, here the channel can keep fighting its own battle. Media trial has transformed into right to self defence, and expecting judiciary to be fair is like a certificate from their side. Fairness has never been their forte. In the battle of their own existence, and to make hay while the sun shines, they are putting country into jeopardy and shame. They cover what they want, India broadly remains uncovered. We belong to the side channel.
FOURTH ESTATE IS AN ESTATE FOR ITSELF.