Flash..Flash..Flash…

Breaking-News-Syndrome is the New Virus Strain Infecting the News Media Channels!!

Television is, in fact, one of the greatest inventions by a man to the mankind. The satellite transmission of different television channels has revolutionized the last decade and it has certainly changed the concept of entertainment to people. Even greater accomplishment is the advent of newer channels covering NEWS from all directions, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, which has become the current trend.

These news channels are mushrooming in every Indian language and all avid NEWS lovers welcomed these channels with a loving heart. But of late, these channels took the people's crave for news items merely as a means to popularize their respective channels and cash in on the readership ratings.

Be it a regional news or national news they used to be a treat to all of us, especially the efforts taken to conduct exit poll survey during elections period. Noteworthy is that the television channels are including the campaign coverage from even the remotest places. It is worth praising certainly. The adventure journalism that featured in some news channels during the times of Operation Vijay is also applauded by one and all.

In recent times, news channels, almost all of them have moved a step further and made news coverage more interactive public participating. However, slowly and stealthily came the picture of telecom operators entering into the media, and the channels cooked out new themes saying viewers poll, viewers comments, or what our readers say, wherein the viewers and readers will be asked to have their say by a short message. This seems to be greatly benefiting, both the telecom service providers as well as the respective channels. Poor readers and viewers do not understand that they are taken for a ride by the media.

Thus far the story seems fine, but now it is publicly evident that there has been a cold war amongst the various news channels as to bringing out sensational piece of news. To win this race for sensational news production, the news channels are sliding down to unimaginable depths and are interfering with the lives of celebrity-status personalities. Even a sneeze or cough will be sensational in their view.

Somebody recently complained of a chest pain, and WOW it has become sensational piece of news on all channels aired. Some channels featured almost whole-day long coverage of this piece of news with reporters thronging the hospitals eluding peace or any relaxation that the doctors advised to the person. Frustrating really!!

Another incident of a movie celebrity star getting an on-spot spontaneous kiss on cheeks by another star was just blown out of proportion and it was the sensational piece of news on the day hitting headlines on almost every newspaper and TV news channel. Is this what they call sensationalism? Well, we seriously feel there are more issues that need immediate public attention.

In this context, worth mentioning is the 'We-Broke-The-News-First cancer' which is metastasising whole of the media, be it print or television. It has become a sad state of affairs that whenever a news channel is switched on these days your eyes don’t miss to read those irritating lines-we broke the news first. The Breaking-News-Syndrome virus strain is found to cause this malignancy.

It is disheartening to learn that in order to break the news first and cash in on viewership, the channels are engaged in a continuous process of news making and it more a business. They do not stand honestly to research on any news and are in the process of fabricating and sometimes even distorting to benefit from it. Tabloid journalism seems to occupy major share of media and they are trying to prosper and flourish from it.

Well, media folks! Be honest and true to yourself at least and ensure to give researched and authentic news. There are millions who would appreciate you.

By Kumar UVSR, Vijayawada, India