Primetime news shows on most channels have become a complete farce today. Too often, they talk about small news that does not matter, magnify it manifold and sensationalize it even further, selling it in the name of ‘Breaking News’.
And so it came as no surprise to me when I saw news channels anchors blaring "Why is Modi Silent on the Shiv Sena MP!?”
The news I'm referring to is the incident in which a Member of Parliament - from the Shiv Sena - forcefully fed a chapati to a caterer. This MP – Rajan Vichare – did so to the poor caterer only because ‘he didn't like’ the rubbery chapati and wanted to prove a point.
Let me for a moment condemn this incident wholeheartedly. This incident was gross case of grave misconduct on the part of the MP. Clearly, it was an action stemming from his arrogance of being a neta. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha should take strict action against this MP and set an example that she will not allow MP's to do as they please.
But now let me return to my grouse against the media. While it was clearly necessary to show this news to the public and let them know the true nature of their so called netas, was it necessary to show the five second clip of the MP pushing a chapati into the caterer’s mouth again, and again, and AGAIN?
What's worse is that the media aggrandized the issue further by creating a religious angle out of all of this! The headlines read "Muslim Man force fed Roti".
And so it came as no surprise to me when I saw news channels anchors blaring "Why is Modi Silent on the Shiv Sena MP!?”
The news I'm referring to is the incident in which a Member of Parliament - from the Shiv Sena - forcefully fed a chapati to a caterer. This MP – Rajan Vichare – did so to the poor caterer only because ‘he didn't like’ the rubbery chapati and wanted to prove a point.
Let me for a moment condemn this incident wholeheartedly. This incident was gross case of grave misconduct on the part of the MP. Clearly, it was an action stemming from his arrogance of being a neta. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha should take strict action against this MP and set an example that she will not allow MP's to do as they please.
But now let me return to my grouse against the media. While it was clearly necessary to show this news to the public and let them know the true nature of their so called netas, was it necessary to show the five second clip of the MP pushing a chapati into the caterer’s mouth again, and again, and AGAIN?
What's worse is that the media aggrandized the issue further by creating a religious angle out of all of this! The headlines read "Muslim Man force fed Roti".
My question to the media is this. Does it really matter if the man was a Muslim or not? Would the crime be any less grave if the caterer was a Parsi for example? Why don’t the media call a spade a spade and just condemn this insolent behavior? Why crouch behind the veil of ‘religious sentiments’? Just to puff up news?
Secondly, there were issues of greater importance to be discussed when the news channels were busy showing the force feeding incident on loop. A six year old child had been brutally raped in an international school only a few days ago. A plane carrying 50 people had crashed into Taiwan on that very day. An innocent solider was brutally murdered along the LoC. Hundreds of civilians were being killed in Gaza. Innocent civilians were being hounded by the ISIS in Iraq. And, the entire world was mourning the deaths of 298 people who had died in the MH-17 air crash only a week ago. But our media was busy making national television into a tabloid by broadcasting a plain and simple criminal act into a religious argument! It was indeed a deplorable sight.
Unfortunately, this has become the truth of modern media today. Sensationalism sells. It buys the media companies TRP's. So what if an appalling arrogance of a minister is twisted into a religious conspiracy? So what if a criminal act – which ought to be punished– is made into a debate on ‘Secularism’? It's all fair if it grabs eyeballs. Isn't it?
Secondly, there were issues of greater importance to be discussed when the news channels were busy showing the force feeding incident on loop. A six year old child had been brutally raped in an international school only a few days ago. A plane carrying 50 people had crashed into Taiwan on that very day. An innocent solider was brutally murdered along the LoC. Hundreds of civilians were being killed in Gaza. Innocent civilians were being hounded by the ISIS in Iraq. And, the entire world was mourning the deaths of 298 people who had died in the MH-17 air crash only a week ago. But our media was busy making national television into a tabloid by broadcasting a plain and simple criminal act into a religious argument! It was indeed a deplorable sight.
Unfortunately, this has become the truth of modern media today. Sensationalism sells. It buys the media companies TRP's. So what if an appalling arrogance of a minister is twisted into a religious conspiracy? So what if a criminal act – which ought to be punished– is made into a debate on ‘Secularism’? It's all fair if it grabs eyeballs. Isn't it?
After all, ‘Breaking News’ is all about ‘breaking’ the factual news into sensational opinions. Right?
Christ, the television media today needs a complete overhaul.
-Tejas Mehta
Christ, the television media today needs a complete overhaul.
-Tejas Mehta