Harsh Gupta | From editor’s desk | Any democracy in the world is supported by three pillars-
1) Legislature
2) Executive
3) Judiciary
With the awareness by the end of 19th century, one more pillar sculpted into being. That was “Media” and it was called the fourth pillar of democracy.
When for the first time I read about this “fourth pillar of Democracy” being called as “Presstitutes”, I found it crude, even a bit offensive. I thought that the ‘holders’ of the fourth pillar of democracy are being degraded.
BUT I WAS WRONG !
Forty years or so years back we used to see journalists on foot or bicycles, holding cloth bags and wearing khadi kurtas and jeans, at times even pyjamas. They used to interview celebrities, politicians etc. I used to feel that it’s a laborious job with lesser returns and thus felt pity for them.
Slowly things changed and they changed very fast. Sea change was there to be seen. Private news channels came up to give us the so called 24/7 prompt news. Now you didn’t require evening Doordarshan bulletins for your news updates or wait in the morning for newspapers. News which we felt somehow to be translucent suddenly became transparent.
UNFORTUNATELY, THINGS CRUMBLED VERY SOON.
Competition between news channels for TRP made them somewhat morally corrupt. Filthier competition among the ‘news titans’ sitting in the lavish studios (lavisher the studio, more the TRP) began. News broadcast became more of a show business. Anchors started taking time upto 2 to 3 hours for makeups only irrespective of their gender.
Distortions, party affiliations, blackmailing became the order of the day.
To mention some anchors here would really fall in place for the subject.
Here I quote an incident – one grey haired news anchor from ‘India Today’ who has this habit of eating his words more often than not, has been on record to say, infact flaunt that he, along with his team, was there in Parliament and no other news channel reporter had reached there when the attack on what they call ‘the temple of Democracy’ was going on. He said that they were very ‘excited’ as they were the only ones covering the incident. Here soldiers and police personnel were being killed, PM’s life was at stake and this gentleman was ‘excited’. I would not hesitate to call this man a JOURNALISITIC VULTURE. Journalists like him put blood incident of ink in their pens.
This accomplished “journalist” in order to be prompt killed Sh. Pranab Mukherjee ( Ex-President of India ) few days earlier than his demise. Such is the hunger for TRP.
Another equally accomplished journalist is obsessed with this “the nation wants to know” scream. I wonder who has given him the power of attorney on the behalf of the nation and which court of law has given him the attestation. This wonderful guy doesn’t let anybody speak in his one hour long “debate” show. Then he very easily closes the show. This self-proclaimed “Sherlock Holmes” once went after Shashi Tharoor for 4-5 months and used to very vociferously scream of him being the alleged killer of his wife. What happened next ? NOTHING. Things are under the carpet now for reasons best known to him and Tharoor.
What actually motivated (more than motivation it was instigation) me to go for this write-up is the way this nation of 140 crores is more worried about the Ambani’s wedding than our strained relations with China. This is pathetic.
Worse is the condition of local channels, having bizarre English, misspelled words and wrong Grammar. There is no accountability at all !
A new trend has come up where people with miseries ( health issues, poverty etc. ) They are paraded in public domain and money is demanded from viewers.
This is not only unethical but dangerous too. This “innovative” journalism could eventually lead to financial scams.
Since you can never get to know the pattern of distribution of such money. Authorities must intervene immediately and must bring relevant regulations in the matter.
We, the viewers need to get out of this herd mentality, stop being gullible and see the blurred line between fact and fiction. These news channels expose us to the rich, mighty, elitist lutyens and this exposure is like an addiction. We tend to forget the naked reality around us which is more deserving of our attention.
Finally coming back to the word – “presstitutes”, coined by one ex-minister in PM Modi’s cabinet and now very popular, seems to be somewhat apt.
My humble request to one and all is to watch 7PM-10PM TV news channels for entertainment solely and for some real, authentic and substantial news wait for that 10 to 12 paged newspaper that passes over your house-gate in the morning.
