Sanjay Shukla

A legendary Senior Journalist, D.V. Gundappa (DVG), once said, “The greatest danger that confronts a journalist today is the opportunities his/her profession affords for playacting!”

TV news channels are no better example than this. This is precisely what the national nightly news TV circus is about – “PLAYACTING”. And in the case of some celebrity news anchors (I won’t call them journalists), it’s SELF-RIGHTEOUS PLAYACTING.

If one traces the history of the fall of Indian journalism, one aspect stands out – mediocre journalists become top editors, then these top editors institutionalize wheeling-dealing, corruption, sleaze, and setting agendas for the country (rather than reporting news with facts). Nothing illustrated this better than the slanging match that ensues at the primetime news shows where these celebrity anchors single out an invited guest (far a debate on a topic) for a vicious, personal attack.

If we analyze this night-by-night self-righteous playacting with accuracy and flair, I would say that these news anchors have adopted a populist approach (Ex. Fox channel). They have become masters in spreading misinformation, propaganda and twisting information that has the potential to polarise public opinion, promote violence and hate speech. These anchors seem to decide who their target (or victim) for the day should be and go after them. Is this journalism?”

It’s as if they have the licence to heckle/bully and mock anyone, including the civilians (common men), celebrities, politicians and religious leaders, in public.

In addition, I felt amused at the audacity of these anchors repeatedly claiming that their channel exposed all the major scams and had exclusive news on anything. This begs obvious questions – did these media houses do a favour to this nation by exposing these scams? Is it not the real job of journalists or do they need incentives and pat-on-the-back to do even that?

Today, we have easier, better and faster access to information but that doesn’t (necessarily) mean we are better informed because even news (forget edits and opinion pieces) is no longer reported but managed, and the way it is managed shapes the actual content that’s put out in the open.

And when alert readers or the social media see such skullduggery by media, media relies on the infamous dictum in Hitler’s Mein Kampf, “PEOPLE’S POWER OF FORGETTING IS ENORMOUS.” Rising rapes of minors are ignored. Heinous human and animal abuse is ignored. News covering human trafficking, employment, women’s and LGBT+ rights, climate change, including country’s developments and social innovation are ignored.

When Union minister V K Singh once called these self-righteous anchors “PRESSTITUTES”, the Broadcast Editors Association, including these self-righteous anchors and the rest of the professional media, protested. They should tell us whether they think “Prostitute” is a dirty word. If their answer is yes, they must stop airing shows that support activism that supports commercial sex workers. We can’t have it both ways please.

I’ll narrate something that’s told to me by a friend who visited Bannerghatta National Park and Zoo at Bengaluru where, (I heard from him) you see a small green box with a closed door with a sign, “open this to watch the most cruel animal in the world.” When you open the box, you see a reflection of your own face. A mirror.

I think it’s time to bring in some strong regulations on these nightly news shows (circus) that acts as a mirror for them.

 ————– Inspired by a recent debate on a TV channel resulting in Delhi Police filing FIRs against some politicians, religious leaders and others for allegedly making derogatory statements against religions disrupting social & communal harmony.