Market dynamics and competition among various news channels to keep the screen buzzing has led the news channels to be carried away. More often than not, news gets unduly sensationalized. Interestingly, the whole process of broadcast of news is even faster than nuclear fission. One moment, the news is broadcasted on one channel, and the other second, it is being flashed on all other channels. In the absence of any specific guidelines, the news person uses his own sense while selecting the news.
Most Channel heads are aware of the scenario and opine that some guidelines should be laid in place to define the exclusivity of news. Unless we are careful while selecting the breaking news, the credibility and essence gets affected.
Why do News channels go overboard?
News channels create hype over petty issues to grab viewer attention. Their ultimate motive is to increase TRP and get maximum views and are ready to go to any extent for this. If they come to know of any crime, they send their own investigation team to gather information. The news is mostly exaggerated to catch the viewer’s attention.
Reporters try to talk to the people involved in the incident and ask irrelevant questions that sometimes infringe on their personal rights. News concerning celebrities becomes breaking news instantly and is run on loop for days.
It would not be wrong to say that some news channels even create rumours intentionally to get maximum views.
As per the Constitution of India, Article 19(1)A gives us the right to freedom of speech along with the right to broadcast and advertise but there are some restrictions also that we need to adhere to. News channels have started breaking the basic rules of journalism. They make the victims and other people uncomfortable by asking about the incident again and again. The news is moulded and sensationalized to attract attention. Some news channels have literally become the mouth pieces of different political parties. If we see various news channels, whether national or state level, all of them favour one or the other political party or group while telecasting news. This has a ripple effect on the mindset of the viewers as well.
These violations have increased in recent times because of the absence of a proper regulatory body that monitors them.
In 2011, a Broadcasting Content Complaints Council was set up to curb such incidents. The editors of various news channels blame TV for the situation, which has value for every second on air. The channels are competing in the race of TRP to validate their existence and in this process tend to go overboard many a times.
Breaking news is an integral part of news channels as they make people aware of things happening around them. But, at the same time, they should not cross their limits just to increase their revenue.
Summing up, we can just say that although channels have full freedom to select news and define their limits, they should remember not to take viewers for granted.
