Sensationalism[LIVE]
published: (updated: )
by Harshvardhan J. Pandit
article satire
I watched and loved PEEPLI [LIVE]. Being an ardent hater of the news channels along with their garbage stories, I really liked the way this story has shown everything so satirically. Right from the start to the end, the movie shows an intelligent take on the journalism of today. It really is a big question, journalism, as to what it exactly means today. “We are journalists. And this is what we do…” When the TV’s most good looking and top brand reporter says this to a morally nudged local reporter, it really forced me to observe a simple thing – that journalism has slowly evolved into sensationalism. It is no longer “you have to report this” but rather, “you have to sell this”. Such is the state of our news channels who win awards ever-year for being “the best news channel” and who claim TRP’s like a child playing housie.
If this were not enough, the hyper-pitched reporters do manage to report also the current health conditions of actors as ‘Headlines’. I still have the mail forwarded to me, bearing a picture of Aaj Tak with their sensational headline flashing in the viewer’s face – “HEADLINES – Amitabh ko sardi hui…”
Guys, give me a break… I already have to bear the constant death, jealousy and crying of women (and now men too) on every channel that doesn’t try to sell news. And on top of that, you have started reporting what is happening in TV soaps too… I salute the guy who labelled them TV soaps, they do irritate my eyes, and make me cry in frustration.
But NEWS, why news! Why is it necessary to take a salesman view of every news? You know, I think I have figured out the answer to this. And the answer is that it is our ATTITUDE that fuels such corruption. We (most of us) actually do take an interest in these news and soaps under the guise of TIMEPASS. Don’t you know that constant exposure to anything, good or bad, has its consequences on you? Then think of what this constant bombarding in your face, of things labelled IMPORTANT when they are of shit value, is doing to your head right now…
Oh, so now a guy like me tries to take on the whole ‘sanctity’ of the media. I do not watch TV. So please do not tell me if this thing ends up as the headlines of tomorrow.