The "NEWS"

Yesterday's "by-elections' held for Kadapa Loksabha and Pulivendula Assembly gained much attention in the past weeks. While "Eenadu" the leading Telugu newspaper selectively reported the malpractices of YSR Congress Party while conveniently ignoring the same practices of the ruling Congress party and the Opposition Telugu Desam Party. On the other hand, "Sakshi" TV and newspaper would have done quite the opposite leveling counter allegations on the ruling party and TDP. Ever since the deceased CM Y.S.Rajashekara Reddy floated his own print and visual media, the bias in media has become more visible in the Telugu vernacular media. While Eenadu vows its support to Chandrababu Naidu and his party TDP projecting its party in good light, it always cries foul on whatever Jaganmohan reddy (son of YSR) does or had done, Sakshi lays counter allegations on Chandrababu Naidu and Ramoji Rao, the head of Eenadu and ETV. Over the past few months, majority of the main page of these two newspapers have shared allegations on counter allegations. Media has become so biased that its no longer "news" that are being reported to the public. Media has become manipulative, influencing public opinion especially during election times. For the same incident, we can find completely contrasting reports in the media leaving the public confused. Ever since economic liberalization during the early 90s, media's role has become manifold and manipulative in the due course. Channels like TV9 are always hell bent on reporting a sensational news or making a news sensational. The recent "reports" showing Swami and Satya Sai Trust in poor light was very bad. Right from the time when Swami's condition became critical, media started its focus on the Trust and its "enormous" fund base and its future course of action. When i went to Nalini aunty's house last week, she was telling a news in the media about Satyajit, Swami's loyal devotee, being told an orphan was totally false and his parents are her friends. On the other hand, very few channels showed the good work done by Swami and the Trust but the majority of the news revolved around "what next?" and "how and why a coffin made its way to Parthi" while Swami was hospitalized. And it was amusing to see a video footage on TV9 showing the "roof" of Sai Kulwant hall claiming that while Swami was hospitalized, the count of devotees has drastically come down. Another most disturbing fact in the past which i remembered was the "live telecast" of the terrorist activity being carried out at the Taj Hotel on 11 Sep 2009. There was one channel (i think its NDTV or CNBC) which kept saying "We are the first to reach there". I didn't understand what was they trying to prove by telling that they are the first to show the gun fire and the pandemonium surrounding. And the other most frequently seen "disturbing" news (at least for me) are the interviews that the channels take from the kith and kin of the victims and sometimes the victims themselves (victim could be any one--a deceased person in accident, a person raped or murdered, or anyone who the media thinks is a victim). They even lost the common sense to the extent where they end up "questioning" the person repeatedly on the incident further victimizing them. Pathetic. Whatever media shows to the public has become "news" these days. We need to curb medias' so called rights and restrict them. "News" no longer interest me. There were times when i closely use to follow some programs on News Channels like BBC's program on technology (forgot its name), "The Big Fight" on NDTV and talk show by Karan Thapar whose host include the Who's who of the mainstream public life. Of late, i've interest watching the so called "news". I restrict my viewing to sports, and some good programs on technology on NGC or discovery. Donno how media and the information flow would be in the days to come.