Breaking News - too much sensation but little content

Remember the days when people across the country used to wait till 08:40 p.m. to watch all the day’s news (and ofcourse set time in watches),  on our good old Doordarshan having sari-clad newsreaders. Now the battlefield has shifted, no not on the borders but inside our living rooms, every few mintues you get to see a caption ‘Breaking News’, which could be anything least expected - from a scooter hitting a bicycle to a kid falling in the pit, or a glance of Aishwarya’s mehndi colour.

Today, every news channel wants to gather maximum eyeballs for itself, news reporting has become more sensational and they tend to make a mountain out of a mole hill. They can make a small place guy like ‘Prince’ a national celebrity to making Amitabh Bachchan a villain, just because he wants his son’s wedding to be made a private affair.

We feel that the English news channels are more informative and have better content, just because they cater to a more educated and informed class of the society. While, the Hindi news channels try to bring more spice into the news with content suited to the common man. This is the reason why these channels have introduced shows on crime, cinema and laughter.

But the news channels in India are here to stay with foreign content providers forming joint ventures and private equity firms picking up stake in listed entity, and large Indian industrial groups picking up major stake in local news channels. But the quality of content still remains a major concern, and news channels could well do authentic and responsible reporting, something that could enlighten the nation.