In 1982, the American bestselling author and screen writer Irving Wallace wrote a thrilling book ” The Almighty” about a newspaper tycoon who was so obsessed with increasing the circulation of his newspaper that he would stop at nothing to get the most exclusive and sensational story in his paper .
It was the story of a man who gets so intoxicated with power that he becomes a megalomaniac. In the novel the newspaper tycoon Edward Armstead who inherits a vast news empire, first wants to shape the news, then manipulate and control it and finally tries to create it by paying money to the most dangerous elements to trigger horrendous crimes in the city which are exclusively covered in his newspaper. As a result of these exclusive sensational stories, the circulation of this newspaper zooms to stratospheric heights. This novel indicted the news media which manipulates the news to boost its circulation.
I read this novel when I was in the college and wondered whether any news organization could stoop this low just to get a great sensational story. I was happy that it was just a fiction.
Television channels in India which are so obsessed with TRPs to attract advertising revenues should take a cue from what has happened to News of The World
Come 2011 and see what is happening in the world of news media. Engulfed in a massive scandal Britain’s biggest selling tabloid News of the World which was 168 years old summarily shut down its edition. Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman of the News Corp which owns the tabloid was forced to take this extreme step because of allegations that its journalists had hacked the voicemails of thousands of people from child murder victims to the families of Britain’s war dead. It was accused of hacking into cell phones of a number of celebrities including film star, politicians and sports figures. Politicians were too scared of the power of Murdoch to make, break and shape government policies. The tabloid lost advertising revenues and alienated millions of readers.
The tabloid which prided for exposing others itself stood exposed for its murky journalism. Is the situation in the Indian media any different or is it as they say in Hindi “hamam me sab nange hain?”
Fortunately, the Indian media is much better than our foreign counterpart as far news coverage is concerned. The “Peeping Tom journalism” has not degenerated to very low level in our media. But at the same time it is a fact that crass commercialization is creeping into the Indian media in the form of paid news where the media houses are ready to blow the trumpet of politicians with questionable backgrounds in times of elections. More than the print media, it is the television channels in India who have to introspect and watch out what standard they are setting when they pressurize their journalists to come out with sensational stories that will boost their TRP’s. The cut-throat competition in television media and the craze for TRPs is leading to degeneration of journalistic standards.
Last year in the greed for sensational story, two television journalists in Gujarat coaxed a man Kalpesh Mistry to immolate himself in front of their cameras. Mistry had some grievances against the police and had approached the two television journalists for help. The man did what he was told and set himself afire. As the flames began to burn his skin, the man began to scream for help. But these two journalists instead of lending a helping hand were busy shooting the scene from all angles. All this just for a great sensational story! Media is supposed to be the watchdog of the society and its job is to guard it and not bite.
