From news to fake news and unethical journalism

"Nah, this isn't catchy enough.Add something to it. Be a little creative Manoj!"


"Ma'am, she's Muslim. Should we draw the image of a Muslim woman beating conservative attitudes?"


"Isn't good, besides, it looks communal. Make her an underdog. That sells 100 out of 100 times."

"Ok! Consider it done."

Next day, newspapers carried the headline of a poor girl succeeding in an examination -  the story which motivates, the story which inspires, the story which unfortunately killed the girl! [1]

The story I am talking about is of a girl from Kannur. She scored 1180/1200 in her HSS exam. But she committed suicide. The media gave her the kind of publicity she didn't want. She had been hiding her background from her classmates by choice. Media didn't bother about respecting her privacy, spiced the story up a bit and served a headline which grabbed eyeballs. The girl felt humiliated and committed suicide. For those who have jumped to conclude that the girl was weak, I say hold your guns. Take a moment to pause and reflect.

Media all over the world is under scrutiny. As much as I dislike US President Trump, I relate to him when he calls media fake; when he raises questions about an institution which is supposed to be the watchdog of democracy, which is supposed to ask questions in the first place.

Only recently, CNN accepted resignations of 3 employees over retracted story on Trump's Russia ties. [2] At an almost same time, a CNN producer was caught saying that CNN's coverage of Trump's Russia ties was mostly bullshit. [3] Coming back to home, an army jawan committed suicide when a "sting operation" was done involving him, to bring to our televisions the reality of the Sahayak system of the army. [4]

These events are just a few among many and while they may look like isolated incidents, they actually point to a dangerous trend - of the fourth pillar of democracy crumbling under its own weight. These are indeed tough times for media. In a small market, there is exceptionally high competition. This has invariably resulted in the rise of sensationalism, drop in ethical standards, the creation of news and pushing forward of news favorable to large advertisers among others.

A 2009 survey by Pew Research Centre showed that only 29% of Americans felt the media "generally got the facts straight." This was down from 55% in 1985. [5] Given the heat media is taking these days, it would hardly be a guesswork to claim its perception among newsreaders has further deteriorated.

More dangerous however is the fact that the media now sets the agenda. It decides the discourse of the nation. I am reminded of a boy named Prince, who fell in a borewell and a rescue mission was successful in getting him out. It took approximately 50 hours during which every news channel had this as its leading story. The entire nation watched every tiny detail of the operation, following which the kid received help, financial and otherwise, from every nook and corner of the country. SMSs poured in as people prayed for his health. [6]

In no way do I claim that the life of the boy was unimportant or unworthy of "being a news item." However, I have my reservations about the disproportionate attention it received. Media basked in the emotions of people. Some would like to treat it as a regular feature of Market economy, but therein lies the problem.

As a sector which takes pride in being called the fourth pillar of democracy, which claims to be the voice of people, it simply can't be treated as just another supplier in the market. 

In a well-cited research paper, two associate professors of Journalism - Maxwell E McCombs and Donald L. Shaw argue that,

"In choosing and displaying news, editors, newsroom staff, and broadcasters play an important part in shaping political reality. Readers learn not only about a given issue but also how much importance to attach to that issue from the amount of information in a news story and its position. " [7]

Having discussed the falling standards of journalism, beleaguering perception of media and the kind of influence it has on the political discourse of the nation, one would hope that media addresses the problem. How so much the surveys are discredited, or Trump is made fun of, the old saying goes that "There is no smoke without fire."

In times of ever increasing fake news, the onus is on media itself to clean the mess and build the trust with the viewers again. Even when it is at a terribly low point as I argued, its importance becomes clear when one gleans at the sources I mentioned for different facts.