Don’t get misled, folks!! If the header of this post makes you expect some kind of breaking news from me, you will be disappointed.(disappointed in the same way when you see those meaningless news being aired as "breaking news" across the news channels). If it is news, it is "breaking news”. This seems to be the mantra followed by the sundry 24x7 news channels these days. No matter when and how fast you flip through the channels, you are always assured of some breaking news. This ISO 9001 kind of guarantee comes from the fact that channels use their own adjustable standards to determine the "breakability" of a news. So they have the flexibility and convenience of airing any ordinary no-news as a snazzy and in-your-face "breaking new". Breaking news are the real spice of any news channel today, providing humour( "Commissioner’s Cat Missing") and despair(" End of World Tomorrow ?") with the same spirit !!
This particular term is tweaked out of the phrase "breaking a news", which basically means "make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret". We first saw its heavy usage post 9/11 when the breaking news of WTC attack was flashed in front of us for days and weeks. And it has not looked back since then. Thanks to its liberal use/abuse by the news channels, we have lost appetite for the everyday news !! Now a news is worth a look, only if its breaking news. Those single flashy lines catch your attention instantly. After instant coffee and noodles, now we have instant news. How convenient and time-saving!!
Hence breaking news now equals to TRPs for the news channels. Each is trying to score brownie points over others by often projecting garbage as breaking news. Which means news is less news and more of drama today. The "sensational" Aarushi murder case showed this ugly facet of the news hungry channels. The poor girl got no respite even after death. She was killed again and again through the relentless attacks on her character. Her parents were given the same treatment. A tragic news was turned into a spicy crime drama through some horribly irresponsible coverage. But no lessons were learnt from these mistakes. The "Big Bang" experiment and its coverage showed it plenty. Breaking news flashed across the channels, "Will the world end tomorrow ?" Clueless news readers talked how dark (black ?) holes will devour the world, complete with YouTube images. Panic ensured and people chose to bunk office and schools to spend the last day of their life together !! It all may seem very funny today( I am still alive and blogging !!), but such reckless and dramatic broadcasting betrays the very purpose of news.
This penchant for drama and breaking news has seen the channels go histrionic over smallest of matters. During Beijing Olympics, one person of Indian origin won a broze medal as part of US gymnastics team. Immediately media reached his ancestral home and breaking news came out !! We have all seen the mass hysteria over our meagre Olympics medals, thanks to the hype from these channels, hailing it as the new dawn of Indian sports. A new dawn was it called, when 24x7 news channels first sprouted, promising quick and accurate news, round the clock. But now it seems sunset is not very far away. What happened to the good ol' days, I wonder, when news was presented as news and meant to provide accurate information, not to break your heart, brain and senses !!
Its a vicious cycle my dear friend. 24 hour channels need viewers and they resort to all kinds of tactics to attain dat. I know its being overdone to the point of being killed but that's how they attract eyeballs. And u cant just blame the channels for doing so. Viewers are equally reponsible. If we stop watching them they wouldnt be churnin out these crap shows. But we watch and we crib and criticise. And ironically even that is gud enough for them.. atleast they are attracting attention. Hai naa.
ReplyDeleteIts the same with the 'saas-bahu' shows. Regressive, crictics say. But hello hello..it works..regressive ideologies have made Ekta Kapoor the queen of tellydom. But we can't blame her. She's simply dishing out stuff which the viewers desire for.
So, before we point a finger at others we should remember that three fingers are pointing back at us. Or in bollywood parlance.."Jinke ghar sheeshe ke hote hai woh dusro pe pathar nahi pheka karte.."