Journalism: The new ‘Daily Soap’ of India
When the world sleeps, they are awake, with their tear-drops on fire and fearlessness in their breath. They travel, they capture, in the darkness, to enlighten us, to show us the unseen, experiencing the smell of corruption, injustice, compassion and what not. They hear the unheard mysteries, taste the abominable crimes and yet smile upon the hard truth and unveil the astonishing realities of the world. Journalism, we call it, the third eye to the present world, and an act of faith in the future. But there lies an aberration in what it is and how it is acknowledged by people.
With power lies the responsibility, the responsibility to be the watchdogs for the society, to showcase the unusual and present it white and not grey, not because they are entitled to do so but because we trust them. We do. But shall we blindly trust them???
Commercialization has endorsed us all with competition. And competition sometimes kills the very essence of the situation but it keeps it alive till you are competing. And journalism is one such example which proves this assumption. And hence it is well said that ratings don’t last for long but good journalism does. Although articulating the hard truth doesn’t make it taste practicality and hence in reality it is all business, be it good or bad, ratings does matter. Sometimes I feel competition has ruined it all but then it has brought to us the best to mesmerise. But ‘the best’ doesn’t last for long. Depreciation can never be avoided and so is the truth.
Manipulation and diplomacy today have become synonyms to journalism. And hence journalism has turned into an art of storytelling and when it comes to storytelling I immediately get redirected to ‘the daily soaps’, we all have at some point of time gone through. But does this storytelling really entertain the youth of today??? The target audience of this generation has gained maturity and thus it is of utmost importance to rejuvenate the strategy to penetrate this audience that desire quality content and the true description of the situation.
Talking about the section on the receiver side, I beg your pardon, but journalism is not a source of entertainment, we really need to format our ideologies and understand that what is shown is for the interest of the majority and hence has to be crisp, precise, intellectual and meaningful. It is not a ‘Saas-Bahu’ quarrel of a daily soap that you are bored of and need an aberration from and hence are switching towards the severely important facets of national and international affairs with an eye of ignorance expecting some kind of a TV drama. Since they show us what we ought to see we have to change our mindset. The change can only be broadcast when we as responsible citizens of India develop an urge and hunger for the truth and not merely just expect a topic to discuss while quenching our thirst with a big glass of whiskey in one hand and the adverse conditions of our country in the other.
Give it a thought, it needs one. Till then stay blessed, healthy and awaken your senses.
Audacity of hope.. 