Vanishing Media Outrage

Amrita Shah examines the decilne in ethical standards and quality of reporting in her column in Indian Express. She examines the disillusionment among young would be journos

"At a seminar on media ethics at a Mumbai college last week, for instance, panelists and students of mass communication expressed dismay at the growing trivialisation of the news media and developments such as sting operations. The students were particularly anxious about the ethical compromises they feared they would have to make as journalists. The protagonist of the film, Page Three, a young girl who is forced to cover parties in preference to serious issues, and who loses her job exposing the rich was an example evoked to illustrate the potential dangers of their future calling. In fact, so gloomy was the prognosis that one even asked if journalism was about to die.

She goes on to ask

What does one make of this schizophrenic divide? Why should a growth of resources lead to a perceptible decline in the quality of practice?" Read the full thing

Hmm altlast somebody pointing out the mailce in the media. Point is journalism in india has been reduced to reporting. Its no longer a people's voice it used to be. Its position as a representitive of collective voice of a society has been robbed by
activism which itself has been institutionalised (Amnesty, Teetsa Setalvad, Medha Patkar etc.)... So Shakti kapoor asking sexual favors or kareena kappor kissing shahid has become big news.. Pity really

PS: Amit verma has a view on the same issue read here (Post titled:where is the teeth?)