Yellow or Black Journalism

Yellow or Black Journalism
By Jyoti Prakash Patil

In this cyber age we are racing so fast that we need instant and cooked up things. Jhatpat khabre, Khabre superfast, khabre fatafat etc. are doing booming business. Earlier for news we used to depend upon daily, weekly and bi-weekly newspapers. We had radio to broadcast news faster than newspapers. But now most of us like to sit before Idiot Box which is smart enough to make us waste our precious time by befooling us in many ways. I am going to talk about a new type of journalism which perhaps is bleaker than the yellow journalism.
In earlier days yellow journalism (peet patrakarita) was regarded as a blot to honest journalism. Yellow journalism is a pejorative reference to journalism that features sex scandals, scandal-mongering, sensationalism, or other unethical or unprofessional practices by news media organizations or journalists. It was regarded as something heinous and atrocious. The term was coined in the 1890s to describe the tactics employed in furious competition by two New York City newspapers when Joseph Pulitzer’s ‘New York World’ and William Randolph Hearst’s ‘New York Journal’ were accused of sensationalizing the news in order to drive up circulation. Pulitzer and Hearst were blamed for drawing the nation into the Spanish-American War with sensational stories.
Tony Berman, editor-in-chief, CNB News has commented "Every news organization has only its credibility and reputation to rely on." Like many broader ethical systems, journalism ethics include the principle of "limitation of harm." This often involves the withholding of certain details from reports such as the names of minors, crime victims’ names or information not materially related to particular news reports release of which might, for example, harm someone’s reputation.
Today I feel that this yellow journalism has become BLACK and is choking up the news channels on which the common people depended with shrieking, gaudy, sensation-loving, devil-may-care kinds of journalism. This turned the high drama of life into a cheap melodrama and led to stories being twisted into the forms best suited to their ulterior motives for TRP by catchy clippings like TV se hanta mat, Sabse bada khulasa, Kahi jayiga nahi, Remote ko mat chhuna etc.
Breaking news are flooding every news channel which boasts to be Sabse Tez and Sabse Pahle and then serve us with news special such as, The World is dying, Hava mein latki Ladki, Shani ka prakop, pani aur aakash per chalta aadmi, Aliens are watching you, etc. I think they look more like documentary channels rather than news channels or we can say they are becoming entertainment channels. The real issues of everyday life are being sidelined to attract the attention of news viewers by hook or crook and by keeping all the ethical codes at bay. Truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability are all ignored easily to earn more money. For this the online media is using easy tactics of glamorizing and sensationalizing the information.
A very noticeable change in the news today is that we don’t see politicians and ministers attending meeting, inaugurating events, speaking on various issues etc. find prominence in the news headlines. Instead we see Rakhi Sawant talking candidly about her life, Mallika Sherawat doing some Hollywood film or Bebo and Saif flirting in public. Nudity of all sorts has become garam masala of every news channel. Here newspapers are also not far behind. Pick up a paper and see semi-nude blondes huddled with the very name of the newspaper on the top. These cheer girls of all sorts are capturing the major chunk of news headlines as well as other supplements.
Another thing most of us notice today is that undue importance is given to some trivial and localized news which hardly affect the people in general. Prince in 40ft bore well, some heroine having affair with xyz, breaking out, a girl eloped with a boy and being tortured by both the families, some television actress is washing her dirty linen in public etc.
The allegations leveled by some channel icons that people want sensational news in the line of ‘jo dikhata hai woh bikta hai’ is baseless because media today is so powerful that it can draw the attention of public in general to some genuine issues with professional ease. In cinema also a good storyline film is always a box office hit rather than a masala movie.
Even in MBA and Mass Media courses it is taught to grab the opportunity risking your honesty and truthfulness and toss the ladder when you climb so that others can never catch up with you. Is this the culture we wish to leave behind for the next generation? There are so many burning issues like global warming, water scarcity, corruption in all walks of life, terrorism and violence, disintegration of family system etc. which can be taken up. Of course we will all agree despite all these dirty breakneck competitions some news channels are taking up burning issues and healthy discussions for the betterment of society and they should be lauded for their efforts. Winning awards should not be the aim of news channels but if they come your way by such healthy practice it is more satisfying.

(Sent to Dainik Bhaskar’s Impressions and published on 2nd Aug 2008)