The humble newspaper has probably had as much importance in our lives as food itself. I remember from my childhood the eagerness with which my grandfather awaited the newspaper delivery boy early every morning. We used to get two English dailies and Dada-ji could not even imagine starting his day without them. In fact he would sometimes forget taking his medicines but never would he skip his one hour morning ritual of devouring the papers word by word. So consumed he was with newspapers that he would allocate slots in the day to specific sections. They provided him intellectual fodder to prepare for the evening discussion session with his friends.
As I grew up I saw a similar habit in my father and later on, in me too. Heredity? Maybe. But there really is something about newspapers which you just cannot shake off. We have been fortunate to have a tech blitzkrieg in the recent years. The advent of internet, cheaper data and mobile devices has spoilt us. Gone are the days when our fathers and grandfathers used to wait for the morning to read headlines in the newspaper. This is the era of ‘breaking news’. As a popular saying goes, if something is not reported immediately after it happens, it is probably not worthy of being a news story.
We now have 24×7 news channels breathing down our necks and reporting news and events like a television serial. The internet continues to amaze us every day with something new – be it RSS feeds of breaking news, live stock market tickers or even selective news being sent to your email address at a pre-defined interval. Every format of news delivery is trying to outdo each other to capture eyeballs and share of mind. In such a scenario it is left to the consumer’s discretion to choose what data he wants to interpret and how.
But in this entire medley, one important thing has been sidelined: NEWS.
I have now consciously stopped watching prime time news. I cannot even begin to describe whether it is the endless repetition of news which irks me more or the irritating commercials that break the flow of conversation. Whichever channel you flip to, has a hyperactive news anchor trying to prove his point by shrieking. No more is political analysis restricted to facts. Every channel has their own ‘panel of experts’ – mostly out-of-work ex-ministers who are always critical of every action of the Government. It is disturbing to note what example these channels are setting for future generations. No wonder why youngsters prefer not watching news on TV or reading newspapers. For them it is about customization and convenience. And the internet can fulfil this purpose very well.
Excess of everything is bad. Maybe it is high time media houses realize this and start focusing on content than delivery. I, for one, would love to see more of real journalism than sting operations and dressed up news.