[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ournalists’ Forum Assam (JFA) was irked by an article in national magazine Outlook for ‘portraying’ Times Now news channel frontman Arnab Goswami in a ‘negative’ light.
An article in the latest issue of Outlook magazine dubbed editor-anchor of Times Now as ‘The Man Who Killed TV News’. Reacting to this, the JFA said ‘criticizing a particular editor of a news channel as being the murderer of the television journalism is uncalled for’. “Is Indian journalism is so weak that one Arnab Goswami can destroy it?” asked the JFA.Well, one media establishment taking the role of a media watchdog to throw its judgement on another media house or one journalist attacking another fellow professional particularly on ethics is an unprecedented development. This is never done. We should remind ourselves that in no time media kinds jump and talk of Freedom of Expression every time anyone speak ill of us. Why double-standard…today? In saying so this column does not mean to lay its judgement on another media house.
Every media house has its own take on news. In the event of breach of media ethics there is a check and balance mechanism. This self regulation of the media working is so strong and tight that a slight breach can demolish the whole establishment overnight. As long as the media presentations quench the viewers and readers and do not harm the society, be it so.
Sensationalizing of situation is of course not a kind of stuff in the true media working though it may have readers and viewers appeal. But this again has its share of price in the form of credibility of the media houses or the journalists. Once you are considered one element that has lost its credibility the mechanism will take its own course to the extent that the volume of the readership of a newspaper is dropped drastically. This regulation holds good in the electronic media too.
