'News channels should come out of the numbers game and go back to public interest'

Television media is facing a myriad of challenges these days which has drastically changed how news programs are produced and consumed. While a section of the audience including top media persons accuses news channels of over-the-top presentation of non-issues and prime time debates just to gain TRPs, anchors insist that they only echo the sentiments of people. 

e4m NewsNext Summit that was held in Delhi on Sunday organized a panel discussion on the issue titled, “Responsible reporting: How can Newsrooms ensure it?”.  The panel was moderated by Chehneet Kaur, Senior Correspondent of exchange4media. 

Jagwinder Patial, Executive Editor, ABP News, said in his opening remarks, “Media persons have lost their credibility, especially TV journalists, so much so that people don’t trust TV news anymore.”

Seema Haider’s case can be a good case study for introspection, he pointed out.  “She was dubbed as a woman who left her family and came to India for her love. Then she was dubbed a Pakistani spy and then she was showcased as an Indian patriot. This case was covered recklessly and mindlessly. Media should come out of the numbers game and go back to content that is of public interest. This can restore back the credibility,” said Patial. 

Another panellist Pradeep Bhandari, Psephologist, Author, and Journalist, contested Patial and insisted that news anchors are not robots but humans who read the news with emotions. “A TV journalist’s job is to express honest emotions, one that is shared by millions of people. Sometimes it gets exaggerated, but it is authentic. Now, many channels have deployed AI anchors. They will not be able to express emotions but just read out the news.”

Bhandari insists, “Raw and genuine emotions can’t be managed. Exaggeration doesn't mean it's necessarily wrong. Anyway, everyone has his own style. People who find them credible or can relate to, follow them. In India, whoever gets 37 per cent votes, can rule the country. So, we should not expect that everyone will approve of our presentation style. Our theatrical expressions should be taken in a positive way.”

According to Bhandari, historically any form of expression has always led to social change. “When Indian Chandrayaan lands on the Moon, I won’t just read the news. I will express the emotions of people who were really cheering at that time. Suppose I had a situation where you feel there is a gruesome rape which has taken place. It will obviously burn your heart and you will express the anger, which is the anger of the common man on the ground.”

Citing the “Black Lives Matter” movement, Bhandari added, “It might look like an exaggerated movement now, but it expressed anger and concerns of people at that moment. Historically, emotions have always been utilized in order to shake the conscience of the people.”

At the end of the day, the people of this country, the audience, are the biggest decision-makers. I believe that this is the best time to actually be in the business, says Bhandari, adding that it is not the end of journalism. Right now, people have much more information in hand. Audiences can choose the best option. 

Retorting to Bhandari’s arguments, Patial said, “My point was that news should be correct and authentic. Media should first verify the news and then telecast. In the number game, channels are not taking enough due diligence before publishing any news. This will help us rebuild credibility in the media.”

Bhandari defends that sometimes new facts evolve later and hence we need to change the stand. Consciously lying on channels is a crime. 

On the question of political interference in reporting, Bhandari agreed that unless the channels develop a business model where they are not dependent on government advertisements for survival, political interference in the newsrooms will continue. 

Patial says his channel incurred monetary losses and faced legal cases in many states because the channel continued to be critical of the governments.

On the question of intensive media trials, Bhandari said, media trials are fine as long as they represent people’s feelings. He also asserted that journalists are humans and hence bound to have opinions. 

However, Patial shared that media persons must stick to the truth and facts only.