THE NEWS ENTERTAINS MORE THAN IT INFORMS

We are all quite accustomed to the media in the twenty-first century, aren't we? In middle school,
we were given a rudimentary understanding of the media. Our elders enjoyed reading the
newspaper or watching the news over breakfast, so it had become a part of our upbringing. The
media are seen as the fourth pillar of democracy for several reasons. One of these is its capacity to
swiftly and widely disseminate knowledge.

The question is whether society can rely on the media to give us accurate information. A few
decades ago, it could have been the case, but not anymore. Instead of providing facts and numbers
through analysis of data available to the globe and the media, today's media opt to convey its news
and information through dramatic stories. It has been noticed several times that the information
offered lacks credibility or quality assurance.

After a certain point, the perspective used to describe or depict headlines or an event typically
shifts from that of a media writer to that of a storyteller. News networks make interesting topics into
a figment of their imagination by including extraneous details or by employing presenters who
perform as a "clown" or "puppet" for the producers by reciting the lines or pre-recorded
"conversation."

Media reporters' low educational backgrounds may be one factor contributing to the media's
current reputation. Subsequently, media outlets recruit their journalists without conducting
interviews with them or verifying their credentials or work history, relying instead on
recommendations, their "natural attractiveness," or nepotism.

The Indian media portray government-related journalism with an accuracy rating of about 72%
(Pew survey). The most common topics mentioned are sports, Bollywood movies, and artists'
private lives and scandals. Most often, talks about changing educational systems and curricula to
provide young people with the education they need to live on par with the rest of the world remain
unaddressed.

The bulk of media organizations, which are supposed to be impartial and refrain from expressing
ideological stances, are either controlled by or owned by political parties. As a result, they are free
to promote their opinions in a biased way. Because of their "connections" to the major political

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parties and leaders, the hosts of these networks and programs have been heard publicly spouting
their hatred of a certain group of people on several occasions.

Not only for Indian media but for media all across the world, this has been the case. By producing
exaggerated performances, pre-planned "news," or even pre-planned and pre-debated arguments
on critical national and societal issues, they have raised misconceptions about "fake news" and
"false information," to gain higher ratings and TRPs.

Likewise, with the advent of globalization, new ways for people to get headlines were made possible
by the use of the internet. Several platforms, like Google, YouTube, Internet Explorer, Chrome, and
Safari, offer access to live news feeds via satellite. Online sources can be identified in addition to
reading news from traditional media.

It has been recognized that viewers may find reports and data on social media sites like Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter. Like everything else in the universe, social media news articles have
advantages and disadvantages. The positives of the platform are attributed to the fact that young
people who prefer social media to most other choices now have access to media coverage. It further
enables people to use their posts and comments to protest injustices they perceive in their
neighbourhood.

Consequently, it enables us to see events in real-time from a first-person viewpoint, as opposed to a

third-person perspective. These forums intend to disseminate unfiltered ideas on a broad range of
pertinent subjects, not just hatred. Additionally, these sites alter genuine video, show old news and
movies as current occurrences to include offensive language, and later label it as "just for fun"
material, among many other issues.

All in all, political parties own the bulk of media channels in India, giving them the freedom to
promote their ideologies and, on occasion, openly express their hatred. While entertaining the
audience with their puppetry and foolery, they fulfill their "obligations" to their potential
consumers to deliver reports and data. It thus necessitates a much-needed redesign to provide the
audience with authenticating and accurate documentation and news while also providing the
proper use of social media platforms as advantages rather than disadvantages.

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Name: Siddhi Rakesh Jain
Course: F.Y.B.A.
Roll No: 2223-ART12-113
Division: A
Subject: Life Skills Knowledge (LSK)
Topic: The News Entertains More Than It Informs
Date Of Submission: December 27th, 2022

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