I was deeply saddened by the news of Kolkata flyover mishap. How because of somebody else’s greed and lack of conscience; innocent people, and their families had to pay such a heavy price.
As I am a working professional who was curious to know how rescue operations are progressing, I opened the website of a prominent English News Channel whose ex-editor in chief and his wife has an obsession to speak something against PM of India and blame him for whatever goes wrong in our complex country.
But when I read their “breaking news” I must say I felt disgusted. Their “breaking news” was “India off to good start”. I opened another website of news channel whose journalist shouts, tweets, write open letters to PM to portray that she is the crusader for truth and justice. That news channel’s website was also more interested in covering the cricket news than to detail about Kolkata mishap. I got curious, I wanted to know which all websites think India-WI match is of far greater national importance. I browsed 5 prominent news websites. I found out of 5 websites only one was prominently covering Kolkata mishap.
I know we as a nation breather-eat-sleep cricket. But this trend got me thinking: is it the case that Indian media think that we are far more interested in India vs WI match. That they are calling it a “Breaking News” over wanting to know about Kolkata flyover’s rescue op. Or Is it we as citizens of this country have become so insensitive that for us India’s match is far more important than the lost lives of innocent people, and these news websites are merely catering to our deficient sensibility.
I delved deeper and I concluded the reason is former over later. These news websites observe one way of communication where a group of people decides what we as readers should read. In their website, it is not easy to drop a feedback. Even if you take pains to drop feedback they don’t even bother reverting back. So I am assuming that in their arrogance they decide which news piece will make the “breaking news” and which one can be pushed below and be diluted among other news pieces.
With all this analysis I am now in a dilemma, should I even bother reading the news from these low-quality news websites or should I go back to good ol days and start following doordarshan which simply present the news as is? I guess later is a rational option.