A letter to Indian Media from a Budding Journalist, you are making it tough for us! 

Dear Media Houses,

It’s been 5 years in this profession and what I am witnessing is, ‘Making me Lose Hope’. Earning money, getting fame and most important working towards TRPs this has become the sad reality of India Media. Being Insensitive is the new normal. Every then and now we see hashtags like #RIPJournalism. But are the things changing? The answer is no, the condition gets worse with each passing year. In the race of becoming no 1, Indian media has forgotten fact checking, sensitivity and basics of Journalism. What we get is – One sided stories, news which has nothing to do with us, and some unchecked facts.

The kind of headlines and reporting that we saw on Sushant Singh is shameful. I remember one of my professors telling me – When you say, ‘I am a Journalist people look upto you, and expect something more than an ordinary person’. You need to be observant, keen for knowledge and true to yourself. All this has just now become theoretical knowledge. Standards are going down, and it has become a threat for the budding journalists. Good content isn’t appreciated. You know why? Because people are overloaded with useless content. They don’t know what good content looks like ( in terms of news), thanks to some very reputed professionals of the media industry.

Today, Journalists have lost all their respect. Not all are same, but people do generalise. Insensitive reporting on Sushant’s untimely demise is not the first case, where channels have stooped down to such a level.

Read more: From Guru Dutt to Sushant Singh Rajput, celebrities who committed suicide

We have already witnessed this during Sridevi’s death – A video surfaced where a reporter went inside the bathtub to report the incident. Be it Pratyusha Banerjee, Nirbhaya case or Jiah Khan, Indian media has proved with each passing year they are stooping down. Asking someone how she or he is feeling about losing their loved ones? How does it make sense? This is what you call Journalism?  Not giving a single moment of privacy – this you call your job? Giving out private information. Talking about his personal relationships and dragging people involved with him are breaking stories of almost every news channel. Can you please spare them?

You are making it difficult for us. People don’t take it seriously. Journalists who are doing their jobs with full honesty are not getting due credit. Their efforts are not being recognised. They are labelled too. And this makes me feel scared. Is this the end of journalism? Is there any way out? The trend is disturbing, and I have no clue where we are heading. Take some responsibility and be accountable. Before a Journalist, you are  a human being. Don’t forget!

Have a news story, an interesting write-up or simply a suggestion? Write to us at info@oneworldnews.com