Let’s rethink national news
Abhinav Bindra shares his views on the media and its raucous.
Was I the only one who had an absurd level of sneaking admiration reserved for Dhoni this week ? What a rock star! He managed to outwit the media in possibly his most important moment? How does someone of this level of celebrity engineer such a momentous occasion with such panache and firmly draw the line? Dhoni getting married is ..... NEWS! And yet, he kept the press completely at bay!
The fact that it did not degenerate into a circus complete with details of the menu and flower arrangements made me respect him even more than I already do! (No “exclusives” here) The stray shots of a
ghodi
pretty much summed up the breaking news around what remained a very private ceremony. I respect the fact that he did not capitalise on a huge press opportunity and kept it under wraps. Clearly, for some, marriage is a sacred occasion and its inherent privacy is sacro sanct.
Sadly, the
tamasha
aspect of breaking news needs to be curtailed. What’s worrying is the increasing trivialising of the so called National News? How can everything from a
ghodi
to people dying in the firing line of Kashmir become equal fodder approached with the same zeal? In fact more often NOT with the same zeal. Sensationalism reigns supreme?
Bizarre how in two very different situations, almost identical questions are asked. The all time favourite is always “How do you feel?” My mental answer sometimes is “Forget me , HOW DO YOU FEEL?” Is it just me? I have an immense respect for good journalism, it empowers and informs but so much gets lost in translation! A very dear journalist friend (completely passionate about her profession) once said to me in despair, “A story is something someone somewhere does not want printed...For everything else there are press releases!”
My view is nowhere near so cynical. ‘Curiouser and curiouser’...Let’s wander into the land of relevant issues.
Read more of Abhinav Bindra's columns.
