Dear Editor,
Its is surprising to know that IBN which happens to be my favorite channel as well as most watched in India, somehow not at the peak,
You Show the temperature of North East State Capitals and not a single story about them. Isn't it high time that you start going really National, a capsule of news from every State Capital.
With an opening of a fashion boutique look at the news space / talk time given with pictures, what about the news and pictures of an ordinary day of Below Poverty line. Don't we need news that compare the 2 distant realities, why only news about how and what celebrities wear at Birthday Bash. Why only Paras Tomar and No P Sainath?
Everyone can give reactive news; look at semi-clad pictures, why should we watch such news print or media channels, Newspaper came in this country to make a revolution?
I feel IBN is heading towards being the TIMES OF INDIA, a newspaper that has kept readers in ignorance for decades. Does TOI the largest circulated news paper create a revolution in India? Yes it does, a revolution to materialism, a revolution to create more lust and so called fashion statements in the young urban mindset, a revolution to be disconnected from India, a revolution to remain in ignorance of urban culture, in true marketing sense the debate is does News Agents like TOI choose its readers or do readers choose TOI ?
Some smart brand managers create new segments for their products; TOI is one of those smart marketers. News on TOI is full course meal, soup to dessert in form of Bangalore Times or Mumbai Times…question is can profits not be made with noble objectives, the talent of all journalists in good newspapers, where is it being used and for what purpose. Journalism is a passion, one lives to read, its quest of human development, where is journalism heading in print. Once in a week you will find a hard hitting editorial, where is the competitiveness for the creating the change, which existed when Kesari transformed this nation.
Do Indians who watch IBN know what is happening in Darfur, why do you repeat news every hour, isn't it time to create regional coverage, can IBN not become the news channel which every parent tells its child to watch for the news platter it offers
The objective is the today's news readers/watchers are not sensitive to issues in the rural India, not because they are not interested, not because they don't see such issues in news mediums, but because news mediums have conditonalized them for decades to be insensitive to real issues.
Where as the news mediums assume that today's reader is not interested in knowing about a life of below poverty line family, they follow the need theory and marketing principle that readers and customers crave to have better lifestyle, happiness and celebration, they assume that readers/viewers need escapism from pains and suffering from rest of India. And a news medium then plays a role of an entertainment, and caught amidst this vicious cycle is freedom of press, which today is misused, and now is worth only for scrap, as colored papers weigh more.
Can News Mediums- Print and Media, move towards political and non political consulting, a news agent which throws options in front of policy makers, a news mechanism that provides best practices across the country and world, get specialists and experienced executors to come one platform to provide guidance to policy makers. A news mechanism that not just gives debates but brainstorming and solution directed debates. We don't want the generations to come spend time talking about issues and debating them, we need them to go one step further, we need them to discuss solution directed talks. Or else we have a generation of reactive talkers.
Take for example the Passport System in India, which comes directly under the PMs portfolio as Ministry of External Affairs. There are Indians who stand in queues for long hours, people faint in the hot sun, in inhuman conditions. Issues like this should not just be discussed but constructive discussion towards a solution, a news medium must be a platform to bring about the change and not just inform about it.
Why Love only for Cricket, why Primetime of channel for just Cricket and not other sports. Why should news channels always be reactive and court-martial Indian Olympics Association after a dismal performance. Media creates heroes and reports stories about heroes, aren't there heroes in Indian Sports. Why their life stories not reported. What is Lance Armstrong? Are there no such individuals in India? How will viewers come to know about them, what will inspire the youth to join Athletics versus Cricket? Is it just talent or childhood aspiration?
Why interview only Will Smith and not Dr. V Shanta and her contributions to Cancer Hospitals. What about Baba Amte, look at the time space given to him versus Bollywood stars. Reporting same news..is no contribution to this nation.
Like Americans lived in ignorance of what US policies were in Central Africa, where they still believed that world is America, and nothing else. Same might happen in India, world for Mumbaikars is only Mumbai. They will become insensitive to everything, else until the day the oppressed strike back. News medium is just not a Product, its Brand Personality with which reader/ viewer associates with. The reader with time adopts the personality of the brand, that means a generation of insensitive mindset
I realise your target segment is Urban Indians,metrosexuals, but what the value you add to their life and to the society. May be I am asking too much from young channel like IBN; or may be I am asking too much from the wrong channel. But somehow, I seem to be convinced that for some X reason, I feel IBN will catalyze the India Story.
Jai Hind,
Navendu Shirali
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