Before you read this post let me make things clear:
a) I am not a journalist or jerk who likes celebrity accounts
b) This post will not help you to learn journalism
Ok, now you can start reading further...
Indian News culture is getting antithetical; Page 3 of a newspaper, is dedicated for celebrity news, where it talks about the latest fling of Priety Zinta, party hosted by Smitha Thakeray, launch of new beauty saloon…bla bla….. Average Indian is really snoopy to know all these. Bollywood stories have become an inevitable part of middle–class Indian life. Is it blameworthy? Well…I like Page 3. I always look at page 3 with my prying eyes to know what’s happening in Bollywood. Sometimes I get some kind of ecstasy out of gossips.
“Yet Another Indian Take over after Tata” A headline by Times of India….I was really keen to dig in to that news to find out which business man got hold of which foreign company! Yes it’s an Indian Origin businessman…Great Arun Nayyar…what the heck?He got married to LizHurley?? a full page coverage about an NRI and his extravagant marriage to a blonde. I felt like banging my head! To tell you the truth I still don’t know who is this Arun Nayyar...have heard of Liz Hurley and her relationship with Hugh Grant (see! Page 3 effect).I thought TOI just got carried away with Liz Hurley’s stardom.But it was not going to stop there. Then came Prince William and his spilt with girl friend Kate…another front page news! Half of the page covered with their photo and boosted up news. Same day, same news paper I found a very important news on page 9…it was about an Anti-Indian riot in Uganda….one Indian died...I was shocked when I saw the news on page 9…a half quarter report.. Worthless life, he was living abroad to take care of his family…life played around. He had to leave this world. And when it chipped in to the newspaper Prince William and Kate literarily eclipsed the Ugandan Riot news…hmm…at least he got page 9 coverage…but as per the trend that space could have been covered by a cricketer modeled advertisement. It’s just not about someone’s death, but the importance of such sensitive news. It got pushed to a ‘need-something-to-fill-up-this-space’ page.
Abhi-Ash, new pair of space busters! Now its all about Abhishek Bachan and Aishwarya Rai’s Marriage…. Last three days have been a festival for Indian news papers. They celebrated India’s so called ‘First Couple’s’ marriage by sparing front page exclusively for them. Most printed news on this marriage were ; List of A grade guests, type of invitation, Abhishek Bachan’s out fit, King Khan’s absence, Tirupathi visit, honeymoon, and finally a fanatic act by a fan. Knucklehead Jhanvi Kapur, another aspiring space buster…I lost count on how many important newscasts went unnoticed and become footling.
I am sick and tired of all these. I don’t want to read dung! I want sensible genuine news! at least on the front page!
2 comments:
What more can u expect frm the TOI, which can at most be used as a tissue paper. A very good quality paper 2 wipe crap..For ToI raveena tandon's dog being kidnapped was a headline news. It also sells its editorial content which is a well knwn fact...but singling out Toi is also not nice since most media be it newspapers or news channels have deteriorated in quality...thts y I have left watching news now..
There couldn't be a greater irony than reading TOI and being critical and sarcastic about it. Have you ever checked out The Hindu before. Well I get The Hindu at home and guess what I have never read a page 3 simply because Hindu doesn't have one . Probably what seems pathetic , I hardly goto know what happened as Ash-Abhi wedding , thanks to The Hindu . Your comments on TOI is more like the priest's comments about the Satan . Imagine the role of a priest without a Satan-its close to zilch....!!
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