thevigil.in: public scrutiny of news media

By B V Rao

As we approach the festival season, the television news media seems to have taken the lead in the discounts race. On sale at heavy, never-before rates of discount are accuracy, accountability and honesty.

The coverage of the recent disappearance and death of Andhra Chief Minister YS Rajashekhara Reddy demonstrated how some channels are not just economical with truth but unabashedly and unapologetically so. Last Thursday (Sept 3) Times Now lied through its teeth, making deliberately false claims that its reporter was “moments” away from the “the exact spot” where YSR was supposed to have crashed. (See post below, Lies, damned lies and breaking news on Times Now.) continue reading…

This article first appeared on exchange4media.com

By B V Rao

The simple truth about breaking news of the sort that lasts 30 hours is that time stands still but TV has to run. Or at least it has to appear to be running all the time. In the 30 hours between the disappearance of Rajashekhara Reddy’s chopper and the declaration of his death, information was sparse and nobody knew what was happening. But 24×7 news demands that information or no information, you have to keep the talk-shop going. That’s almost mission impossible, so you wouldn’t nitpick if the channels missed one here and goofed one there or if the anchors run out of steam or stumble. continue reading…