24 Hour News Channels: Less News, More Entertainment

Gone were the days when we used to wait for the Prime Time news bulletin. There used to be a handful of channels telecasting such bulletins.

The scenario has changed drastically in the past five years. There are plenty of them and that too running 24*7. Has the world become such a happening place? Do we really need such channels? Are they doing justice to news and journalism?

I keep ruminating over these questions whenever I switch on the TV ad tune to one such channel.

One very amazing concept; which I have never been able to understand is: “BREAKING NEWS.” I always thought Breaking News will be something for which a running news bulletin has to be stopped as the news is of utmost importance. For instance, a country goes to war with another or a very famous person died.

However, all we get to see these days is:
- In a cat-dog fight, cat won
- Two gay girls get married, relatives furious… etc etc.

As the world is the same place like a few years ago with a few things running at more pace than they used to, the channels end up repeating the same news over and over again. Sometimes, in a struggle to be different, they even end up telecasting contradictory news.

One more surprising thing happening on these channels is that they also telecast comedy shows, astrology shows and recaps of daily soaps. I have never been able to understand, since when did they qualify to be NEWS!!

And an icing on the cake is, when all of these channels claim to be "INDIA’s No. 1 NEWS CHANNEL."

These channels are beyond my understanding. All I can surmise is that they are running in a Blind Race, which has no end.

I hope they will understand this and mend their ways, so that we are able to see Journalism in the way it has always been known for!!!