Partho Dasgupta: Let us look at news media as a source of information and not entertainment

Today we are in the era of abundance as far as media is concerned. With a plethora of news mediums, one-way communication has become two-way. Even the reader on their end can chime in with their thoughts and views. People can now easily question traditional news sources and hold them responsible. With the democratization of various media platforms, every man, woman, and teenagers ARE MEDIA.

With the advent of the internet revolution in India, every human with a mobile has found unparalleled power. The power to get knowledge, the power to put their view forward, and the power to reach any corner of the world with just a click of a button. However, with power comes responsibility.

"With YouTube, YT shorts, Insta, and many other platforms it has become very easy for a normal person to just start a channel and claim to be a journalist but at the same time, it is becoming more and more difficult for readers to authenticate the news." Shares Partho Dasgupta, Ex-CEO of BARC India and Presently Managing Partner, Thoth Advisors. It is imperative today, more than ever, to have a strong media that is free of bias and conducts actual on the ground reporting to ensure transparency.

According to critics, Indian media outlets often prioritize sensational stories over more important news to attract viewers and boost TRPs. Bias towards certain political parties or ideologies, privacy invasion, paid news, etc. are some of the issues that are raised while discussing today's media ethics. Everyone still remembers the over embellished facts during the Notebandi and the Covid time media coverage. It is only in retrospect that we can assess where the media forgot their ethics and sensationalized the news for views.

During the Jessica Lal murder case (2010) the courts stated that there was a risk of media prejudice as the media had already published the photographs of the accused even before the police investigations. Youtube channels and TV channels often mint viewership based on content that has no proof.

"Whenever the public invests emotionally in any news story, we have more chances of being fed a false narrative. Therefore, we as an audience need to look at media with facts backed by genuine sources" says Partho Dasgupta BARC Ex CEO.

So what exactly can be done by the media houses? Media organizations must uphold ethical standards by developing and following ethical guidelines that outline acceptable and unacceptable practices. "It is also important to encourage transparency about sources, methods, and decision-making processes", shared Partho Dasgupta.

Journalists should avoid situations that could compromise their objectivity or independence, like having business relationships with people in an ongoing investigation or accepting gifts or bribes. It should be imperative for them to strive for accuracy keeping in mind the privacy of individuals and the sensitivity of the case. Before reporting sensitive information, journalists should weigh the public interest in the story against the potential harm that could be caused.

The ultimate responsibility lies with us as viewers and consumers of news. We must develop critical thinking and check the information that we are sharing online. Also, we need an outlook change where we look at media as a source of information and not entertainment.