Where is the News
2008, the year that has ended, was very interesting in terms of the news that the news channels had to offer. As an obsessed news channel viewer, I made a note of few things that never escaped the 'Always News Hungry -- News Channel's' Attention.World Economic Slowdown and the Recession
(3.5/5 : Hotness of the news )
This was one piece of Hot Cake for them. Everyday there were reports of people being served Pink Slips and then Banks and Investment Firms getting closed. I guess all the News overflow started with the Lehmann Bros Collapse. and the Company filing for Bankruptcy and then other scores of banks WorldWide showing Capital Scarcity. All this while in India... The Crude Prices were rising ... the Inflation Rate was Scoring better than our College Topper's CGPA.. as news of Banks Collapses spread.. News Channels showed Reports of these Crisis affecting India.. though Position of India was sound in Domestic Market .. the Investors Pressed Panic Button quite uneccesarily.. and all things turned upside down .. the Sensex & Nifty tumbling to new lows.. and the Dollar Price Appreciation .. and RBI cutting Repo Rates and CRR..
Job Cuts,Layoffs and Pink Slips
(3/5 : Hotness of the news )
Well News Channels made these terms popular.. Employees all over India Suddenly turning more Efficient.. hehe .. and then Jet Airways issuing Pink Slip in Mumbai .. made the Fear a Near Reality .. however Management Succumbed to the Media Glare.. or Employee Demand or Political Intervention .... dunno wat? but the Sacked employees were Reinstated.. and enjoyed a very good Lunch at a Five Star Hotel.. i mean the entire Episode somehow favoured the Employees.. and then there were reports of IT/ITes Cos.. cutting Bench Employees and UnderPerforming .. ones... and there were unconfirmed Reports of Even MS removing around 10% of their employees..
Raj Thackeray and his MNS
(2/5 : Hotness of the news )
This made Headlines .. all over India.. and News Channels were more than happy to debate about this Topic... Marathi Manoos versus the Bhaiyaas in Maharashtra.. the Chaat Puja and the Haat Puja.. and all of these ended when Gag orders were issued against Thackeray .. and he being sent to Jail Multiple Times albeit for a few hours each time .
And the high point was the Dramatic Encounter of incidentally a person named Raj in a BEST Bus .. who had a motive to kill Thackeray ..
Mumbai Terror Attacks
(4/5 : Hotness of the news )
This Incident was an Unfortunate one .. for Media too.. even The Media was made to sign a Emergency Protocol Agreement . so that they didnt telecast Sensitive Information that could hamper the Combing Operations or the Bloody Images of the dead and the Injured..
Apart from the Media.. it did terrorise the people all over India .. exposing to people that how vulernable they were to such Insane Attacks...
The Attacks kept Mumbai under siege for more than 60 hours.. and around 200 people dead
and more of them injured.. leading to the resignation of the 2 Patils and Deshmukh... and then our Finance Minister becoming the Home Minister.. and sending Terror Dosseirs to all Countries.. and India launching a diplomatic Offensive and Pakistan resigning to Denial Mode..
Obama's Election Campaign
( 3/5 : Hotness of the news )
Obama and the Change he Believed in campaign . sure made him the President of the United States of America.. but he is marred with more problems of late.. Recession .. Auto Companies .. Banks. On brink of Collapse.. Most US Cos Declaring a Negative Growth and Skewed Profit Margins.. Job Layoffs and Crumbling Internal and Foriegn Policies.. as well News Channels had reports of his GrandParents somewhere in Africa. .and him Holidaying in Honolulu... which were quite Irrevelant ...
As a review .. News Channels.. didnt do their jobs well in 2008.. so it might be the Media .that may have Layoffs.. now :P .. and News Channels made Amir Ajmal Kasab.. the Lone Terrorist caught alive in Mumbai Terror Attacks .. gain More Coverage than Barack Hussein Obama..
Also there were 2 blasts in Guhawati (i could never get that spelling .. rite ) which were never reported in the manner it was to be .. and then Minority Affairs Minister trying to get a slice of Media Coverage.. by questioning the Death of The Late ATS chief Karkare.. and then Major Unnikrishnan's parents visit to NDA was telecasted live for no apparent Sane Reason .. Cash for Money Scam.. was in and out of News.. and So was the Indian Cricket Team.. and then Olympic Medals was some Respite.. Abhinav Bindra got all the Attention while the Boxers were Confined to their rings .. (there were more unreported news.. i couldnt think of them all.. )
All this for Some Money .. Honey... sure they would Register More Profits.. this year..
lets See if in 2009 whether good Competitive Journalism prevails or the Plain Old Media Aggression /Sensationalisation that does the job..
only Time will tell..
Cheers ..
PS :
1) List of Bomb Blasts in India
even that list doesnt have the Recent Guhawati one ..
2) There are Many News Channels in India..
even Wiki couldnt List them in a single Page..
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