“Bacchanitis” cripples Indian media

A month ago air waves were saturated with lethal doses of “Lizitis” and now it is“Bacchanitis”. We have heard about celestial weddings described in puranas but this celebrity wedding is putting all celestial weddings to shame. All eligible bachelors and bachelorettes want to be a fly on the wall, a lizard in B’s garden when it comes to union of Guru bhai and the Mistress of Spices. Fairy tale weddings like this one have defaced the Indian media. Though Indian public is private and very much appreciates privacy, but media portrays Indian public as malicious mother-in-laws hungry for celebrity juice. The hackneyed question is back - egg or the chicken which came first?

Lascivious media has been walloping gossip and disseminating trash through airwaves and print media. The lens apertures are completely wide and awake 24 by 7 since their engagement in January. Be it a trip to Madurai, Varanasi or Pushkar media employs full time correspondents and reporters to tag the prey and capture minute by minute details. When there is nothing else to ruminate media turns to Bollywood to wash celebrity linen in public and bring their bed lice to light. They gather astrologers for a panel discussion on horoscopes in mainstream media. Who is benefited from such irresponsible waste of airtime? What is the value add from such programs? Are these the changing times Indian journalism?

Isn’t it hideous, frivolous and gross invasion of privacy by the media moguls and reporters hounding Mr. Amitabh Bacchan’s house? Every time the door is closed and opened and every time a visitor enters or leaves slew of reporters and cameras run behind them to find out what is happening in the house. The same celebrities, who loathe the media when their private lives are made public, turn blind and deaf when it comes to propagating their brand image and value. Where did the invasion of privacy go? The Bacchans’ are no exception to this and they have joined hands to auction their souls and lives on Ebay. It is all money baby!!

Why has the media gone maniacal about this wedding? Is it because they are able to sell more adv time and gain viewership from Junior B’s wedding?

Some news channels refer to the Bacchans’ as the “First family of Bollywood”. Wow! I thought cinema was yet another profession, but why is the media creating a cult out of this profession and giving Bacchans’ the invincible status? Marriage is supposed to be a private affair celebrated with family and friends, but why is media making it public nuisance? Who wants to know if Sachin and his wife danced at the Sangeet ceremony?

Headlines Today has definitely been the biggest publicity channel for the Bacchans’. They have 30 minutes slot every hour to discuss about this celebrity wedding. From invitations, decorations, and invitees there are slots to that discuss about the Mangaliks’. The world and the media suddenly seem to worry about Mangaliks’. Where have they been all this while and here they are today to stage a debate between rationalist and astrologers if Abishek and Aishwarya’s wedding is astrologically well engineered.

Other News Channels are not far behind in this race. CNN IBN and Times Now have been chasing invitees to capture their expectations of this wedding. Sensationalism in media took a new route with breaking news and flash news scrolling at the bottom of the screen and today it has reached another level of meritocracy with irresponsible and frivolous reporting. For the first time I felt Doordarshan was a blessing over these private News channels.

Not only does the Television media world suffer from the “Bacchanitis” even responsible newspapers are turning into tabloids. Newspapers like Times of India, Hindustan Times, and Deccan Chronicle have separate sections covering the occasion, in addition to the usual front page coverage on the wedding.

Who is responsible for misleading the media in this direction? Are brands responsible for pushing the media to frivolous news reporting on their brand ambassadors to boost their sales? Definitely there must be a win-win proposition for coexistence in the business ecosystem. Brand endorsements locally and globally are not new to the Bacchans’ or Rai. International brands like L’Oreal Paris has introduced a shade of lip stick hand picked by the provocative queen to be sold world wide. This is the first time ever L’Oreal has ever done this for a celebrity. It is perfectly understandable when celebrity endorsed brands milk extra mileage during such occasions, but for media trespass in this area is highly objectionable.

Is it the job of the media to employ reporters and hire paparazzi to run around like beheaded chickens reporting, exaggerating and unnecessarily autopsying personal lives of celebrities? For the avaricious media fraternity shows up at private parties and bashes without any invitation is not new. At Arun Nayar and Liz Hurley’s wedding reporters from the media were treated like stray dogs, chased and beaten. Is media turning thick-skinned today? Where is self respect? Is media on their own trip to self vilification? Thriving on gossip and feeding on gossip has become norm today for the media houses. Page 3 has become Page 1 and priorities have changed. Editorial desk in the media houses have metamorphosed to “Gossip desk”.

At the end it all boils down to few questions. Is true journalism endangered in India? Has ethics and etiquettes in journalism vanished completely? Every news channel from West to East today suffers from this epidemic. Is it time to rewrite the ethics and principles governing the media to changing taste and times? Has the push for consumerism diluted the content and quality? Is sensationalism required for consumerism? Lots of questions to ask, but who will answer?