The story of peanuts and monkeys

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This article has an incident - a small proof of why the media is in such a mess today with no unity among themselves, and no integrity or truth in the content that comes out - be it television or online or print.

Paid Media is a deep-rooted problem - deeper menace than any of us can imagine.

Earlier, in 2000s, it was one person, one reporter here and there, demanding 500 rupees for a TV byte of 20-25 seconds or more, and more for a story. It was also the live telecasts in favour of political parties for some favour to the reporter unknown to the rest. Cash, laptops, car, even flats and other stuff. There are tales of reporters cashing on scandals of politicians -crores of rupees. The colour of reporting changed in accordance with the gains.

Clicked by me during one of the trips to my hometown. Symbolises the situation.


Then came tele-programmes, soft in nature (cookery, fashion, astrology, cinema, health) but the guests had to pay to appear in such programmes.

The problem thus far was in the way journalists were treated by companies - pay peanuts and expect them to get "high quality" content, while it is only monkeys that you will get for peanuts. Why wouldn't a reporter want to earn extra income if it is as easy as doing his or her own job, but interpreting differently? Is brain work behind journalism any less than any IT/coding/management work? Is the time taken any less? If not, why not pay them well?

Some media houses understood this and started paying well to those in top jobs and those who topped visibility and exposure index in the organisation. However, once you taste blood and have compromised your integrity, why would you withdraw from it?

Then came the even more dangerous trend: Earn your salary by doing this officially. Journalists today in many mainstream media houses work without salary for months. Media houses officially promote the trend, with internal deals with politicians or companies. There are also jokes making rounds currently that if X media gives salary to its employees once in three months, it means that the senior chaps in the company have been able to strike a deal with some big gun on some story/scam.

Why do we even talk about transparent media that is "fourth pillar", while by design it is not allowed in this society/ economy?  I'm becoming pessimistic after each day. Have totally stopped watching TV. God knows when I will quit media totally.

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