Popularity vs. Credibility : An analysis of public perception of sensationalism in Indian television news

Abstract

There is no doubt that dense networks of social communication have persisted in modern India. The long lineage and persistence of vibrant and organic tradition of public reasoning, dissent, debate and oral tradition cuts across classes, castes, religions and communities. The development of news channels as a prominent genre of satellite television can be understood in this context. After the barriers due to state monopoly were lifted, there was a special liberating resonance. News television, for the first time, provided air waves as a mass platform to extend the Indian propensity for argumentation and political debate. The boom in Indian TV news channels is no short of a revolution. The way the content and presentation have diversified in the last decade speaks volumes of how TV news has carved a niche in the audience’s lifestyle and mindspace. The 24x7 news relay has gratified the viewers’ demand and need of being informed and entertained simultaneously. From the non-glamorous days of Doordarshan in India to the more dynamic Zee news in 90s, there has been a noticeable tilt towards sensationalism in Indian news media with the advent of a new Hindi news channel India TV. What started as a ripple effect to boost TRPs has now cascaded into a chain reaction with every new channel using the card to raise its popularity index. However popularity does not necessarily imply credible public perception of either the news content or the news channel. This paper attempts to explore the relationship between news sensationalism and perceived credibility in the minds of the audience. The paper would use a combination of the case study approach and analytical survey to establish the aforementioned relationship. The research would consist of a case study of at least three news channels and a survey on 50 respondents. The objective of the paper is to make a comment on the novae-kultur of sensationalism and exaggeration that has become both the means and end of news presentation on the Indian telescreen. The paper seeks to address the issue of ‘breaking news syndrome’ in the context of viewers’ perception of the same. It would attempt to seek answers about the credibility of news content in the public’s psyche. Keywords: Television, popularity, credibility

View PDF