DNA Special: Is media only driven by TRPs? SSR, Hathras are cases in point

In the 1970s, the famous film called Safar had a song "Jo tumko ho pasand wahi baat karenge, tum din ko agar raat kaho raat kahenge". The media today looks like it is toeing the same line. But the big question is whether the people are really interested in real news or want entertainment in the form of news? The entire country is divided on what is being shown or written in the media. 

For instance, the Sushant Singh Rajput death case and the alleged Hathras gangrape should have reached to its logical conclusion and the guilty punished. But both the cases became a concoction of fake news and a rush for TRPs. Justice was put on the backburner with people watching and listening as mute spectators.

Journalism called the fourth pillar of democracy has failed to live up to this expectation and degraded to a level where no one is willing to write or speak the truth. Shallow journalism has taken deep roots. It now only revolves around fake news and TRPs.

The Legislature, that represents the entire country has already fragmented the first pillar of democracy. Several questions are being raised on the work ethics of the legislature that is entrusted with the responsibility of serving the people. The only ray of hope for the country seems to be the Judiciary but cracks have begun to emerge in its functionality as well.

Take the case of Hathras gangrape and Sushant Sing Rajput; in both the cases justice should have ideally been delivered and the media should have played a constructive role reporting the news. But what we have been seeing in news channels is far from expected.

The FIR registered in the Sushant Singh Rajput case in Patna had no mention of murder and the entire investigation continues to point towards suicide, but a section of the media is hell-bent to declare the case as murder. On the other hand investigation in the Hathras case categorically denies rape but again a part of the media believes otherwise. 

Disregarding facts and resorting to lies is a game that media is playing for TRPs. You say something on the issue or you don't, the media is going to utilise it for their gains. Falsehood is slowly taking strong roots in the country.

According to our investigations, the victim and the prime accused in the Hathras gangrape case Sandeep were known to each other and probably used to be in touch over the phone. Call records show that accused Sandeep used to converse with someone on the number of one of the family members of the victim, who happens to be her elder brother. A 5-hour-long conversation has been recorded on this number between both of them. However, the elder brother denies any conversation with the accused.

On the other hand, some people in the village have confirmed a love relation between the victim and the accused.

While speaking to the mother of the Lav Kush, the second accused in the case, it was learnt that Lav on the insistence of his mother had gone to help the girl who had been left injure in the field but they made him one of the accused in the case. The mother of the third accused said that her son Ramu had left the house early for the dairy plant where he worked and was there until 12 pm. This fact was also confirmed by the dairy plant owner. The fourth accused in the case was not there in the village at the time of the incident, confirmed some villagers.

If facts are to be believed, the victims family did not make a complaint of rape on the day of the incident, October 14. Neither did they mention the names of the remaining three accused. Almost eight days after the incident the family spoke of the alleged rape. And why isn't the family willing to take a narco test?

Similar to Hathras, the truth behind Sushant Singh Rajput case is completely different. The divide between the media has led to the AIIMS board of doctors created for the case to declare that the report has been submitted to the CBI. No official statement in this regard has been made by the doctors so far.

The media is showing the entire case based on half baked facts. The contest for TRPs amongst media houses has scared officials from speaking anything to the media and therefore there are more speculations than truth coming out as news in the Sushant Singh Rajput case.

The credibility of the media is under the scanner and the reason behind this appaling state is clear from the kind of news that the electronic media today is doling out to its viewers. You can even understand the credibility of the media in the backdrop of both these Incidents.

So the onus now lies upon the viewers whether they want to entertain themselves by watching shallow news created only for TRPs or want to watch news that is credible and matter to the society. There are currently 400 news channels in India and therefore hundreds of versions of each truth are being put in front of you, it is up to you to see which version of the truth you want to watch.