A media professor of Indian origin here says real news in Indian TV is being replaced by a relentless coverage on Bollywood and the three Cs - celebrities, criminals and cricket.
“There is far too much on Bollywood in the news and far too little on what is actually happening in the country and indeed in the world at large,” rued Daya Kishan Thussu, the first professor of Indian origin in the field of media and cultural studies in any British university.
“Quantity does not necessarily translate into quality. With some exceptions, television news in India today is veering towards infotainment.”
He added: “The concept of infotainment is a relatively new one, which emanates from recent changes in broadcasting ecology around the world. This is manifest in the way broadcasting has moved from public to private.”
However, the professor of international communication at London’s University of Westminster, who holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, was all praise for the Indian press.
“The press in India is comparable with the best in the world. This is not an empty boast but the professionalism of Indian journalists is out there for all to see. We produce some of the most professional news magazines,” Thussu told IANS.
Upbeat about India’s prospects globally, Thussu said: “India has the professional expertise, especially in English - the language of global communication and commerce - and legitimate aspirations to be taken seriously among the comity of nations.”
“The opening up of the media sector has profoundly affected Indian journalism. This is most visible in television - where we have come a long way from a state monopoly to the era of multi-channel viewing with many dedicated news networks, and not just in English and Hindi but in India’s other major languages.”
The most exciting change in the Indian media scene, according to Thussu, is “really in what has been traditionally called as vernacular press”.
“The press and broadcasting in Indian languages are thriving and are likely to make the elite press take notice,” he added.
“Even trans-national operators such as Rupert Murdoch have recognised the value of localisation of content - STAR TV in India has gone almost completely native!”
“However, I do appreciate the apprehensions of many about foreign business interests coming to dominate media agenda. What is most dangerous for me is what I call ‘desi globalisation’ - when foreign interests emphasise their native credentials to present a more acceptable face of globalisation,” he warned.
