The Indian news
channels have seen a tremendous growth in the past few years.Gone are the days when news channels used to
cater to a select audience.In the last half decade more than half a dozen channels have mushroomed and successfully competed against each other. Nowadays these private news channels are bustling with glamour and professionalism. They have opened a thriving job sector based on competence and ability to work under strict deadlines. Though the fierce competition among the channels has lifted up the quality of investigative journalism and pondered deeply over many important socio-economic and human rights issues , sometimes the unnecessary urge to dig up news has backfired and has been criticized. In a democratic society the role of media is very important as they can easily manipulate the masses and place the government in an uncomfortable position. The opinion polls conducted by the channels are very influencial and revealing in this regard. Some of the channels have successfully popularized their anchors , a trend earlier glorified in the Shahrukh Khan starrer “Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani”. Rajdeep Sardesai (CNN-IBN), Kishore Advani (Zee News), Arnab Gowswami (Times Now) and some others have emerged as the
standard bearers of the well spoken urban elite. Behind the screen hundreds of youngsters , some of them freshly out of their colleges are labouring hard day in and day out in search of news stories all over the country. The crime reporting has gained special importance with these channels. Some channels are entirely devoted to share market news and analyses and they serve the business classes a lot. Even a housewife from a rural area, running a small enterprise is not hesitant to ask questions to the channel analyst over telephone. Some of the channels have also started selecting successful individuals from various fields for yearly awards which is a welcome effort. Though the non stop news broadcast is helpful for news- mongers,in effort to fill the slots all kinds of stuffs have found their way in different forms. Sometimes the live
discussions are watched not for their content but for the celebrity faces seen there and the grandeur with which the environment is enveloped.These discussions start with the right argumentative mode but get derailed midway due to the shortage of time and the interruptins by the anchors who more and more try to resemble blue eyed quiz masters. The enthusiasm and advertising hype related to the private news channels during the years of their advent is much subdued now. The way they influenced opinions of the masses over the years and turned their eyes from time consuming entertainment programs to useful news contents can surely be called a phenomenon. If the channels maintain their standard of professionalism and follow the ethics and responsibilities ,they will only help Indians become better citizens.