'Celebrities' invade media, manipulate public opinion: Will journalists become extinct?

I am seriously worried over the future of genuine journalists. This is because of the invasion of 'celebrities' and 'retired babus'.

The rate at which the retired IAS, IPS officers, self-styled socialites and celebrities, politicians, businessmen and even hoodlums are making it to the edit pages and studios, it seems journos will soon be out of business.

The articles of 'celebrities' like KPS Gill who was booked for allegedly groping a woman appear on edit pages along with their photos and sermonize the society.

Retired babus like Joginder Singh, 'politicians' Jaya Jaitley, Arun Nehru, 'socialite' Suhel Seth may come from different streams but have slowly graduated from op-ed to editorial page and regularly appear on these pages.

The people who ruined our system in the last 59 years have now replaced the academicians and scholars to become professional writers who can churn out 500-600 words on any topic.


It started with Sports when cricketers began writing columns and soon they eclipsed others. Now the situation is getting out of hand.

And their sons and daughters are also becoming journos with quite an ease.  In English journalism probably we wouldn't find middle-class journos or those from poor, humble background in future. 

So what will be the face of journalism five to ten years from now? Will it be all P-3 with little conviction or may be I am just being cynic and unnecessarily concerned.

You may even assume that I am jealous of the bureaucrats who easily get into TV studios and after failing to do anything positive for decades while in service, lecture us and become opinion makers.

Going ga ga over trimmed haircut of Dhoni

You feel sick when news channels go crazy over the haircut of Dhoni. Many channels were seen inviting opinion of viewers on whether his new trimmed haircut was better or not.
Doesn't that look cheap? These people don't have any issue left! It really hurts because the viewer is no fool and understands how the media is projecting a false picture of this nation. No wonder everybody these days mocks at journos.

CNN-IBN and Channel 7 reporters: What Chipko?

The reporters, two girls, of channel 7 and CNN-IBN, together went to cover a programme and were seen asking Sundarlal Bahuguna about his 'achievements'. They were not aware who this 'guy' was. And when photographers at the spot told them about Chipko Movement, the reply was 'What Chipko?'.
Sometime later the girls were unapologetically saying, "We are fresh graduates so how will we know". True. You don't need to know a bit about anyone in this country as long as you have a mike that you can thrust into anybody's mouth and seek the byte.

Rajdeep Sardesai's channel and Mayawati's antics

It was really bad to see the way Mayawati was speaking to the CNN-IBN reporter. And I felt bad for him. The channel does a story, the anchors spice it up and in their zeal often play it up, make crass comments and later send the reporter to ask for a quote.
The poor reporter had to bear all this. Mayawati yelling 'Inko yahan ghusne kisne diya....nikalo yahan se". That was too bad. Why didn't Rajdeep or Sagarika or other bigwigs talk to Mayawati instead. And after the BSP supremo's bad-tameezi the channel should have taken it up. Why Mayawati is treated as a goddess. Why you can't show her speaking up in that manner and criticise her.
Every individual has a dignity. If any person speaks like that, he/she ought to be exposed. But these channels who often treat politicians like say Amar Singh with contempt, Mayawati is allowed to get away with everything. That is bad. Do a series against her also and start a debate on such kind of behaviour.