Sunday 20 September 2009

Salma Sultan's Question on contemporary Broadcasting

Most Indian's of my age grew up watching Salma Sultan on DD. It was nice to see her in the studios once again, albeit in the gaudy setting of NDTV and CNN IBN, on the occasion of DD's 50th anniversary.

Salma Sultan asked a wonderful question to Rajdeep Sardesai. The question is important and the fact that the question came from a pioneer of Indian News Broadcasting is equally important.


Here is the question to Rajdeep -
" yes .... we were very calm and we did not raise blood pressures like you people do...and aah..I think with changing times maybe this is something that people want or maybe this something that you want to give to people. This is a dilemma I have not been able to solve whether you are giving that kind of style to people or people want that style. That you have to answer." [SIC]

The honcho of the Indian Broadcaster's association (Rajdeep Sardesai) avoided it tactfully by saying that it was a difficult question and softened it further by saying he would need a show where he would be answering questions and not asking them.I am sure the viewers got the point.

She raised a wonderful point on the tonality of today's broadcasters and if "pace" was a good enough excuse to manufacture news and fear.

For those of us who would like to see the full interview -

3 comments:

  1. Manufacturing consent wasn't absent back then you know. All we would see in the news was a one track point of view of what the Government wanted us to know or see.not many questioned that either.Along with the information age came the change in pace.

    The umbilical cord of doctoring news hasn't yet been severed.

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  2. I agree with you. Government propaganda has been replaced by a slick propaganda machine that can be used to out-source the manufacturing of news.
    A

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