The "cash for vote" scandal was caught on tape with the help of the TV news channel "CNN-IBN". Even though when the MP's flashed currency notes in the Parliament, the channel refrained from showing the sting operation on television, instead handed over the full evidence to the Speaker. The channel later gave a press statement saying that the reason for not showing the footage was that, there were loops holes in the video, the evidence they had on tape was not concrete enough to prove that MP's were offered money. They also said that they did not want to sensationalize the issue which was, to their assessment not 100% credible, at such a critical juncture.
The way the channel handled the entire issue was commendable. The respect I have for the channel has increased because of this decision. At a time when news channels do not even think for one second before airing a report, trying to over hype/sensationalize issues without even getting the entire facts right just to have a slight edge over other rival channels, without thinking of the consequences of their action, CNN-IBN truly stands out. If they had aired the footage, the whole nation would have been watching their channel and the audience for other news channels would be next to nil. The brave decision took by the channel shows that ethics in journalism is not something of the past. It shows that there are still editors who think about the larger picture instead of short term gains.
If they had aired the footage people would have got influenced for sure. Even if the scam was later on found to be a scam, the reputation of the ruling parties would have had irreparable damages. I do not think any other news channel would have taken such a bold decision. At times when news channels enact stories about which it has no information about, god only knows what they would have done if they had got a story with little information in hand.
All news channels should take a cue from the actions of CNN-IBN, especially the Hindi news channels and channels like Headlines Today and Times Now. Journalist should understand the consequence of their actions. They should understand that any report aired will impact the entire nation. Far too often we have seen the above mentioned news channels air reports and few days down the line we find them to be misleading or false. I do believe that these news channels when they air such reports, they just want to make a name for themselves and do not have any other bad intention in mind. It's high time they started to act more responsibly. They should understand that what ever they say the nation will believe. The job of any news channel is to bring the truth to light and I believe all news channels are working on that principle. If there is the slightest of chance that a story can be false or misleading I believe that news channels should pull it off keeping in mind the larger interest of the nation/humanity. If news channels do not start to self regulate themselves in a more organized way they government would be forced to step in, which is not something any one wants
The way the channel handled the entire issue was commendable. The respect I have for the channel has increased because of this decision. At a time when news channels do not even think for one second before airing a report, trying to over hype/sensationalize issues without even getting the entire facts right just to have a slight edge over other rival channels, without thinking of the consequences of their action, CNN-IBN truly stands out. If they had aired the footage, the whole nation would have been watching their channel and the audience for other news channels would be next to nil. The brave decision took by the channel shows that ethics in journalism is not something of the past. It shows that there are still editors who think about the larger picture instead of short term gains.
If they had aired the footage people would have got influenced for sure. Even if the scam was later on found to be a scam, the reputation of the ruling parties would have had irreparable damages. I do not think any other news channel would have taken such a bold decision. At times when news channels enact stories about which it has no information about, god only knows what they would have done if they had got a story with little information in hand.
All news channels should take a cue from the actions of CNN-IBN, especially the Hindi news channels and channels like Headlines Today and Times Now. Journalist should understand the consequence of their actions. They should understand that any report aired will impact the entire nation. Far too often we have seen the above mentioned news channels air reports and few days down the line we find them to be misleading or false. I do believe that these news channels when they air such reports, they just want to make a name for themselves and do not have any other bad intention in mind. It's high time they started to act more responsibly. They should understand that what ever they say the nation will believe. The job of any news channel is to bring the truth to light and I believe all news channels are working on that principle. If there is the slightest of chance that a story can be false or misleading I believe that news channels should pull it off keeping in mind the larger interest of the nation/humanity. If news channels do not start to self regulate themselves in a more organized way they government would be forced to step in, which is not something any one wants
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