Indian media once carried the responsibility of being the fourth pillar of democracy. It was supposed to be the voice of the people, the watchdog of the government, and the channel through which truth reached citizens. Fast forward to today, and what we have is a complete circus. Instead of journalism, we get daily soap opera drama; instead of facts, we get propaganda; instead of debates, we get shouting matches that make WWE look calm.
Let’s break down why Indian media today deserves to be called out and why people have lost faith in it.
The Death of Real News: Sensationalism Everywhere
Turn on any Indian news channel at 9 PM. You’ll most likely find a panel of 10 people screaming over each other while the anchor, acting like a Bollywood villain, shouts catchphrases and cuts off anyone making sense.
Real issues poverty, unemployment, inflation, healthcare, farmer suicides, environmental crises, are nowhere to be found. Instead, you’ll see:
- Endless debates on Bollywood actors’ affairs.
- Heated arguments about religious controversies are deliberately designed to trigger emotions.
- Over-the-top coverage of celebrity deaths or weddings.
- “Breaking News” every 5 minutes, even if nothing new has happened.
Why? Because TRPs (Television Rating Points) matter more than truth. Noise = Views = Money. Journalism becomes secondary, entertainment becomes primary.
Paid News: Truth for Sale
Paid news is one of the ugliest realities of Indian media. Big corporations, politicians, and businesses actually buy media coverage. Positive stories about them are planted, and negative stories are buried.
Ever wondered why some huge scams vanish overnight from the mainstream media? Or why are certain corporations always presented positively, regardless of controversies surrounding them? Because news nowadays isn’t so much about facts, it’s about who gets to sign the bigger cheque.
This kills accountability. When the media is up for sale, democracy suffers. Because a press that isn’t free means people just aren’t informed.
Anchors as Political Cheerleaders
Earlier, the media would question the powers that be. Now, most television anchors serve as PR agents for political parties. Instead of posing difficult questions to politicians, they sit in studios and argue on behalf of them like lawyers.
A few instances of what we see every day:
- Anchors are screaming at anyone who criticizes the ruling party.
- Channels spinning every government failure into a “historic success.”
- Opposition voices either drowned out, mocked, or prevented from debates entirely.
This is not journalism. This is blind bhakti. When the media is a mouthpiece of power instead of being a critic, it is not doing its most important job.
The Drama Addiction
Some anchors sound more like failed theatre actors than serious journalists. They scream, point fingers, slam tables, and deliver dramatic monologues like they are auditioning for a Bollywood role.
This “theatre news” is habit-forming. Addicted to the shrieking, melodrama, and over-the-top theatrics, not facts. It is reality television, not a news show, that one watches.
The cost? Truth is buried under performance. People are entertained, not informed. And a democracy without informed people is a weakened democracy.
Ignoring Real India
India is not just metros, cricket, and Bollywood. Real India lives in villages, small towns, and rural communities. Farmers struggle with debts, children lack basic education, and healthcare collapses during disasters but do these issues get prime-time coverage? Rarely.
Instead, you’ll find:
- Hours of coverage on a celebrity wedding.
- Heated debates on which religion is superior.
- Sensational “sting operations” that reveal nothing new.
This is not oversight; it is a deliberate choice. TRPs come from gossip and communal conflicts, not from genuine problems. And so the real India is never reflected in its own media.
Propaganda Over Journalism
Indian media has increasingly become a propaganda machine. News is reported in a way to divide people on religious, political, and regional lines. Anchors employ language that openly invokes hatred, and channels run biased tickers and headlines intended to manipulate emotions.
Far from bringing people together with information, the media earns its livelihood through divisiveness since divisiveness sells. Fear sells. Anger sells. And unfortunately, truth doesn’t.
Loss of Credibility
A consequence of all of this is that trust in mainstream media has collapsed. Indian news channels are now openly mocked by many, who use them as memes rather than reliable sources of information. Anchors are jokes, and prime-time debates are watched for entertainment, not illumination.
This credibility crisis is dangerous. The moment citizens don’t trust the mainstream media anymore, they look for unverified information on WhatsApp, YouTube, or social media. And that’s where misinformation spirals out of control. When the official media aren’t credible, conspiracy theories and fake news step in to fill the void.
Brave Journalists Exist But They’re Silenced
It’s important to note that not every journalist is corrupt. Many independent and regional journalists still risk their lives to report ground realities whether it’s covering farmer protests, exposing corruption, or reporting from conflict zones.
But guess what? These journalists often face harassment, legal threats, and even violence. Meanwhile, the well-paid studio anchors enjoy luxury and fame while doing nothing but propaganda. The system rewards the puppets and punishes the truth-tellers.
The Social Media Shift
As a result of the mainstream media’s loss of credibility, people now more than ever rely on social media and independent creators for real information. YouTubers, podcasters, and independent journalists do a better job of explaining facts than billion-dollar TV stations.
This shift speaks volumes about how much of a failure the mainstream media is. People are hungry for the truth, but the industry still feeds them trash. So, people are moving away and looking for alternatives.
Media Needs a Reset
Indian media today feels like a broken machine. It’s supposed to inform, but it entertains. It’s supposed to question, but it defends. It’s supposed to unite, but it divides.
All is not lost, there are still plenty of independent voices that fight for truth but the mainstream circus of TRP-driven melodrama needs to be reset from scratch. Anchors need to remember they are journalists, not actors. Media houses need to remember they are doing work for the public, not their political or corporate masters.
Until then, it’s our job, the people, to call them out, not get deceived, and promote real journalism wherever it exists.
Because without truth, democracy does not exist. And the Indian media is letting all of us down today.
Final words from the author: If you still trust these sold-out media clowns, you might as well wear bangles and sit at home barking for your political masters.