The Broken News

News media is facing a worldwide credibility crisis. And Indian media is no exception, with a lack of investigative reporting and loud primetime shows dominating television airtime. Today, media is overwrought with pseudo-nationalism, sensationalism, fake news, and biased news. Of course, this trend is not new, but in recent years, media houses are increasingly being run like propaganda channels. Conglomerates own media houses in India, those that have direct or indirect connections with political parties. Being partial to one side increases the rivalry among the different media houses, and they might demean each other to any extent. In this case, if one channel wants to engage in truthful journalism, TRPs (television rating points) will most likely decrease, advertisers will cut ties, and ultimately ethical journalism will die.

Media and journalism have for long been a source of stories for directors and writers of Indian cinema. Many Hindi film-makers have created films based on the lives of journalists and the reality of the news industry—Page 3 (2005), Peepli Live (2010), Rann (2010), No One Killed Jessica (2011), and Dhamaka (Madhvani, 2021). Vinay Waikul’s The Broken News (2022) featuring Sonali Bendre is an official adaptation of the British series Press (2018), produced by BBC Studios India. While The Broken News deals with television channels, Press is based on the world of print journalism.