Compared to the print media, news channels were found lacking in reporting about health issues, according to an analysis of prime time bulletins of six prominent Hindi channels.
The analysis, carried out by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) for a month, brought out that reports on major diseases -- Malaria, TB, disability, Cancer and STD -- were not included in the prime time bulletins.
Even other health related issues-- immunisation, diabetes, mental health-- hardly figured in any of the month's bulletins.
And not surprisingly, if health issues formed a part of the channel content, it was mostly by the way of a commercial advertisement for one product or the other.
The CMS Media Lab monitored and analysed for a month (March/April) all the prime time news bulletins, commercials and any other feature programme contents of six Hindi news channels-- Zee News, Doordarshan, Star News, Sahara, NDTV and Aajtak.
Nearly half of the news stories to do with health covered during the month were about doctors' strike.
What ever got mentioned relating to health, mostly by the way of commercial advertisement, was medicine, diet/nutrition, cold/flu bird flu, allergies and AIDS.
"Despite considerable advertisement support to news channels from health related products, there is hardly any coverage in the news bulletins of health issues concerning common people.... as if they are no ones' concern," it said.
"This is contrary to the general impression that news media tend to cover more of those issues which could also get them advertisement support," it added.
However, it said regional news channels were performing somewhat better in covering basic health issues.
Also, daily newspapers report relatively more about basic health issues concerning large section of people, going much beyond commercial support, the analysis said.
CMS Media Lab
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2 comments:
HIndi channels are bloody lacking in all but galmorising tantrik stories, sexual/weird crimes. The feed is pathetic, they spread unscientific ways (without discussing paranormal cases), love to deliver Manohar Kahaniya / Satyakatha type in visuals. They are pits...
वैसे न्यूज चैनलों में हेल्थ रिपोर्टर होते हैं. लेकिन वो ज्यादातर दफ्तर के लोगों को अस्पताल में भर्ती करवाने और डॉक्टर से जल्दी अप्वाइंटमेंट दिलाने के काम तक सीमित रहते हैं। और इन लोगों को भी अपनी बीट के बारे में ज्यादा ज्ञान नहीं होता। हेल्थ बीट लड़कियों की ही दी जाती है और लड़कियां कुछ दिन बाद शादी करके चली जाती हैं। (स्टार न्यूज की रिपोर्टर को छोड़कर) वैसे ये आर्टिकिल अच्छा लगा।
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