News Anchor Boycott: Navigating Media Accountability | PWOnlyIAS 2023

Context: This article is based on an Editorial “Is the Opposition’s decision to boycott certain news anchors justified?” which was published in The Hindu. Recently, the INDIA bloc announced that it would boycott 14 television news anchors as it did not want to legitimize a “hate-filled narrative.” However, news broadcasters associations accused the Opposition of intolerance, undermining democracy, and setting a dangerous precedent.

“News Anchor and Boycott: Media’s Accountability”

• Polarization is a Reason: It is important to separate those accused of hate-mongering from those accused of bias. The media is, for a large part, also polarized.
• For Ideology: Boycotts have always existed. It is to propagate their ideology.
• Lack of Accountability: There are not many ways for the media to be held accountable. The media ecosystem isn’t dented or slightly compromised; it is broken.

“News Anchor Boycott: Erosion of Trust”

• Loss of trust and credibility on media
• Lacking to deepen or grow roots for a media that will institutionally guarantee the right of access to public figures
• Thinking and using the media ecosystem by politicians into their campaign team.
  • For example: former U.S. President Donald Trump is not even going to participate in the presidential primary debates because he feels that he will not benefit as much as his competitors will benefit from appearing on the same stage as him.

“News Anchor Boycott: Rebuilding Credibility in Journalism”

• Need to work for boots-on-the-ground reporting
• Need of alternative revenue models to do content
• Need to move beyond TRP and provide high-quality journalism
• Need to fix the news ecosystem within news professionals 
• Need for Evolution: Solutions will evolve as the ecosystem evolves, as citizens become more aware and their expectations from their politicians and the media changes

Conclusion 

• The Opposition’s news anchor boycott highlights the delicate balance between media accountability and freedom. Rebuilding trust requires a commitment to quality journalism amid evolving citizen expectations.

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