India boasts perhaps the largest number of news channels and newspapers in the world. However, for all that, the news that is delivered is surprisingly uni dimensional and lacking in perspective. Most journalists think that being shrill replaces being analytic.
A case in point is the recent coverage of the "swine flu". A popular english news channel would have you believe that India is "battling" the Pandemic, and not too successfully - as all of 22 cases have been reported across India. Without advocating a lackadaisical attitude on the part of the medical authorities, one wonders whether this is headline making news at prime time. To put it in perspective, India has 20% of the world's 37 million estimated blind - and another study suggests that 15% are curable - this makes it a case of 1 million untreated patients. People suffering from Malaria and Tuberculosis make up similar orders of magnitude. When is the last you have witnessed a mention, much less a discussion on these diseases. I guess this too is a function of the prevailing "fashion". Perhaps one of the negatives of having a oh-so-young population. Serious issues are passe, sensational is in
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