Impact of News channels on society ~ Group Discussion Ideas

Table of Contents

Theme:

Until a few years ago, TV channels used to allot roughly half an hour per day for broadcasting news. But now we have 24/7 news channels.

Positive impact:

24/7 news channels help people in staying aware of the happenings around the world.
News channels strengthen democracy by taking steps to ensure transparency in government. Now those who have power are afraid of news channels, which are taking responsibility to question them on behalf of people.
News channels make routine news look interesting. Until a few years ago not many people were interested in watching the news. But these days news channels are as interesting as entertainment channels. This helps people to gain interest in the happenings around the world and to improve their knowledge.

Negative impact:

News channels exaggerate each and every news and project them as breaking news. They sensationalise everything just for TRP ratings. This is creating unnecessary panic among people.
News channels concentrate mainly on negative news such as tragic incidents, crime etc. This impacts people negatively. What we consume has a direct impact on our happiness levels.
To earn more money, many news channels are opting for paid news and are manipulating people. This phenomenon is on the rise especially at the time of elections and this is resulting in a lack of trust on news channels.
Some political parties have news channels of their own. This results in biased news to influence voters.
News channels often take up the role of investigators at crime scenes. They explain everything in minute detail. This is influencing some people to do crimes as they now know the process to do it. In this way, news channels keep people updated about new ways of crimes, which help criminals much more than they help common people.
If there is an incident of a clash between communities, news channels will telecast that all day. This results in increasing hate.
As news channels report crimes every hour, people feel as if there is crime everywhere. This makes people feel unsafe. Constant feeling of unease directly affects their mental health.

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Conclusion:

Some news channels that are not following ethics are discrediting the good work of the fourth pillar of democracy, which is media. It is very important for any business to follow the five codes of ethics – Integrity, Objectivity, Professional Competence and Due Care, Confidentiality & Professional Behavior. If news channels follow this, their negative effects on the public will be reduced.

Your Turn…

What is your opinion on this topic? Do you think 24/7 news channels are helpful for the public? Express your thoughts through the comment section. Subscribe to our blog to read answers to trending GD topics.