Once celebrated as the fourth pillar of democracy, the media was entrusted with the sacred responsibility of informing the public, presenting facts, and giving citizens the chance to shape their own opinions. It functioned as society’s mirror—reflecting truths from every angle, however uncomfortable. But over time, this noble role has been steadily diluted. Today, mainstream media often blurs the line between reporting and opinion, shaping narratives rather than presenting them.
Journalism, once revered as a profession of integrity and passion for truth-telling, now finds itself entangled in a race for TRPs, social media clicks, and sensationalism. Credibility has taken a back seat, and in its place, a disturbing phrase has entered our vocabulary: vulture journalism. Much like scavenger birds circling over death, certain media houses now swoop in on human tragedy, feeding on suffering to fuel their content engines.
This decline isn’t just a matter of perception—it’s a lived reality.
The 2010 satirical film Peepli Live exposed this very phenomenon. By portraying how media outlets exploit vulnerable farmers and their suicides to boost ratings, the film held up a harsh mirror to society. What was meant as satire now feels more like documentation. The suffering of the marginalized becomes spectacle, and the truth, instead of enlightening, is commodified.
This tendency isn’t confined to fiction. One of the most haunting real-world parallels is Kevin Carter’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph The Vulture and the Little Girl. Captured during the 1993 Sudan famine, the image shows a vulture looming over a starving child too weak to rise. The photograph shocked the world, igniting debate—not only about the famine but also about the photographer himself. Why didn’t Carter intervene?
What many missed was the nuance: Carter had been advised not to touch famine victims to prevent disease transmission. After taking the photo, he did chase the vulture away and watched the child crawl toward a feeding center. Yet, the ethical burden—and the criticism—tormented him until his tragic death. His story still forces us to grapple with journalism’s core dilemma: are reporters mere observers, or do they carry the responsibility to act?
This dilemma resurfaced in India during the COVID-19 crisis. On one hand, many journalists risked their lives to report from the frontlines. On the other, a barrage of graphic images—burning pyres, gasping patients, desperate families—flooded our screens. Yes, the situation was dire. But relentless coverage of despair often bred panic and hopelessness, leaving viewers emotionally drained.
Balanced journalism does not ignore pain, but it also doesn’t wallow in it. The truth is multifaceted. For every tragedy, there are stories of resilience, solidarity, and recovery waiting to be told. During the pandemic, the media could have:
- Shared stories of recovered patients and frontline heroes.
- Broadcast expert discussions instead of political shouting matches.
- Highlighted accurate data, such as the ratio of mild to severe cases.
- Provided practical information on oxygen availability, hospital beds, and helplines.
- Celebrated community-driven efforts and acts of kindness.
In times of crisis, the media’s role is not just to inform, but to guide—to become compassionate communicators who help society process collective trauma and find hope amidst despair.
Journalism is not merely about capturing humanity at its lowest moments. It is about spotlighting courage, demanding accountability, and illuminating pathways forward. Somewhere along the line, this moral compass was lost. But it is not too late to rediscover it.
The media must rise above the lure of sensationalism and reaffirm its true calling: to serve as the voice of a society striving to heal, not as vultures circling pain. Only then can the fourth pillar regain its strength and once again uphold democracy with dignity.
Sensationalism seems to be the order of the day. Nothing sells better than negativity, this drives Indian journalism and also in other countries. It is time for a change
You’ve rightly said, Arvind. The issue is global but it’s much deeper in India. It’s time for a change, indeed.
I’m glad we both are on the same page
Yes, as always. 😉
🙂
Rightly said, Indrajit. Some Indian news channels twist the facts and fabricate news to cater to their respective “viewer banks”.
Well said, Nilanjana.
Indro, the problem is basically having “too many” media houses vying to capture the eyeballs of “not-so-interested” audience. The more sensational the headline, more eyeballs are likely to hit it. Also, negativity is more saleable which was effectively used by Balaji Telefilms in most of their serials throughout the last 2 decades, capturing highest TRP and resultant ad revenue.
If you will recall, last year this time, Europe and America went through similar crisis with increasing number of deaths… We saw very few images “only on SM”, the Indian MSM did not show those images… By contrast, our very own celebrated journalists today are selling the images of burning pyres to foreign media houses for few thousand dollars… Some of them are shamelessly using the death of their own to peddle false narrative to score against the establishment. Comparing them with Vulture is an insult to the majestic bird.
You’re right, Aro. Thanks.
Becoming? I think they are already. Ten, maybe twenty years back it was possible to watch news on TV and have a decent uinderstanding of what is going on around us. No longer. Now it is always an opinion on what is going on with the objective of moulding the viewer’s opinion to a certain POV.
True, sir. I hardly watch news debates nowadays. But, we cannot generalize as there are some good Samaritans among the journalists.
Very nice post. The Indian media has become vultures with a few exceptions. Some award-winning journos are involved in vulture journalism. I could not think of the famous journo Barkha Dutt, who could sell her engineered story on her father’s death on the very next day! I just came across a good article on this in the Australian media, which is worth read in connection to your post. https://www.theaustraliatoday.com.au/besides-covid-19-india-is-also-fighting-with-vulture-journalists-who-are-spreading-more-panic-and-despair-than-pandemic/
Thanks, Sanchita. It’s high time that the Indian media should undergo positive transformation to save our great democracy.
Very nice post at the right time. Media houses are not losing an opportunity to score a point against the failure of State and Central Govt in controlling the second wave. They are fulfilling their own hidden agendas. Yes, there are several failures on the part of the Government, they did not anticipate the situation despite several signals, laxity, internal politics etc. has made the situation worse. Public behaviour is equally irresponsible. But instead of constructive criticism and suggestion
to overcome the ongoing struggle the media in India, especially the electronic news channels, is spreading and projecting negative news. You are right. The TRP means too much for them. It is better to watch DD news than these news channels. The print media can still even be spared to some extent as there are some useful information for public, but news channels are dishing out useless and demoralising information, the debates are pathetic at times.
Thanks, Mano. You’ve rightly pointed out the issues.
Yes , It is the fact that media always spread negative incidence and don’t bothered about positive ,
They all are interested in their TRP.. They should be think of their duty towards nation,,
Absolutely, sir. The problem happened when the news media houses started using these social media forum for gathering information and dishing out their views from their official handles making people treating such as news. News media has encroached the social media use as another alternative for breaking news, and the sake of their excitement to break any news, they started sourcing their news from social media, often without ascertaining the authenticity or the relevance at that moment. They are just crazy for TRP.
There should be a self-regulatory industry body working in conjunction with the government body to be effective in regulating the spread of fake news and rumours. The government regulations or Acts cannot do justice alone.
Unfortunately, Yes… This is the harsh reality of Indian media who are claim to be showing the truth and facts but reality is just reverse..
Thanks, Ashish. Hope, that the situation will change in near future.