Hating It: India TV

Read this article about the extent of paranoia whipped up by some Indian media outlets about the Large Hadron Collider, and weep. Weep for the innocent and the naive who take everything shown and said on TV to be true. Weep for the state of journalism in the country. And pour some hate on the fraudster TV channel which is the main culprit in spreading this paranoia about the Large Hadron Collider.

In this village, a woman named Mukesh recounts what she saw on India TV, a Hindi news channel—once a black hole opened up, the earth would be consumed in one second, followed by the moon in another second and the sun in another six. It even set a time for doomsday—noon, sharp.

“This has worried us so much that we haven’t even eaten properly for the last few days,” she says. On Wednesday, “my son Rishipal has an English exam, so I have to send him to school. But I’m not sending him alone. I’m going with him.” And then, very businesslike, she asks: “Tell me, should we go into the hills? Is that safer?” [Live Mint]

My mother called me early yesterday morning to ask me whether the world is going to end at noon. She sounded quite worried, so I tried to reassure her. I hope I succeeded. But what about those mothers who don't have engineer sons to call up for comfort every time this sort of nonsense happens?

The sheer outrageous nature of this channel's coverage of events connected to LHC is beyond belief. I can't find any clips on the web right now, but the excerpt above should give you a hint. Don't forget that this coverage was backed with visuals from disaster movies, flash animation, terrorizing sound-effects etc. Read this for some more details.

Also, please take a look at the descriptions of some of the shows being promoted on the front page of this channel's website:

To strike a balance between high tech modernization and astronomical calculations Sant Shiromani brings you GURUMANTRA with value added remedies of common ailments, foretelling future from Panchaang, and AAJ KA UPAAY. A perfect way to kick start your day.

Introducing you to your horoscope and numerological fortune, the proficient astrologer Acharya Indu Praksh reveals the connection between your celestial mechanics and the terrestrial dynamics. This daily dose of ‘Bhavishyavani’ aims to give you practical solutions to all your problems.Just dial 0120 – 2517251 and make a refreshing start to know your stars, just a phone call away.

'Jai Shani Maharaj' is a weekly show in which viewers get a chance to interact with proficient astrologer Dati Madan Maharaj Rajasthani Ji over telephone and get the solutions for Shani's impact on their life. Just dial 0120 – 251 7 251.

Yes, that's right: three daily shows devoted entirely to astrology. Yes, I know that a lot of people are superstitious and believe in such stuff. But must our media add to such nonsensical beliefs?

It looks like there might be some action taken against India TV and Aaj Tak for their alarmist fear-mongering. But the most effective action can only be taken by the viewers by refusing to watch such idiotic channels. You now have a channel which said that the world will end at noon. Well, it didn't. Isn't that proof enough that the channel was bullshitting you? Do yourself a favour and ask your cable operator to unsubscribe you from such feeds.

Update: There is a lot more evidence of sheer idiocy and inanity from India TV. Thanks to reader Amit Jain for the pointer in comments.