Art of good presentation

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They say with great power comes greater responsibility. And it seems sometimes we forget where to draw the line. Many feel that presenters must check the kind of content they air on their shows, as millions of people all over the world are watching them. A debate on media ethics is yet again gaining steam. A popular New Zealand television host recently, (allegedly intentionally) mispronounced the name of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Many feel that this brought to the fore, how some anchors and radio jockeys use words, which are unacceptable and “downright rude”.
“Jockeys talk whatever gives them lots of listeners and only the other day, I heard one say how disappointed he was as India lost in one of the matches. These eager beavers are young and enthusiastic, but what they don’t realise is that a listener is in tune with every word they utter,” says Sneha Singh, a media professional.
Talking about radio jockeys being too casual and sometimes politically incorrect on air, RJ Anant of Radio Mirchi clarifies, “We work on the basic rule of not hurting anyone’s sentiments while presenting a show. I realise many RJs and TV presenters try to be ‘funny’ just to entertain the audience, but everything depends on what your listeners likes and will appreciate. We serve what you want. But yes, humour should never get nasty wherein it hurts people’s sentiments.”
Flipping through the endless list of channels on the idiot box, some viewers complain about presenters going overboard with critical comments.
“There are some Hindi news channels which talk only about things like astrology and the world coming to an end when the world is interested in CWG. And it’s not just the content they show, but also the language they use while presenting such shows that leaves a negative impact on people’s minds. There’s nothing abusive about their language, but they seem to sensationalise and misrepresent facts,” says Bhawna Sharma, a DU student.
Talking about ethics, RJ Tuhin from Fever 104 reveals basic guidelines they’re asked to follow. “Radio jockeys may joke around with their listeners, but it’s mentioned in our rule book that we aren’t allowed to comment on caste, colour, creed or religion. Also, the use of colloquial language is allowed only to an extent, it shouldn’t sound abusive,” he says.
While the “ethical line” for presenters seem to have blurred, Samhita Tanti, a PR says presenters even on entertainment shows sometimes don’t know how to behave. “They will ask a mother how she’s feeling after her son loses a competition, just to add masala. Sometime back they even showed a celebrity marrying a contestant just for fun. It raises TRPs, but can also mislead audiences,” she says.