படுகுழியில் விழுந்து கிடக்கும் பத்திரிகை தர்மம் !

Several generations have passed since journalistic ethics plunged into the abyss! Today, one rarely encounters journalists who genuinely care about society—they are as scarce as the mythical fig flower. It has become a habit for them to invite unnecessary trouble upon themselves, only to stand bewildered and helpless when the situation spirals into a disaster.
Many destructive forces that shake the very nation are still at large! Yet, most media outlets prioritize trivial issues, seeking only sensationalism.
In the 1980s, barely more than ten publications were gathering and delivering news to society. It was only towards the end of the 1990s that television began to make its entry into the field. Back then, the press maintained a very harmonious relationship with all government departments.
The press is known to rap the government on the knuckles when it stumbles, while also applauding and cheering for its good deeds! However, today, driven by the explosive growth of technology, media outlets, social media platforms, and YouTube channels are springing up like mushrooms.

While the media landscape is being overrun by impostors on one front, even quality media outlets are stumbling and faltering on many occasions. Two generations ago, a debate conducted by that TV channel regarding the *Thali* (sacred wedding pendant) worn by Tamil women sparked a massive controversy.
Protests and road blockades have shaken the city, driven by the claim that Hindu sentiments were hurt! A 'reputable' media outlet had rolled out the red carpet for cultural degradation—under the guise of freedom of expression—by turning the sanctity of the *Mangalsutra* into mere fodder for debate in a panel discussion.
It became sensational news nationwide that day—involving scuffles, shoving, the smashing of cameras, a cameraman suffering severe injuries, and a tiffin-box bomb being hurled at a private television station! The police allege that the TV channel itself was responsible for disrupting law and order.
Hosting such low-quality programs is completely unnecessary! That is precisely why housewives have set off firecrackers to express their opposition to those who turned the *Thali* into a subject of controversy!
Social activists remarked that if someone were to ask, "Is circumcision necessary for a Muslim youth?" in a manner that insults Muslims, RDX bombs would have exploded across Tamil Nadu within the next five minutes.
The IIT is the nation's premier hub of intellect! Yet, back then, a false accusation was leveled against an IIT professor—claiming he had struck a newspaper photographer—which threw the campus into turmoil and forced him to kneel in submission!
Women's collectives argue that reputable news channels should not engage in unethical practices. Yet, what is the alternative? Today, survival depends on outdoing rival channels. Often, the very first information about a crime reaches a reporter—even before the police are notified.
Public trust in the media is eroding day by day. The public expects that media outlets will not compromise their ethical standards or stoop to low levels merely to generate sensationalism, boost circulation, maintain TRP ratings, or vie for the 'number one' spot.
IS operatives would meticulously collect clippings from major newspapers—publications that habitually published scathing critiques of police performance. High-ranking officers, meanwhile, remained fiercely determined, waiting for the day these operatives would finally fall into their hands.
Yet, sooner or later, journalists inevitably fall right into their trap! The very next moment, IPC sections are swiftly invoked and set in motion! The police have targeted various publications—including *Nakkeeran*, *Dinamalar*, *The Hindu*, and *The Indian Express*—in this manner.
Violence erupted during a rally organized by the DMK on the beach road in 2021! That was a time when publications like *Dinamalar* and *The Indian Express* were consistently publishing reports critical of the police. Amidst the unrest, a senior police officer singled out a *Dinamalar* reporter (Murugan) and a female reporter from Aaj Tak TV—who were there to cover the events—and winked at them.
The very next moment, TSP police officers rushed in with batons and surrounded the two journalists, raining blows upon them! The female reporter’s cheek swelled up like a puffed-up *poori*, while the skin on the *Dinamani* reporter’s back was torn open. When they showed their injuries to the Commissioner (Muthukaruppan) and lodged a complaint, he offered profuse, "deep" sympathy—while secretly chuckling—saying, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry! It happened inadvertently!"
Since the beginning of the year 2000, reporters frequently clashed with the Commissioner, leading to heated confrontations. Unable to tolerate criticism, some Commissioners began to view the reporters as adversaries. The once-cordial relationship between the two sides began to erupt like a volcano.
Predators have infiltrated the field of education—where the teacher who imparts knowledge is revered as God. "Black sheep" have tainted the medical profession—a field people hold in such high regard that they bow to its practitioners as if they were divine. Individuals like "Kumaraswamy" have compromised the judiciary—the final hope for those in tears seeking justice. Parasites have infested the press—one of the pillars of democracy. Thus, these three sacred sectors are mired in a quagmire of ruin and decay.
In the last election, a significant number of media outlets lost their dignity out of greed for money! They also abandoned their professional ethics!
"The world is encompassed within it! Truth and falsehood are revealed! Turmoil arises and resolves! The world is transformed by the art of printing!"
It was a sheer coincidence that a poet's song—containing these very lines about the press—drifted out from an FM radio station like a gentle breeze and soothed us!