No More News, Only Circus: How Indian News Channels Turned Into Party Puppets

Welcome to the Great Indian Media Circus — where breaking news has become breaking brains, and prime time has become clown time.

There was a time when journalism meant something in India. When the Fourth Pillar of democracy was strong enough to question power, challenge corruption, and represent the voiceless. But that’s a fairy tale now. Today, there are no more news channels in India — only reality shows masked as news.

From Delhi to Dindigul, news studios have turned into battlegrounds for party propaganda. The microphones scream, not speak. Anchors bark, not report. Every channel is either a bhakt or a puppet — nothing in between.

🇮🇳 Why Indian News Today Is a Joke

Let’s call out the elephant in the room: Indian news channels are no longer independent. They are bought, sold, and controlled — by politicians, corporates, or both.

1. National channels = Ruling party’s mouthpiece
   Most national channels have become extensions of the government’s PR machinery. Instead of asking hard questions, they spend hours glorifying schemes, covering ministerial ribbon cuttings, or celebrating ‘historic’ speeches.
   And if you dare to question anything? You’re labeled anti-national faster than they say “exclusive.”
2. Regional channels = Local party fiefdoms
   In Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Bengal, Kerala, Maharashtra — each state has its own set of news channels, owned directly or indirectly by the ruling party or its cronies.
   If the CM sneezes, it becomes breaking news. If the opposition uncovers a scam, it’s conveniently ignored or spun into fake news.
3. Anchor wars, not news debates
   News panels look like WWE face-offs. The louder you scream, the more your TRP. It’s not about facts or logic — it’s about drama, insults, political bootlicking, and shouting matches.
   Journalism has died. Entertainment has taken its seat.

🌍 The Global Shame: No International Channel from India

India became the 5th largest economy in the world, with nuclear power, a space program, and a billion voices. Yet — India has ZERO international news presence.

From 1947 to 2025, India has not produced a single globally recognized international news channel.
While China has CGTN.
Qatar has Al Jazeera.
Russia has RT.
UK has BBC.
The US has CNN and FOX.
Even Turkey has TRT World.

But India? The “largest democracy in the world”? Still stuck in desi drama, not global dialogue.

📺 Why This Is Dangerous

This isn’t just about bad journalism. It’s about national credibility and democratic decay.

• No international narrative: India’s voice never reaches the global table. We are always being spoken about, never speaking for ourselves.
• Truth is what the party says it is: Without independent media, truth dies. Facts become flexible. History gets rewritten.
• Public brainwashing: When media becomes propaganda, citizens become parrots.

🚨 The Cost We’re Paying

• Farmers are dying, but we’re watching studio fights on temple politics.
• Inflation is rising, but anchors are debating someone’s dress.
• Unemployment is exploding, but the camera is busy following a celebrity’s wedding.

And yet, the public watches. And claps. Like an audience in a circus.

💥 Final Thought: We Need a Revolution, Not a Remote

No more switching channels. We need to switch mindsets.

Journalism in India is not under threat — it’s already dead. The question is, do we resurrect it, or let this circus continue?

We don’t just need a new channel.
We need a new kind of voice.
Unbought. Unafraid. Uncompromised.

Until then, stop calling it news.
Call it what it is — a well-funded reality show with no reality left.

✍️ Written by Nishanth Muraleedharan (Nishani) for Nishani.in
📣 Because someone has to say it loud and clear — the media is no longer the Fourth Pillar. It’s the Fourth Wall of the set.

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