Journalists have become ruthless news hunters, experts in extracting sensational stuff from almost nothing. There is no reporting. It doesn't matter what happened or what somebody meant, all we need is one name, one word, a slight hint that can make something controversial or sensational.
So when accused former telecom minister A Raja says before the court that the then FM said in front of the PM that equity dilution is not the same as disinvestment, it becomes 'Raja says FM, PM knew it all'!
Not just in India. When a report says Samsung has sold anywhere between 18-21 million smart phones in the second quarter, it becomes 'Samsung beats Apple' which has sold 20.4 million smart phones in the quarter. The chances of which is less than one-fourth as only the top band of the estimation is more than iPhone sales.
Why do they do it?
The idea for any newspaper or news channel is to make people read/watch them.
But if you want to know what has happened around the world, then well it seems there's nowhere to go.
Anyways these things don't matter –what raja says and what samsung does – do they? Except that they caught your attention in the morning. That's all it was meant for.
If you want something meaningful, go back to Mark Twain who said a half truth is the most cowardly of lies.
