Tamannaah Bhatia’s old comment from back in 2021 is resurfacing on the internet, where she claims that applying morning saliva on pimples can heal them.
This statement was recently recycled by one of India’s top news portals, News 24, and has triggered a widespread mockery of the news agency across social media platforms.
Netizens are rightfully questioning why mainstream coverage is given to trivial and outdated content, while far more pressing issues of the nation and even the entertainment industry receive less attention.
There’s a deepening crisis of what editors of many leading Indian news platforms prioritize. Instead of focusing on a meaningful discourse, be it about the challenges Indian cinema is facing, the creative rights of artists, mental health, or even broader societal issues, media houses prioritize sensationalism.
Social media users point out that these stories are prioritized over actual issues because they get more eyeballs, which in return makes the media houses more money.
Celebrities have to face relentless scrutiny time and again over their old remarks or habits, and this is blindly promoted to the public as ethical journalism.
Entertainment journalism goes far beyond gossip and viral videos or statements. It possesses the power to shape cultural narrative and artistic innovations and bring to light the stories of people whose contributions to the industry deserve real attention.
However, today’s journalism is reduced to commenting on every mundane move made by a famous person and reading between the lines as if it were a matter of national security.
Audiences have become more perceptive of the happenings around them; they can tell which news piece has intellectual value and which was simply posted for likes and views.
This episode highlights the urgent need for Indian journalism to rise above the clickbait and reclaim its role as the pillar of informed and thoughtful storytelling.
