The problem with biz news on Indian TV

Is the same problem that we have here in the States: So many people reporting about business and economic news, particularly on general news channels and the networks, report stories about business but don’t explain what’s going on in a way that the average viewer can understand.

Saubhik Chakrabarti, writing in the Financial Press in India, noted, “Specialised channels like CNBC may know their target audience, but general news channels make no more effort to de-jargonise their financial news coverage. When financial stories like Infosys’s results are part of news headlines, anchors and correspondents do not demystify anything. Indeed, and look out for this the next time financial news hits headlines, anchors on general news channels often look a little mystified themselves.

“As for time, I refuse to believe that if TV news editors are determined, they can’t find a way to make those fronting news do enough homework so that the broad parameters of the story can be explained as the news is being presented.

“I feel this most when Times Now spends most of the weekday morning hours on financial news. General news on Times Now still hasn’t acquired a distinctive editorial character, unlike its principal competitors in English language TV news, NDTV and CNN-IBN. The mornings spent on financial news can therefore become a useful standout feature, especially because the format is smart. But not if Times Now anchors speak the language of a few.”

Read the rest of his commentary here.