Noise? Or news? When the world has been hit by the ‘Trump Tariff Tsunami’ and a subsequent free fall in global stock markets this ‘Black Monday’, you’d think the news media would be talking of little else.
Not if you are Indian television news channels.
As stocks crashed in a market massacre not witnessed since 2020, causing losses of up to Rs 19 lakh crore – yes, Rs 19 lakh crore – and you wanted to know just what this meant for the economy and for your investments, India’s news channels weren’t the place to turn to.
English TV news pursued the ‘fake doctor’ in Bhopal who performed illegal heart surgeries, killing seven people, or went after Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara, who earned himself national condemnation by claiming that sexual harassment of women are “common in big cities”.
Hindi news channels like Times Now Navbharat persisted with their Hindu-Muslim vitriol or followed Union Home Minister Amit Shah as he travelled to Jammu and Kashmir.
Huh?
Into this breach, my countrymen, stepped business news channels. Here’s a piece of advice: Ignore general news channels, watch business news instead. They impart sanity and sense to the world as the US President wages a ‘tan-Trump trade war’ (ET Now).
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Business news channels—calm in crisis
There are several good reasons when “it’s the economy, silly”, to watch business TV. Here are a few:
No hyped headlines, no dramatic music deafening your ears, no flashy ‘Breaking News’, no loud and loudest anchors screaming at you and their guests, no non-news carrying on all day, no effort to generate artificial conflicts, no staged fights, and no attempt to divert or entertain.
In other words, the very qualities that define Hindi and English news channels are missing here.
We get business and economic-related information and news about the Indian economy throughout the day. It’s put across in simple, straightforward language that everyone can understand, even those who don’t know the difference between fiscal and physical.
Here are a few headlines that just flashed by on the TV screen (Wednesday afternoon 12.50 pm): “Volatility rocks NIFTY and Sensex’ (NDTV Profit), RBI Monetary Policy Key Highlights (CNBC TV 18), ‘IMD rings alarm on rising temperatures across the country (ET NOW).
Where general news channels do their utmost to make a bad situation worse with hype and hysteria, business channels keep a steady hand on the till through choppy waters. Thus, they reported Monday’s ‘carnage’ and ‘bloodbath’ (CNBC TV 18) across global share markets, in calm, almost soothing tones.
News anchors did not minimise “the very deep damage” sustained by economies. They called it out: “It’s a tough day,” said an NDTV Profit anchor. ‘There’s every chance of a deep recession,” added CNBC TV 18. “This is the biggest bust since 2020, there’s a radical shift in global trade,” said the Bloomberg TV anchor.
They didn’t scream about this, they stated it matter-of-factly. Then, they helped viewers understand what had happened and what may happen next so that our blood pressure didn’t rise and fall along with the market.
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A welcome change
They can do this because they are well-informed.
When anchors or reporters on business news channels speak, you can tell they know their subject—that’s why they’re able to simplify confounding subjects.
Unlike the deliberately provocative and sensational anchors on general news channels, here the anchors are relaxed and speak clearly, in conversational language: “Let me tell you, there is no hike by the government on fuel prices,” said CNBC TV 18’s anchor on Tuesday. “It’s turning out to be a good afternoon,” said another anchor on the same channel after the Sensex regained some momentum. “Unfortunately, there will be no relief from tariff headlines,” warned an ET Now anchor.
Using their knowledge and language skills, business TV news anchors ask brief and pointed questions. That’s because they want their guest-experts to answer, they want them to share their expertise, they want to inform the viewers. General news anchors use questions to state their own opinions.
On the relatively new channel News X World, the anchor asked, “Are the fears of a global recession well-founded? What does a global recession mean? Why are Asian markets being most affected?”
And, “Should we be worried?” “Yes,” came the prompt reply from the guest-economist, “We need to worry…”
As the US and China stubbornly stick to their tariffs, CNBC TV18 asked, “Who will blink first? Will the uncertainty continue? How long will people (in USA) be willing to bear the pain?’
“I can’t answer that question,” said the expert. Now, how refreshing and honest is that?
The ET Now anchor was equally direct in his questions: “Should investors fear for the worst? While the NDTV Profit anchor asked, “Is India positioned better?”
The panelists and experts are varied and, quite often, highly qualified. CNBC TV 18 debated the RBI’s monetary policy on Monday evening, a day before it was announced. Established economists such as Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Sajjid Chinoy, Pranab Sen were on the panel.
On Wednesday, after the RBI announcement, the channels hosted representatives of major banks such as SBI, Kotak, HDFC, Deutsche…
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Information without fireworks
Business news channels don’t stick to just the big headline news. They discuss a wide range of developments. For instance, on Tuesday, NDTV Profit looked at the new Delhi EV Policy that could see CNG three-wheelers entirely phased out, it said. CNBC News 18 discussed “What is happening to the rupee?” as it fell further.
Later, channels zeroed in on the government’s newly established panel to monitor imports—in the wake of fear that countries like Vietnam could “dump” goods in India following the high tariff imposed on it by Trump.
Channels dole out plenty of stocks and shares advice—which you take at your own risk. They also have call-in shows for viewers to ask questions or share their views.
Business news channels offer you what general news channels seldom do: information and informed opinion easily understood, and without the fireworks.
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)
Physical: girlfriend dump me
Fiscal: china dump us