Of Newscasters and General awareness

Dear God,

You've watched these anchors on sports and news channels, haven't you? Tell me, what are the odds that they know what they broadcast? Do they do any homework before opening a show?

Anchorwomen, I have noticed, so often fumble on sports terms or names that come so naturally to us, men. Really, how many of them know names like a Messi, Vettel or a McEnroe? And at the risk of being branded a chauvinist, let me name a few women stars too - Court, King, or Komaneci???? Why, ask the women around about sport and chances are, you will get a very Kitchen-like "I don't follow sports" or "Who is that?" response.

Ask the "weather-casters". I'd be shocked if a large segment of them knows what the Tropic of Cancer/Capricon mean or why Hurricanes are named after women.

I recall this anchor who kept pronouncing Palakkad as Pallakad and Cuddapah as Cooddapah. And North Indians, especially, can't get the "zh" right for nuts. So a "Kozhikode" becomes a convenient Kozykode. I am not even venturing into the syntax errors or the pleonasms, or I could just go on. "Anyways", this one seems to be a hep word. Or these, "short-little", "great-many". Exactly what is being conveyed?

I get the feeling that journalism today is only about presentation, not about the quality of content or knowledge. Get a Bimbo or a swanky dude and you have a sterling, prime time show.

Here we are, the commoners encouraging kids to watch news channels to get a grip on pronunciations, names, general awareness and the world in general. What do they learn - Malapropisms, incorrect information and cooked up, coined up hep words.

I am not a media-basher, not at all. I respect all the learnings I derive out of the news shows and have the highest regard for seasoned campaigners like Larry, Prannoy, Sunit Tandon et al. All I am asking for is homework, and more of it of these anchors. Good homework pays and shows.