A bizarre news cycle for bizarre times. As the economy dives to record lows and coronavirus infections spike to record highs in India, our TV news channels have offered obsessive coverage of something else entirely. What began as a stream of relentless news stories on Rhea Chakraborty and her alleged involvement in the cases involving Sushant Singh Rajput’s death has now morphed into a battle against Bollywood and its “drug problem”. Meanwhile, news coverage in mainstream English TV channels has barely cracked the surfaces of issues such as the aftermath of the national lockdown, its impact on migrant workers, job loss among millions due to the pandemic, the unanswered questions in the Parliament, the arrest of students, activists and academics and more.

Source: Huffington Post September 21, 2020 02:15 UTC