11 February 2014 - QA 4

The media always latches on to the negative stories. How can we make a good story sensational?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

This is one thing you should not do; generalize. You should not eternalize and generalize everything. You should not say that the media always, or every media does that. It is not the case.

Here is one example. Annika Dopping from Sweden has made some very enlightening documentary films. She made a documentary to help elderly people who get depressed (after the age of 50 people feel depressed thinking nobody wants them) called ‘Aging Gracefully’. It is such a nice documentary film to uplift the elderly people.
She also made another very positive film on Three Wise Men, where she interviewed Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra and me. She put some brilliant questions that pulled out the best from everybody. The show ran for almost a whole year by public demand.
There are many such shows that have come through Indians also, that inspired people and uplifted their spirit. So, as I said, we should not generalize.

Now, I do agree that there is sensational journalism that brings in negativity only. After a while, people know what it is. They watch it for some time and then shut it down. What people like to hear more is about astrology, because they are anxious to know what is going to happen to them.

You should think about how you can bring about creative, sensational, positive news. You do it. I think there are several channels here in Karnataka, which say, ‘Is this also possible?’ This is the headline.
Some channels have come up with such things; people glue themselves and watch these wonders of the world! Like how in a particular temple, a monkey does a certain job that amazes everyone. The channel shows the strange behavior of certain animals, and certain wonders, miracles that happen in the world. Such things are really capturing people’s attention.

Here, we have a Devi who speaks; the stone says yes and no. You must have also seen the Nadi leaves, the ancient palm leaves. You give your thumb print, and they select the leaf that pertains to you. Over 5,000 years ago, people have written about you, your name and everything about you today. This is nothing short of a miracle.

Today, people are turning more towards humor, away from all these crime stories. That is what I think. I don’t know, I do not see much, I don’t get time to see. Anyways, I think the times are changing now.