King Khan

Aamir Khan. I've always admired this actor. I concurred with his views. My respect just went up a few notches after reading this in BNB's blog

Excerpts:

The media’s defence is that it is catering to readership taste. Do you think that’s true or is there a disjunct?

You know the press has often asked me — and it often asks other filmmakers — why do you make junk? These absurd over-the-top films where you exploit action or sex? Why do filmmakers indulge in trashy films, so what if they cater to the base needs of certain sections of the audience but there should be some restraint shown. See filmmakers are still entertaining (laughs), the press has got a much more responsible job. Some restraint you have to show, boss. Yes, human beings have all kinds of needs. I can name another ten you can cater to — you want to do that? Are you a newspaper? Or stop calling yourself a newspaper. Stop calling yourself a news channel. Call yourself something else. There are all kinds of entertainment going around. You can certainly indulge in whatever kind of software you want to make. But if you are catering to the news needs of people then you call yourself a newspaper or news channel. If you are catering to other needs then don’t call yourself that. See, I feel media barons and top executives are just looking at short term benefits, and in the process they are destroying society. Our loved ones live in this society — parents, children — everyone will be affected by this selling-out.

So which papers and channels do you follow?

Tehelka, The Hindu, and The Indian Express. I’ve stopped all the others. There might be other publications that I’m not aware of — regional papers that I’ve not read — that are doing good work. But what I feel is, as a citizen of the country, in the one hour, or half hour of news that I watch in the evening, I would like to watch things that are socially and nationally important. And that it is given the right kind of time and reporting. As a good reporter you have to give it your energies to report that matter properly, to investigate it properly and bring it forward properly to the people. That time has to be spent in investigative journalism and in debating important issues. If I want to watch news about entertainment there should be a separate section or show for that. All people who want to watch whose dog is lost and whose cat is getting married (laughs) — here’s your — on your own newstime you can watch whatever you want to watch.