Index: Tamasha

In the golden era of journalism, news was judged by its impact on policy, the stock market, or public safety. Today, a different metric seems to reign supreme. Pundits and critics have coined a new, albeit cynical, benchmark for modern media: The Tamasha Index.

Media houses are no longer competing for subscribers; they are competing for screen time . An in-depth analysis of a farm bill or a geopolitical treaty might inform the public, but it rarely holds a viewer’s attention as effectively as a shouting match between two politicians. tamasha index

As consumers, we have the remote control. If we turn off the noise that scores high on the Tamasha Index, perhaps—just perhaps—the news will return to what it was always meant to be: a record of reality, not a rehearsal of a drama. In the golden era of journalism, news was