The Numero UNO Itch

ONE OF THE CURSES OF contemporary news media, both television and print, is that craving for the Number One slot.

- Ruhail Amin

Visit any news website or watch any television channel or read any newspaper − and you will see that ubiquitous claim of being the numero uno in the domain.

The chase for more eyeballs is driving newsrooms into a phase in which journalistic values increasingly play second fiddle to the commercial zest to be at the top of the chart. Every day seems to mark a new low in professional ethics.

Take the example of a recent incident in which two rival English channels got into fist fighting mode to get the first and exclusive interview with a father whose son had been murdered in a top school.