The most popular pastime of today's television commentators seems to be trying to guide the world's most powerful leaders. The funny thing is the gap between their on-screen confidence and their ineffectual power in the real world.
Predicting the decisions of a leader who sits in the presidential chair of a country and has a direct influence on the global economic system from the safety of his seat is a serious illusion.
These leaders carry enormous weight not only politically but also economically. International investments, hotels and billion dollar deals are a small part of their daily responsibilities. Television commentators, on the other hand, find the courage to constantly express opinions on screen, even if they have not produced anything of note in their own lives.
They build their self-confidence without producing knowledge or assuming responsibility; they present themselves as intellectuals and experts. This is not an individual gap, but a cultural phenomenon of today's media. People no longer consume information, but the appearance of information; they watch the illusion of generating ideas, not ideas.
Independent journalism and journalistic ethics are precisely the concepts that should come into play here. Ethical journalism means monitoring those in power, producing informed criticism and accurately informing the public. But some commentators who appear on the screens seem to have forgotten these basic principles. When criticism and commentary are not combined with responsibility and information production, they turn into a mere show.
From economics to defense, from law to international relations, from education to health, one cannot be completely knowledgeable in every subject. Each field requires its own specialization and depth; it requires years of education, experience and research. But some commentators on the screens claim to have an opinion without having any expertise. Moreover, they popularize these claims by exploiting the public's hunger for information. Any opinion expressed without knowledge, experience and research misleads the audience and devalues the culture of real journalism and critical thinking.
What is more tragic is that these images become a cycle. Another commentator with a modern look, who thinks he is an intellectual, appears and starts giving advice to the same leaders. The dose of criticism and talk is limitless, but there is not a single concrete contribution behind them. These ideas generated on the screens do not touch the real world in any way; they only serve the self-existence of the speaker.
The greatest entertainment of today's television commentators is to portray the world's most powerful leaders as if they were ruling. But the truth is that those who proclaim themselves heroes on screen have never encountered the real dynamics of life. Predicting the decisions of leaders who carry the political and economic weight on their shoulders from the safety of their armchairs is just an illusion.
While the viewer is bombarded with ideas on the screen, the commentators present a show completely devoid of production, responsibility and ethical journalism. Talking idly, not producing and just being visible has created a new type of “screen hero”. These commentators use modern gadgets and appear on screens with symbols of luxury and consumption. But they emphasize their own righteousness while ignoring real problems such as violence against women, injustice or corruption.
In order to create perceptions in line with the realpolitik of their own neighborhood, each of them has turned into a mini Joseph Goebbels, presenting their own illusions to the audience with their facial expressions, gestures and intonations. This turns television commentary into a visual theater that prevents independent and critical thinking. The viewer is no longer exposed to information, but to “acting”; they watch a performance instead of an opinion.
As a result, these “empty heroes” who constantly talk but do not produce on screen distort the public's perception of information and production. Criticizing leaders and informing the public is possible through ethical, independent and responsible journalism.
The primary duty of the media is not only to create visibility and interest, but also to enable society to confront real issues, to produce information and to question the truth. Journalism is more than expressing opinions; it is about responsibility, research and social contribution.
Otherwise, self-confidence in front of the screen is no more than a self-created mask of heroism; it becomes an empty spectacle that does not serve modern society's need for knowledge and justice.