If a Government increases electricity rates for domestic consumers then NO newspaper must report the news as - "A small increase in electricity rates for domestic users".

This applies to any newspaper or media outlet in any country. More so, if the news being reported is for common people in a developing and poor country like India.

For countries such as India,such a reporting will be called sad.

Amarujala Uttarakhand Dehradun edition's front page news today is : Gharelu Bijli daron me mamooli Vriddhi, BPL parivaron ko Rahat.

[Translated to English: Insignificant (unnoticeable small) increase in domestic Electricity rates, relief for Below Poverty Line families]

Going through the report one finds that the electrify rate (electricity tariff) for domestic BPL consumers in Uttarakhand have remained unchanged for 0-100 units. After that for every domestic consumer the electricity rates have been increased.

Image source: Amarujala Uttarakhand Dehradun edition March 22, 2018

The electricity rates for commercial and other categories have been decreased.

So unless common people in Uttarakhand have deep pockets (in Hindi Jin par mahangai ka koi asar nahin padta or Those are not affected by inflation), then the newspaper can continue reporting the increase as a small or insignificant increase!

On the contrary, if newspapers and media outlets see such increase bad for people, then they must call it bad or remain silent.

To conclude, a newspaper must not tell the readers the increase is small. It must allow the readers to decide whether it is insignificant or not.

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