Everytime the ethical line is crossed by a TV journalist, TRP and the need to grab eyeballs is given as the reason.  Take the recent case of the two Gujarat regional TV Channel’s journalists who allegedly goaded a man to immolate himself in front of the camera, would you say the channel did this for TRP… Would you say news channels don’t have value for any human being’s life.   If  the answer is yes, and if the allegations are true that the reporters did goad the person to commit suicide in front of camera… is it okay to say all news channels are more or less the same and would do anything for TRP?  The answer clearly is a no, every viewer who watches news on TV has a pet news channel. He will at least vouch for the specific channel he likes. So at least that particular channel has created enough credibility in his mind.     
Well-known news channels have been making effort to draw a line between what is within limits and what is not. NBA or News Broadcasters Association is a body which has been forming guidelines for coverage of events where the question of ethics is involved.   For instance, they have specific guidelines for covering stories during 26/11 anniversary days.   The channels themselves have formed guidelines to protect the identity of vulnerable people.  These include rape victims, eyewitnesses to a crime, victims of domestic crime etc.  Viewers are also being warned of disturbing footage.  So one can say efforts are being made to clearly draw a line between what can be shown and what cannot be.
But due to the nature of the medium, tv news cannot stay clear of sensational news.  And obviously, because of this reason there is always the danger of crossing the ethical line.  In the long run however, crossing the ethical line and getting negative publicity will not go in the channel’s favour.   A couple of years back a hindi news channel was involved in a fake sting operation story.  The channel not only lost credibility but also had to deal with many legal cases.   The channel’s survival itself became a huge question mark.  Efforts by the channel now, to be more professional has at least brought back some credibility.
So can news channels afford to be more circumspect and stay clear of ethically controversial topics.  For instance, should other channels show the footage of self-immolation if it is made available to them.  For the news editor on location, it would be a very difficult decision to take.  He may even be pressurised by what the rival channel is showing.  There is no question about the fact that TRP issues force the editor to take a call which may be on the border of ethics.  But again smart thinking by the editor, channels and clear cut guidelines to stay ethical will go a long way in creating credibility for the channel.   In such a situation the channel may lose TRP for a particular day but the overall TRP of the channel is bound to go up.