MEDIA!!!!

MEDIA!!!

In this complex environment, the one institution which NURTURED, SUSTAINED and STRENGTHENED our democracy is THE PRESS. The role of media during freedom struggle and after independence has been an extraordinary and inspiring saga the media played an extraordinary role!

One of the greatest moment for the media was during the 70’s, marked by peoples movement’s against corruption, (mis)governance, increasing state oppression and suppressing liberty in the name of emergency to fight for their rights which they eventually gained i.e. freedom! Rarely have the people spoken so courageously, conquering fear and prejudice, breaking traditional barriers. It was a time when the electronic media was completely in the hand of the Government, at this time the print media played a more important role in safeguarding democracy. The QUALITY, COURAGE and CONCERN of Indian media were simply the best!

The 90's saw the rapid spread of electronic media, the advent of satellite television made state control irrelevant. Till the 1980’sthe state had always been a dominant player in generating and propagating news, and in determining the fate of the media by its policies , laws (emergency), control (electronic media), and patronage (advertisements). But now all that has changed. The dismantling of the license-permit-quota has created breathtaking opportunities for the media. The future role of the media is in their own hands, and is no longer dictated by external agencies.

India which still is home to the largest number of illiterates and the poor and malnourished on earth, there has been a breathtaking proliferation of mass media is evident. The facts speak for themselves: over 63,000 newspapers of all kinds, of which about 25,000 are in Hindi, over 18 crore combined circulation of newspapers and periodicals, over 800 films annually with unbelievable number of audiences, 120 million radio sets with 24.6% of (rural) population regularly listening with ALL INDIA RADIO covering almost 98% of rural area, 79.4 million television sets (2001) with half the population of India regularly watching the terrestrial TV channels, over 267 million Indians with regular access to cable television, 21% of the population covered by FM radio, nearly 248 million telephones and rapidly expanding, over 209 million mobile phones, over 5 million personal computers and internet users projected to be 100 million by end of 2007, the list is endless! The last decade has seen a remarkable expansion. With literacy levels increasing rapidly over the past decade and more and more people having disposable incomes after meeting the basic needs, media's reach and influence are only going to grow over the next decade and more.

The bigger question is that whether the expansion and power of media has been translated into greater good? Has the media been able to make our democracy more mature? Is the media still a part of the solution, or have they become a part of the problem? Has the Professionalism changed to Profitism? These are troubling questions which haunt all lovers of liberty and democracy. But when the question of dealing with a vast country like India where there are umpteen numbers of newspapers and television channels, there cannot be any generalizations.
What one can say with assurance is that the bulk of the media today represents a moral force for the rejuvenation of republic and transparency of democracy. By its very nature, the press is an empowering and liberating force. In an open and competitive system the media act as umpire to check the ongoing of the government, and promote public good. These are also the vital ingredients of a democratic society.

Looking back at our records, the maturing of our institutions, the power of the media, there is no question of our freedoms, including freedom of speech and expression, ever being extinguished again. There is no external threat to the media in future.
But the danger is from within. Media is increasingly becoming a private tool for profit or pleasure. Some of the negative aspects of the media today are:

There is an ever-increasing obsession in the media with POWER GAMES. There is intense excitement in media's coverage of politics. The papers are full of who is rising and who is falling, who joined hands and who splitted? This approach has severely undermined our democracy, and retarded its evolution. Politics has now become an alternative to bloody sports completely divorced from the lives and well-being of citizens. This had bred enormous cynicism about our political process.

The media, instead of playing the role of an impartial and critical umpire, they have completely digresses from their main motto of objectivity and have started taking sides. The problem with taking sides is that this is not based on the newspapers ideologies and policies but personal profits and mutual gains. Public interest has taken the back seat and truth has become the casualty. Two complete different conclusions are drawn from different national dailies or channels due to their baking of a certain party and playing favourites and twisting facts to suit convenience always leave the reader in complete dilemma of what is right and what is wrong?

Media business is seen increasingly as any other profit-making business. No doubt that any paper needs financial support for sustainability financial and as no paper can run smoothly if it itself is in debt! But one should keep in mind that if news papers or news channels are treated as a source for sheer profit it would kill its basic reason for existence that is the freedom of expression!

Intentions might be good but this is not the only criteria, the problem is that media lack is the decline in professionalism. The more competent journalists are doing an outstanding job. Journalism should never become just another job in any case. The way with which powerful politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen deal with pressmen is converted as a source of private gain. If corruption and degradation of media are not checked there could very soon be a time of failure of this vital institution.

One of media’s “Achilles heel” is its continuous ignoring of the poor and the underprivileged which can lead to easy evaporation of democracy. If hope and faith in the future are extinguished, then ordinary people have no longer a stake in the preservation of democratic order. The media will ignore this at their own peril, because democracy and liberty are the basis of a free press.

The problem is that the basic definition of news has been self – altered by publishers! Whatever makes the maximum noise is regarded as news. Substance is ignored for style, and image is given precedence to reality! Last but not the least there is far too much cynicism in the society! The press, instead of offering sensible and practical answers, is adding to the confusion and commotion regarding people’s emotions.

Both the print and the electronic media have had a great impact on our lives , the have helped us to keep the hope and faith alive within us! To sustain the human spirit even while facing ‘n’ number of problems! There is a level of prosperity and dignity and the confidence in the fairness of judiciary within each one of us! One can see the importance of the role of media with the anticipation with which we wait for the morning news papers and the delight with which we switch on the television to check out our favourite channel There is every reason to hope, and believe that our media will play an even more glorious role in fulfilling our potential as a nation, and promoting human happiness!

( sowie for writing such a long article..... but i worked very hard on it......)