The
Truth of Media
Media, a collection of mediums, has evolved constantly and continues to do so. Once
represented only by newspapers and journals, today it is an eclectic institution
comprising of electronic and social media besides the print. It no more limits
itself to the newspaper we read while sipping morning tea. It’s omnipresent. It
is unique from the other three pillars of democracy in various respects. One of
the prominent aspects in which media differs is its private ownership which is
both an enabling factor and an impediment.
The
media is accused of not showing what people need. Nonetheless, it shows what
people want. The fact that it is based on a private model ensures to show the
news that is popular among the public. The media is accused of chasing TRPs.
But TRP is one such measure that tells them what people want to see. If people
want news with salt and spice, they show it. Not their fault. It's like
democracy. If people choose a wrong leader. It is people’s fault.
It's
a drawback of democracy that people may not know what is right for them. People
can be easily swayed by emotions. The public is fickle-minded. Which is very
well portrayed in the Shakespearean play, Julius Caesar. An eloquent Antony
molded the views of people with the power of his words. And people is power. If
one wins over people, he rules over them.
Thus,
immense power rests on the shoulders of the media. And power corrupts. The
media has not handled the power responsibly. In a utopian world, Media would be
unbiased. However, in this world, an impartial media is a farfetched dream if
not impossible. Ideally, the media should present the facts and leave for
people to decide and choose. But no piece of news today comes without a shade
of activism and propaganda. Almost every time I switch on the TV, It dictates me
what to think. Journalists have assumed the role of philosophers and Prime Time
news is philosophy lecture. It is natural for a media person to associate
himself with a political side. One has the right to be rightist, leftist or
centrist. However, when channels begin to associate themselves with a political
party, they are typecasted. Viewers form a notion of specific channels and
thus, view them from a lens of bias.
Due
to these agendas, there is a trend of widespread polarization among the people.
There is a seething wave of anger under the surface among the masses against
one another. An effect of this polarization is that the nation is living on the
edge. People can be easily provoked and that can result in an act of turmoil
and violence. Today a tweet results in an insurrection, a cartoon results in a conflagration.
In almost all cases of violence, the media had a role to play. However, we
can't impeach the media. It does not have a face. It's not one person but an
institution. And with the advent of social media, even accusing has become a
difficult task. Who should we blame? Social media is a mere means of
communication. It is just an interface between different people. In a
traditional media setup, we can point a finger towards an anchor or a media house
in instances of fake news which is not possible in the case of social media,
where hateful and toxic hashtags trend every day.
As
a pillar of democracy, Media plays a crucial role in making the other three
pillars transparent. Also, it plays a big role in putting pressure on the government
to bring policies needed for the public. However, media has become a hand
puppet of government itself.
Media
is not completely independent nor should it be, provided the power it holds.
However, the checks and balances in place which impede its independence are not
ideal. In fact, they are a matter of concern. Media is not accountable to
people, rather it is accountable to the private companies they are owned by.
Media is run by a handful of powerful business groups and political parties.
Moreover,
there is an increasing lack of professionalism in journalism today. The viewers
are often confused whether they are watching the news or wildlife channels when
they see news anchors shouting and thumping their chests. The modest,
intellectual, and impartial image of news anchors is in evanescence. Moreover,
they also trespass the limits and the private spaces of people to bring forth a
truth suited to themselves. Furthermore, they make the accusation as evidence
itself. In a race among media houses for being the fastest to deliver news,
rather than strong research and prior verification of the story, they make the
process of researching the news itself. They start defaming people without
being sure. In some cases, Media runs a parallel trial of the crimes in their
studios. Consequently, they hurt the ones they are defaming. This is against
the very basic principles of journalism it is founded upon. This precarious
journalism can result in a disastrous blowback i.e. media will lose its
credibility. As a result, Government would implement certain tight rules and
regulations to check on the freedom of the press and people won’t resent those
laws.
There
are several challenges and a lot of them are due to the revenue-based model of
media. It is an industry that gives a free product or charges a very small fee
which is very petite in comparison to the actual cost price of the product
people are consuming. Even the blank sheets of paper cost more than three
rupees one is paying for a newspaper copy which provides services by skilled
professional journalists, reporters, and photographers. Thus, it has to rely
majorly on ads or patrons for financing it which hampers the freedom of the press.
An alternative is to make media self-sustainable. A subscription-based product where
the consumer pays equal to the cost price of the product. However, the real
question is are people willing to pay that much? Also, this would limit
people’s readership to one newspaper or one channel. Furthermore, a vast
multitude of people will lose access to media because they won’t be able to
afford it. A solution could be to market individual articles that costs a
nominal micro-fee. This way, the consumer would not have to pay for the whole
paper but just the articles he wants to read.
To
contain the spread of fake news we need to employ innovative solutions like a
fact-checker. Or media houses can mark their news pieces with different colors
to denote their credibility. Where red can be used to mark a piece of news not
verified yet, and green for the verified ones.
It
is high time that media needs to introspect and get back to the morals which
lie at its very foundation. It needs to redefine the principles it is founded
upon. There’s a need to be an autonomous regulatory body for media and it
should be mandatory for a news enterprise to work along its guidelines. The
regulatory body should not encumber the freedom of the press. However, strict
guidelines should be laid down for issuing an apology in cases of defamation.
Presently, apologies are not issued and if they are, they don’t match the
degree of the mistake. An error on the front page of a newspaper is regretted
the next day on the fifth or sixth page in a small corner. The degree of
apology should equal the degree of mistake.
Introspection
with technological innovation can bring back the glory of the media. As India
marks its 72nd republic day, with the assumption of a sense of
responsibility, Media can unleash the true potential of the nation as soon as
it realizes the broader goal of the institution of strengthening the nation.
By Prateek Goyal
