What sort of treatment, India-our beloved country whom, many lovingly call `Bharat Mata` is getting from its media?!What kind of role, media who has to play vigilante, to keep the system on the track, is actually playing? Pl ask yourself these two questions.
The answers which I got when I put these questions to many of friends including friends from the media was `Yes ,we agree media is not actually focusing on real issues which confront the Aam Aadmi but is happy, hour in hour out, obsessed with non-issues or inane issues?!When I asked further why it was happening, the answer I got was, it increased the TRP of various channels & got more eye-balls & therefore, more advertisement & thus MONEY!
This means for most of the media `Money is the King`!!
There are so many TV channels. But, switch on any channel at any hour & what one invariably gets on the screen is, endless debates & debates ,panel discussions, repeat news about actors films cricket, rapes, murders, scams, politicians, corrupt bureaucrats, religious-thugs & all related detailed information about their activities & the performers!!
To give an idea about most of the events covered in last four weeks, it was mainly about Tejpal, Asa Ram, Tendulkar, Arushi murder & about various cases of sexual assaults of various degrees by persons of `so called prominence` of our society!!If these were not sufficient to fill the time-slots/breaking news, then one gets treat of political ,social orators & leaders of both sexes, tearing into the personal lives of their own political colleagues on various TV channels, whom they meet off the TV, in back-slapping mode!
Historically, the print-media as my little research revealed emerged in Europe as an organ of the people against feudal oppression.At that time, the established organs were all in the hands of the feudal,despotic authorities,hence,the people had to create new organs which could represent them.That is why print-media became known as the fourth estate.Thus an important & vital role was played by the media in transforming feudal Europe to modern Europe.
The print media thus represented the voice of reason.
But, now, when media reach is so BIG, is it serving reason or revenue-receipt in its coffers? Another question to ponder?
Anguish has also been expressed by Mr Katju the chairman of the Press Council of India who said in one of the seminar`A large section of the Indian Media particularly the electronic media is not serving the interest of the people.Infact, some of it is anti people! Most of of its coverage focusses on non-issues like fashion shows, reality shows,filmstars- lifestyles which do not mostly interest & benefit majority of India`s populace which is in deep stark poverty or suffer day in day out, poor quality of life!`
Who will bring to light on sustainable basis instead of paying lip-service, the massive unemployment, lack of medical care ,education & backward social practices like caste oppression, religious fundamentalism, honour killings, state of very poor infrastructure ,he also mentioned.
A quarter million farmers commited suicide in the last fifteen years!-to give one example. How much about it has been followed up to the logical conclusion by the various organs of the media,is another question, which media-world should ask it self.
Hours & hours of TV time & pages of print media, are spent on cricket ,film, fashion,religious heroes but what about the REAL heroes of the society who are fighting corruption, unfair system, bad governance & what about whistle-blowers?
Why no/adequate coverage to them? Pl ask yourself.
India needs much better treatment from its media.
( Mr. Vijay K. Saluja is a Director of Giraffe Heroes India Program & winner of national & international award for his contribution to the society for his honesty & writing skill www.giraffe.org/giraffe-heroes-india)