The Media plays a Positive role in our Politics
Here, is the transcript of a debate I participated in:
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George Orwell had once famously remarked, "If liberty means anything at al, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." Good Evening, I am KPOWERINFINITY, and I firmly believe that the Indian media is a replendant example of how irresponsibility can undermine the polity.
First let us analyse the anatomy of the Indian media organization. Most of them are behemoths in their own right, or are part of greater conglomerates. Their life butter depends upon revenues from advertisers, who too are colossal. These companies have powerful vested interests, and thus the bias against certain news. The government is their single largest supplier. As Noam Chomsky had remarked in his book Chronicles of Dissent, in order to get leaks, press releases and be in the good books of influential people, they've "got to play the game, and playing the game means telling their lies."
The coverage of the General Elections earlier this year left a lot to be desired. Just before the ordeal, the media was agog with 'India Shining', and didn't mice words praising the BJP, which supposedly is pro-capitalist. Aroon Purie of India Today even went to the extent of saying that "Vajpayee's pre-eminence overshadows the usual election calculus of caste, community, religion and region. Fortunately, this has been backed by a booming economy and the political stability he provides." A regime change can do a lot of things. Soon after, the media started singing the praise of Congress, and its mild-mannered Prime Minister. The focus shifted from 'India Shining' to 'Reforms with a Human Heart'. In essence, the media in India is nothing more than a court jester whose primary duty is to praise his king.
The media corporations and their affiliates are perhaps the largest donors to the political parties. In India, such statistics are conviniently avoided. So, I will give an example from the United States. National Broadcasting Corporation is owned by the General Electric Co., the 13th largest donor to the Bush campaign, and has interlocking directors with CitiCorp., the single largest contributor, PepsiCo, the 22nd largest and Philip Morris, the 2nd largest.The chemistry does not end here. AOL-Time Warner was well known to be pro-Democratic. Rupert Murdoch has built his vast empire, including the one in India, by leveraging his political contacts. Back home, Sahara Manoranjan's Subroto Roy publicly plays big brother to Amar Singh. In perspective, expectation of a fair appraisal is only a child's dream.
Apart from the obvious discrepancies in the coverage, the media is also plagued by an unwarranted focus on masala news including soft-porn material. The front pages of major newspapers are littered with pictures of semi-nude women, and the news of substance is relegated to the middle pages. How can the media claim to be moulding the public opinion?
The fact is that the Indian media is not proactive, but rather is reactive. Investigative journalism is limited to a few Tehelka's once in a while, and they too are marred in controversy. The politicians sure know how to protect their turf.
In the midst of this technological change, we perhaps need to glance back at the pre-independance era, when a million souls were guided on their path to eternal glory by the inspiring campaign sponsored by the Fourth Estate.
===
"I have a dream" --- only when i'm sleepin'
-----------------
George Orwell had once famously remarked, "If liberty means anything at al, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." Good Evening, I am KPOWERINFINITY, and I firmly believe that the Indian media is a replendant example of how irresponsibility can undermine the polity.
First let us analyse the anatomy of the Indian media organization. Most of them are behemoths in their own right, or are part of greater conglomerates. Their life butter depends upon revenues from advertisers, who too are colossal. These companies have powerful vested interests, and thus the bias against certain news. The government is their single largest supplier. As Noam Chomsky had remarked in his book Chronicles of Dissent, in order to get leaks, press releases and be in the good books of influential people, they've "got to play the game, and playing the game means telling their lies."
The coverage of the General Elections earlier this year left a lot to be desired. Just before the ordeal, the media was agog with 'India Shining', and didn't mice words praising the BJP, which supposedly is pro-capitalist. Aroon Purie of India Today even went to the extent of saying that "Vajpayee's pre-eminence overshadows the usual election calculus of caste, community, religion and region. Fortunately, this has been backed by a booming economy and the political stability he provides." A regime change can do a lot of things. Soon after, the media started singing the praise of Congress, and its mild-mannered Prime Minister. The focus shifted from 'India Shining' to 'Reforms with a Human Heart'. In essence, the media in India is nothing more than a court jester whose primary duty is to praise his king.
The media corporations and their affiliates are perhaps the largest donors to the political parties. In India, such statistics are conviniently avoided. So, I will give an example from the United States. National Broadcasting Corporation is owned by the General Electric Co., the 13th largest donor to the Bush campaign, and has interlocking directors with CitiCorp., the single largest contributor, PepsiCo, the 22nd largest and Philip Morris, the 2nd largest.The chemistry does not end here. AOL-Time Warner was well known to be pro-Democratic. Rupert Murdoch has built his vast empire, including the one in India, by leveraging his political contacts. Back home, Sahara Manoranjan's Subroto Roy publicly plays big brother to Amar Singh. In perspective, expectation of a fair appraisal is only a child's dream.
Apart from the obvious discrepancies in the coverage, the media is also plagued by an unwarranted focus on masala news including soft-porn material. The front pages of major newspapers are littered with pictures of semi-nude women, and the news of substance is relegated to the middle pages. How can the media claim to be moulding the public opinion?
The fact is that the Indian media is not proactive, but rather is reactive. Investigative journalism is limited to a few Tehelka's once in a while, and they too are marred in controversy. The politicians sure know how to protect their turf.
In the midst of this technological change, we perhaps need to glance back at the pre-independance era, when a million souls were guided on their path to eternal glory by the inspiring campaign sponsored by the Fourth Estate.
===
"I have a dream" --- only when i'm sleepin'
posted by kpowerinfinity @ 8:38 pm
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