Fourth Pillar

Fortifying or Famished?

Rarely does it happen in a vast country like ours that such huge wave of support is seen for any cause. The monotony of the 9-5 life is so enchanting for most of us that we hardly are willing to spare some time to look and be concerned regarding what's happening right next to our doorsteps.

A very recent exclusion to this unending slumber was the overwhelming response to  the heinous 16 December misdeed... Due credits must be given to the extremely empathetic public whose participation became the cause of one of the swiftest trial ever in the legal history of our nation...

A very encouraging factor, not just in the above mentioned case but in many incidents across the globe, is the active involvement of media and, in a very innovative way, the social media.

 

As one Egyptian activist tweeted during the protests there, "We use Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world." (Source:http://www.psmag.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/)

Media's role has always been extremely important and powerful because it has a voice, a voice untainted by any agenda of its own, and this is what gives the immense power to the press, freedom of which has been attained by a long history of struggle and bloodshed.

Having information regarding the on-goings of the govt. is essential in a democracy, primarily for two reasons. It helps us to make informed choices and prevents us from being puppets and also ensures that the governing mechanism remains accountable.

In the present world scenario, media has attained an all new dimension in our lives. It has now become easily accessible, a few taps and swooosh... the world unravels in front of your eyes. And this is the reason, why it has become all the more powerful and influential. Media can easily influence the thinking process of the masses.

The positive influences is clearly visible in the mounting public pressure against the various anti social happenings and the unearthing of various scams that have, unfortunately become a daily dose of disappointments. A very recent incident of IAS Durga Shakti, was vastly covered by media, which has actually unmasked our so called secular forces and the misuse of power for personal gains.

In words of Ms. Nidhi Razdan, our media has the right to even question the decisions of our Supreme court, admirably that's the power of our media, but unfortunately, humans have an unfortunate habit of comfortably ignoring the responsibilities and yet shamelessly exercise their rights. Media is powerful only because it's unbiased, and it should be ensured that it doesn't become so a loaded die in the hands of some powerful players.

The recent riots of Muzzaffarnagar, went unreported for almost a week under the lame excuse of preventing the spread of  riots... What hippocracy is this? The enigma of "Paid Media" is a question which is staring right into the face of our media and is still unaddressed.

Amusing as it might be, it is deplorable, that the quality of news degrading, especially in electronic media, where TRP has now become the boss. The channels are famished for any news which is so called "spicy" and unfortunately even tend to ignore some genuinely concerning news.

Inspite of all odds, the fact remains that every morning most of the Indians begin their day flipping through the pages of a daily. Any rumor vibrates our eardrums and we immediately log on  to the website of any news daily or channel to ratify the claims. People still have a lot of faith in the media and people lend their ears to the press, and in words of American economist, Thomas Sowell, 

"If people in media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand the difference, and choose their news source accordingly."