Role of traditional media challenged as fourth estate

Role of traditional media challenged as fourth estate

Though the nation gets news updates every minute on myriad of issues of various dimensions all over the day, it would be an irony that our media still under performs. With media watch dogs, which are alert and capable to sniff every minute ripple made in the socio-political-administrative spheres, with its technological and investigative perfection, much better socio-political-governance and living conditions are expected. Hence the statement, it is ironical that the media is not performing at an expected level when its multifaceted and permeating strengths are concerned.

It was not in the distant past when many of the top names in the media band wagon were read along with few scams and sneaky political deals. Media sleuths found functioning as interlocutors in political-government-business deals and infamous undercover operations. Political and industry bosses who had realised the power and pervasiveness of the media would be eager to form the unholy nexus with them to curb any detrimental news to be nipped at the bud itself. Tailor made news and paid news are the tragic aftermath of this unholy nexus. The print and visual media in the country are owned or managed either by political leaders and vested interests, disguised as large media houses. That is why we see, hear and read only knee-jerk reactions and reporting of incidents and political dramas that have already happened and which do not cater anything useful to the common man. Channels and the print media do hair splitting analysis on trivial politicisations and hidden camera ploys which are of no use to the layman.

Media’s stance in many of the pertinent issues appeared to be calculated and dubious. Lakh crores worth debts of corporates are written-off mutely while a two months’ loan defaulter of few thousands is issued with legal notice for attachment. Media was more provoked when a female actress’ hindquarters are smothered knowingly or unknowingly, but ignored when a 64 year old hapless widow was brutally raped in broad day light and the culprits are still at large. Clearances from across the ministries are obtained in lightning speed for a new airport, that too within the close vicinity of two international airports, while a naturally blessed international trans-shipment port which would catapult a region’s economy is still at a nascent stage. Media is after “news value” while “life value” is ignored. The common man is faced with myriad of other earthly issues. The local body would not be cleaning the locality. The minister’s escort vehicle might have hit and fatally injured somebody and fled from the scene. One might be asked to bribe to get a certificate or license from the village office.  Often the public at large may find themselves to face these perils in their day-to-day life and put themselves at mercy before these social evils. It is from this helpless situation, where only the rich and the powerful found to be dictating terms, Citizen Journalism emerges.

It would be a brain child of the HR logistics of media houses, to deploy citizen journalists where ever they lack interest or in the areas deemed as irrelevant. Digital and faster communication and technology have made citizen reporting easier and timely. Though the Citizen journalism has indeed got a greater role to take the cue, it is often belittled or restricted within the local ambit reporting microscopic issues in their physical livelihood. Growth of social media, Right to Information Act (RTI), heroic auras around whistle blowers, literacy and more public awareness on various civil rights have added spirit and enthusiasm to the emerging social journalism. Nevertheless, larger issues like macro-economic policies of government affecting common man, inflation, major projects which hoodwink the public etc. are generally ignored since citizen reporters may not have effective access to information sources.

So the traditional media is still looked as the saviour of the masses. But as more and more instances of shady media-power politics nexus are revealed, now news are thoroughly scanned, every “exclusive” is viewed in suspicion and every scoop is identified as mere sensation. In the changed scenario where the audience is more aware, traditional way of media operations no longer help in addressing these issues. Stinger operations using hidden cams and honey-traps cannot bluff the public and stretch the commotion for long. If the media do not understand the elated intellect and aspirations of their audience, if they continue to debate for days together on the matters which are of least concern to the ordinary man, and if they continue to be part of political factionalism and mutual appeasements, then days are not farther, where citizen journalism gets transformed to new free press experiments like “wikipress” or participatory press, which would be the new dawn in modern journalism.