I always wished to write on the role Indian media has been
playing, but I must admit that I am doing it today, as a reaction to about an hour long program by Ravish Kumar of NDTV on his channel. If I too had resources
like him, I would have liked to make a full fledged feature film, but am forced to
content with this write-up.
From Falshood to Truth
NDTV took its viewers to dark to bring home what it doubted
he could do in light. I could not understand the logic. Our Upanishad says,
“asato
ma sadgamaya
tamaso
ma jyotirgamaya
mrtyorma
amrtam gamaya
om
shanti shanti shanti.”
Meaning:
Lead me from the falsehood to the truth.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality.
Om Peace Peace Peace.
Let us try to move from darkness to light… from
falsehood to truth.
I appreciate Ravish Kumar for admitting that TV is suffering
from a disease. He called it TB. I would not like to agree with the nomenclature
but TV certainly is suffering from a serious disease and unfortunately this
disease is communicable. TV has engulfed entire India who watch news-channels
into an endless worry, giving them avoidable stress though “maro-kato” is an extreme, Ravish rants about for
reasons best known to him.
There may be a section of people threatening media-persons
for the partisan side they take. But to blame the viewers in general for that is
something anybody with a head at the right place would have avoided.
But that exactly is the issue. Is the head of most of the
media-persons at the right place? Let us discuss that.
My credentials to be eligible to do that? I have no intention to match
Ravish Kumar, but this may be justified to ask this question. I am a qualified journalist,
having done my post-graduation in Journalism more than 30 years ago. I met the
then President of India in Rashtrapati Bhavan as a part of young journalists. You
might not have seen me on any TV channel or newspaper but I have been connected
with the field by virtue of being a reader of print media and a viewer of TVs all these years.
I, as such, believe that I have a long experience of journalism!
Fourth Estate
Media is supposedly the fourth estate of a democratic set up. Remember - fourth estate - after Legislative (Law making), Executive (Policy execution) and Judiciary (reviewing the law). Press gets the respect of the four estate for reporting the system honestly. It loses the honour if it is not honest.
It also does not have any constitutional validity. The fourth pillar does not even find a specific mention in the Constitution of India. Press just derives its strength from Article 19 which guarantees freedom of expression to all the citizens including press. Thus, press people are just among we commoners. Press got respect as fourth estate as it did make bridges between the people and the State. The moment press fails in doing so, it loses its credibility and regard.
Being a student of journalism, I know that the following are the cardinal principles governing media and all media persons:
- Ensuring the objective presentation of news and fair and unbiased comment
- Promoting the advancement of education and culture
- Raising and maintaining high standards of decency and decorum in all programmes
- Providing programmes for the young which, by variety and content, will inculcate the principles of good citizenship
- Promoting communal harmony, religious tolerance and international understanding
- Treating controversial public issues in an impartial and dispassionate manner
- Respecting human rights and dignity
Is our present day media adhering
to these cardinal principles honestly? Little said about it the better. It is
the fourth estate that has failed this country more than all the three other
estates put together. Volumes after volumes can be written to prove this
failure, but the size of this write up does not permit me to do that. I would
just use Ravish Kumar’s own admission in his program that he called dark.
Presstitute
Ravish Kumar asked a very
pertinent question in a very concerned fashion but tried to call the word
presstitute as an abuse. He may have objection to the use of this word for the
reason that it was first used in Indian context by Gen. VK Singh, a central Minister
in Modi Govt. But this word was coined long ago by Gerald Celente and is used for biased and predetermined views by media persons. This word was coined by merging press and prostitute.
What objection does Ravish Kumar has to the use of this word when he himself admits in his dark program that there are several journalists whose conduct is not above board? Is it wrong to call spade a spade? This word is reserved for those who deserve it. Why is Ravish Kumar bothered? What is he afraid of?
Media
Trial
Ravish Kumar and his clan
are crying over the media trial of Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and likes. Here
is where the hypocrisy of one of the senior-most but hopeless journalists is
evident at its worst. Yes media trial is not good. Trial is reserved for
judiciary and not for media. Media is, of course, supposed to bring forth the facts
of a matter whichever side they support. What we see, however, is that media,
particularly the electronic media, not only does media trial but even passes
judgment before its own trial begins. We viewers have been witnessing it since
long and I bet, I can tell you with 100% surety what judgment to be given by which channel in
which case without even knowing anything about the case. So is the bias of
mainstream media, evident to its viewers.
Even in the present
context, while the likes of Ravish Kumar shed crocodile tears for the bearded
innocent kids of JNU and thus supporting their anti-India tirade and denounce
the so-called media trial by a couple or more of channels, they are simultaneously
leaving no stone unturned to prove lawyers of Patiala House court culprits! They reject videos of anti-India slogans but accept the videos of lawyer-media scuffle terming it as goonism of lawyers. As if the goonism is a right reserved for media persons! Hypocrisy incarnated would get ashamed to see this diabolical character!
Doctored
Evidence
This is true that with
the misuse of technology audio, pictures and videos can be and are doctored
these days. This is unfortunate and can be done by either side in a case. But
are our law-enforcing agencies not competent to get them checked for
truthfulness? Should an evidence be rejected by calling it doctored? Let all
evidence be taken due cognizance of, got checked and used for reaching a
conclusion by our judicial system. Who is the fourth estate to accept or reject
an evidence?
Press
Council of India
Time, it seems, has come
to give teeth to this toothless tiger. Not only the people, but even
journalists like Ravish Kumar have started complaining against the bias of media.
The highly paid anchors sit before
cameras like judges with limitless powers to judge and reprimand anybody
according to their own conveniences or viewpoints. This is against the basic spirit of
journalism and must be checked. Unless there is a check on them, it does not
seem likely. Press Council of India, ‘formed with people from the other three estates’
and not from media, should be given some teeth to make these media-persons a
little responsible.
Fifth
Estate - Let us move to Light
Constitutionally speaking, there is no
difference between the fourth estate and fifth estate. Both have equal constitutional status. Social media has emerged as a powerful vehicle in enabling people raising their voices. But social media too is no less biased and cannot be relied upon for its news sharing and views. Measures must be evolved and taken for better and authentic dissemination of information to social media for better understanding news and see through the evil designs of a part of the mainstream media.
