First came man, then came fire…and then came lots of things that made both man and fire meaningful. But ultimately came one such thing that added lots of fuel to mans’ fire, and thereafter never did peace prevail. Also known as the Fourth Estate by the intellectually able, we the common men call it the ‘Media.’
The media ever since its existence has been in the midst of teeth crunching arguments or debates. Be it regarding its need in a human society or the way the media portrays the global issues, it has always had people for and against the topic, and ultimately having no concrete conclusion. Today, the world is following this trend and discussing something similar, which obviously has no ‘this is right’ conclusion. Till about the mid and latter 20th century the world was still showing concern about the complete freedom and sovereignty of the Third World countries but the dawn of the new century had different plans.
Ever since its existence, media has been looked upon as a free source of information and knowledge and thus its independence from any kind of curbs, was ensured. Media, since times immemorial, has been considered as one organizational entity that does not lie or hide. People accept what the media portrays without blinking an eye. They perceive that the media exists for the purpose of providing immediate and necessary information to the general public. In short, they believe in it! And that is where this issue takes birth. Has this belief gone too far, so much so that the media resorts to taking advantage of its audience? Has this freedom become absolute in nature that they have lost control on themselves? Or is the freedom of the media a myth, in such a form that at every nook and corner it is hounded by the formal authorities of the system. Questions to which answers we shall never find.
India, one of the few countries’ whose media played an active role in its freedom movement has transcended boundaries and become a bee hive for news thronging media houses. If people thought fish markets were crowded, then you really need to come and check out a news coverage out here. The number of weirdly clad individuals with fake microphones and the big size cameras…it ain’t even funny! Today, media is no longer about providing the right and required information but about what is different and as a self-created headline would say ‘Exclusive’. Freedom of thought and expression being the basis of the freedom of media as well, has made sure no stone is left unturned and every possible way of converting coverage into controversy is not overlooked. It is no longer about bringing the news but more about it making it! It doesn’t end here. The effort journalists take to raise a small, tiny, grass-root issue right up to the Parliament is undoubtedly commendable. An individual who preferred to remain anonymous out of the fear of unwanted, degraded publicity once said,” We can't quite decide if the world is growing worse, or if the reporters are just working harder.”If sarcasm was on sale, I would buy it to tell you more about this stark reality. On a more serious note, the different kinds of media stunts played these days be it the sting operations, or the superstar bedroom stories, right from the celebrity linkups to what the biggest star of Bollywood had for breakfast …they force you to question the liberty of the media industry. The media reaches to billions of people nationwide with about 40 percent of them being illiterate; they clearly play the role of influencing them according to their whims and fancies. Media today not only gives the audience what they want to see but also makes sure that the audience is forced to accept what the media wishes to portray. Displaying a particular kind of ad, writing articles in a particular manner, making movies which make absolutely no sense, makes you wonder if all of this is part of a planned fiasco and the audience playing the role of performing puppets. It is puzzling to know whether the media even realizes what kind of effect an article or a news report might have on the common man. The Nupur Talwar case serves as an ideal example where you might come to believe that a completely new case could be framed in the manner in which the story was covered. Media is no longer an art but has transformed itself into a full fledged business where the ownership keeps on changing hands and no doubt that a delicate foundation like this one is bound to fall.
But at the same time are we ignoring the fact about the unseen limitations and regulations that the government levies onto the media unofficially. Are we not overlooking the pressure on these entities oppressed upon by the wealthy, the famous and those at high positions. To what extent can these media houses twist them to not only escape the invisible laws of the land and at the same the indirect control of ‘respected’ individuals(read: corrupt).
The Freedom of Media being a myth or a reality can never be justified. It has seen changing views ever since its existence. A restricted media will never serve its required purpose and absolute freedom of an entity is simply unacceptable. The never ending questions will always haunt our conscience and that is when we refurbish Shakespeare’s’ modified: To be ‘free’ or not to be…is the question!
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