Mains Marathon

Approach

• Give a Brief Introduction to Media outlets and their freedom.
• Give a detailed way of working of media in the present circumstances.
• Give a fair conclusion.

Answer

Under the Constitution of India, freedom of the media is part of the freedom of speech guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a). However, no freedom can be absolute, and reasonable restrictions can be placed on it. Giving people accurate, unbiased information that will help them form informed opinions is one of the fundamental duties of the media. There is a need for the Indian media to reflect at this point. There has been a growing consensus that the media has to be controlled because it has grown reckless and unruly, not just among those in positions of power but also among regular people. There was a significant lot of opposition to the legislation the Union government recently announced to control the granting of news channel licenses.

Twisting facts:

One flaw is that the media frequently distorts the truth. Media is highly promoting the sponsored news. It generated debate during the 2009 presidential election. It is important to discuss ways to stop this obnoxious conduct.

Non-issues as real issues:

The important concerns are frequently overshadowed in favor of insignificant ones in the media as per government’s convenience. The actual problems in India are the economy, i.e., the terrible economic circumstances in which 80% of our population resides, poverty, unemployment, a lack of adequate housing and medical care, etc. The media frequently tries to divert people's attention to minor matters rather than dealing with these serious problems. These are the issues which are the responsibility of a national government to work for but media channels are diverting the attention of the media occasionally reports on farmer suicides, the increase in the cost of essentials, and so on, but this only accounts for 5% to 10% of the overall coverage.

Tendency to brand:

Regardless of caste or geography, the majority of people in all communities whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or Sikh all are, in fact, decent. However, the way such information is reported on TV and in newspapers occasionally gives the impression that people in a certain group are unkind. Media is basically promoting the ideology of the ruling party. Communalism and polarization on the basis of religion is the tactic which political parties used generally to shift the larger portion of Votes. Collaboration of media and government to promote communalism and polarization is a deadly combination.

Required Media Ethics:

• Ethics is a system of principles that regulate our lives and are thus essential for living a moral and healthy existence.
  • "Ethics" is described as a set of moral principles or ideals that influence journalistic behaviors in the context of the press.
• The primary purpose of journalism is to offer the public fair, accurate, impartial, and respectable news, opinions, comments, and information on matters of public concern.
• The United Nations established the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, detailing basic freedoms for all individuals.
• This right encompasses the freedom to express oneself freely, as well as the freedom to seek, receive, and transmit information and ideas through any media and across all frontiers.

India is in the process of changing from a feudal agrarian country to a contemporary industrial one. This is really a time of struggle for the nation. The media must aid society in getting through this difficult time of change as swiftly as possible and with as little suffering as possible. They can do this by opposing medieval ideologies like casteism and communalism and advancing contemporary scientific concepts.