What should be the role of Media in today’s world in a country like India?

Often we see many media anchors in the floor debates getting too emotional.  

The media host should act neutral in the debate and allow the participants to express their views without taking sides with their utteances and body language.

I do agree with the statement that currently Indian media is puppet at the hands of a few affluent, and of course a reasonable change is expected to happen here for the sake of goodness anytime in the future, if not in a very short time. 

However, I doubt if this is possible in the present times, marked by nothing less than widespread maelstrom. I have come across many in the country that are confused simply by the multiple standards set by its media. 

Take the case of the 'austerity campaign' announced by the Congress party recently. It obviously is a benign concept, even if the campaigners' might be virtually riding high on hypocrisy. What matter here is the savings and just that rather than the hullabaloo marked by scepticism, especially when there are many people in the country that find it hard to bring their household budget in line with the rising prices of the basic commodity. The media all over the land seems to have lost way here, and terribly.

Another instance is the border issue involving China. I still maintain the view that an uncalled for hype was created by the media, which too with a hint of blatant malevolence. Here as well, the media was found reduced to a travesty when the authority itself came forward with a statement that the rabid doggedness of the news portals could exacerbate the country's relation with China.

Today, we see media groveling at the feet of seers and religious heads, truckling to favourable politicians and pandering to the proletariat by dabbling into their real issues and then burying them conveniently in their closets of oblivion.

If I see a light at the end of the tunnel, it is the emergence of a prudent internet community that involves almost the entire population. Here, why don't we follow the footsteps of the UK that is pondering seriously over the realisation of a 'Digital Britain', where all the homes in the country get a broadband connection of considerable speed. 

If we too look forward to a Digital India where every household enjoys a broadband connection, then a potential version of the media shall emerge, which is subject to no one's editing or monitoring. This also means that everyone can have his say. 

To sum up, I do not think that this is a far away dream, for if the price of something is found to be plunging as a regulation, it must be of digital devices as well as services. So why not dream for a more universal media?

There is a revolution of medias in our country. Because people have no other go to keep in touch with the world. So media should be very very true, they should not create panic for creating sensations. Many medias are owned by the political parties are very very worst in their way of presenting a news. Even if they are making false news, people are ready to invite tats the problem. People should support media which is not popular,even it is very genuine.

Now a days media is giving very high importance to impact of recession which is in turn making things worse. When people read about the large scale job losses, payment cuts etc. people are really afraid to spend the money they have. Companies are not ready to invest in anything. All these are converting the effect of slowdown to recession.

I feel media should promote ideas to recover from recession and should give more news values to companies who are ready to spend in the current scenario.

For eg. Satyam Scam was there in media for more than a months time.. but the taking over of Satyam by Tech Mahindra is just a business news with no much importance. This approach should be changed.

I would like to stress the point in writing to the point, by the journalists as well as the technical experts in various contexts such as technology, sports or arts. We have always seen scribes giving spin to the subject with a view to spread a view that they wanted to; most often at the behest of certain, manipulating political or industrial bigwigs. On the other hand, we also get to see on occasions, technical experts faltering at the act of delivering their goods up to the point.

Here I would like to bring to your notice, an article published on the edit page of the Indian Express daily dated Oct 21 2009. The article, “The Inflation We Forget” that came in Opinion column as written by KP Prabhakaran Nair, who is an agricultural scientist emphasized the grave financial turmoil, India could end up in if the government did not do something considerably to arrest the escalating inflation.

Nair has with articulate efficiency explained the poignant state that the people living below or above, in the vicinity of the poverty line find themselves in at the moment. He has also reasonably well explained the reasons for the day's plight by writing such lines “Financial minister Pranab Mukerjee is taking shelter under the misleading information that index-based is only marginal at 0.37.”

The common reader such as I, finds that Nair is also proficient in merging arousing language with fact when he comments, “It is like what the French empress said more than 300 years ago, 'If you can't buy bread, then eat cake.' It cost the empress her head, but nothing of the sort will happen in India.” Somewhere else in the essay he has given, “Meekness and subservience, and an endless capacity to bear with misery, is so ingrained in our psyche that any number of Shashi Tharoors or SM Krishnas can afford to stay in five star hotels while the aam admi coughs up 75 per cent more money for potatoes to cook his humble meal.”

It is heartening that he has also flayed the left politicians for their normal trait of just limiting in bandhs, morchas and fiery speeches. And at the final inch of the column, he has given these lines seemingly to at least make an argument that he has been terse with this article - “The government must act fast. It would be necessary to closely monitor contracting, physical arrivals and even disposal of imported wheat through foolproof channels.” This is all that he has given in the essay for a remedial measure.

Although Nair has proved through this article that he is a good writer with proficiency in the language, he has terribly disappointed the common reader that combed through the lines with great expectation of finding valuable points, albeit something esoteric; good enough to deal with or tackle the grave situation, to avert something graver happening. Flowery writing is the journalist's cup of tea. He is always there to give twist to things or come up with an exhortation.

Against this backdrop, I would not mince my words to comment that Nair, as an expert agricultural scientist has deeply disappointed the common reader, and the newspaper has wasted half a page on a red herring. However, the common reader can take it as an instance to insist that what he needs in the future is men, let be scribes or technical experts with gifted language, stick to their part meticulously (sententiously), conceiving the essence that they are not there to show off their prowess, but to serve the public.

Do not narrate, just report what had happened.

Follow-up on deserving matters that need to be explored; not just speak of an offence 24 hours for 3 days and switch to another report on the 4th day. (Producers, I could hear your giggles, but has to shouldered !!) By doing this, the offenders will fear that the media will expose his/her black-box even if it is a 10year old pending case.

Media has not only the power, but also the responsibility to reform the needy areas of improvement. It should bring a positive change to the society.

Media channels should be act  as Voice of people. It has to be exposed truth.... News channels intensify the small issue.... taking to the different directions and  creating hype among the public... untill they get next flash news...

Indian electronic media has a habit of exaggerating any issue. If any issue occur they hype the issue by manipulating truth and showing the same on channels 24/7 and after sometimes they totally forget the issue, you won't find any news/clip about  the particular issue that was exaggerated so much few days. Same happens with the treatment of celebrity and sports person.

If a person does very good in any sports, media treats him like a GOD for a few days but again the same person if he does not do good then the same media treats him like a criminal.

We have seen these kind of incidence in Indian cricket and other sports. These kind of incidence makes very bad impact on person's mental state. Movie CHAK DE is one of the example.  

I think Indian media should learn how to present issues.

Instead of merely providing news, the media should provide research-backed views thereby 'Promoting Deeper Understanding of Issues'. For instance, instead of merely reporting on crimes committed against women, it should keep educating the audience about the declining sex ratio, the dropout rate of girls from schools, and gender discrimination.