In the previous article Media 1: Market value of Ignorance (http://thusharaav.blogspot.in/2016/03/media-1-market-value-of-ignorance.html) we saw what a media target in the readers (as a marketing tool) and how do they choose news that please them and thus increase the circulation.
What is the real purpose of media? Media is defined to be ‘a means of mass communication’.
What is the real purpose of media? Media is defined to be ‘a means of mass communication’.
When the British
ruled us (or king ruled us), Media did a remarkable job, they informed us –the natives- the
unfriendly terrific laws that the British (or the king's) govt. owned, they provoked us not to
trust their policies and we should fight against them, they made us think (or
feel) that the govt. is good for no one, we do not need a foreign govt. and we
need a radical change, they indirectly encouraged us to disobey the govt. and
to move against them reminding it is not our law, it is never going to stand
with us; projecting the distress of oppressed natives.
Many journalists
were punished, some news papers were banned. Say, Kesari, Swadeshabhimaani in Travancore.
It was
incredible, the courage and the will power of journalists to act taking risk, against the authority.
Let us review media
at present.
They inform us
how selfish and corrupt govt. we have, they provoke us not to trust any of
their policies, they make us think (or feel) that the govt. is good for no one
and we don’t want such a govt., they indirectly encourage us to disobey the
govt. and to move against them reminding it is never going to stand with us; projecting the dysfunction of our system.
But, we are the govt... Each and every individual in the authority is one among us; let it be minister or a govt. employee.
In case of news papers, as a media I'd like to think of it as communication between authority and the citizen.
In the British India, the govt. never were concerned about the well being of the citizen as a result they weren't interested in the opinion or criticism from the citizen. Moreover our aim was to shatter the unfriendly govt. For that we have to inform the govt. nothing from our side. But In the present India there are a collection of rules and regulation by which a citizen is expected to live in and a govt. is expected to act. So, in principle both parties have to be aware of what is happening in both side and hence to regulate each other to act as the law insist. But when we analyse newspapers they inform us nothing related to regulation but dysfunctions. Along with the dysfunction we need to know solutions too, to fix them. I suppose news papers should inform us how the dysfunctions violate the laws or regulations such a way that it will encourage us to speak up against it. Taking pygmalion effect(it says higher expectations lead to an efficient, better performance; so does the negation.[1] [2]) into account, whenever we get a feedback as nothing is going to work we are going to believe them stronger. Here I recall Goebbelisian propaganda that 'repeat a lie thousand times and it becomes the truth'...
I was thinking about rebuilding the news papers merely as a means of communication between the authority/govt. and the citizen. Where both parties can express their criticism and appreciation on certain deeds. At present I find a wide communication gap between govt. and citizen. If we could establish a govt. press in which members will be representatives from the side of ruling party, opposition party and citizen and the news paper act as a medium between the govt and citizen. It'd increase the efficiency and reduce the dysfunctions to an extend I suppose.
No one can expect a govt to rule perfectly, they need to be regulated and supervised to make less mistakes... (A corrupt govt is an implication of corrupt citizens, who fails to follow fundamental responsibilities and to fight for their rights)
It may seem an Utopian dream but still I dream...
Ref:
1 http://www.intropsych.com/ch15_social/expectancy.html
2 https://sites.google.com/site/7arosenthal/
No one can expect a govt to rule perfectly, they need to be regulated and supervised to make less mistakes... (A corrupt govt is an implication of corrupt citizens, who fails to follow fundamental responsibilities and to fight for their rights)
It may seem an Utopian dream but still I dream...
Ref:
1 http://www.intropsych.com/ch15_social/expectancy.html
2 https://sites.google.com/site/7arosenthal/
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