Tag: Media

Article

June 26, 2023
/ Leave a Comment on Role of Media in Indian Politics

6 min
6 months
1,014 word

Tagged accountability, democracy, elections, fraud, government

Role of Media in Indian Politics

Informing the public about the government’s policies and activities is one of the media’s main functions in Indian politics.

Keywords:- media, politics, information, government, fraud, accountability, elections, democracy, internet, media in Indian Politics

Author: Kariha Javaid

In a country like India with such a diverse population with numerous political affiliations, the media has a very crucial role to play. It is said to be the fourth pillar of democracy and has a big influence on how the government runs and particularly how elections are conducted. Newspapers, television, radio, and internet platforms are just a few of the numerous types of media available in India. In addition, the media serves as a watchdog, alerting the population about governmental activities and holding them responsible. In this article, we will discuss the role of the media in Indian politics.

Dissemination of Information

Informing the public about the government’s policies and activities is one of the media’s main functions in Indian politics. The media’s reporting gives citizens crucial knowledge about the decisions and policies of the government, empowering them to make educated judgments. The media is essential in enlightening the populace about political problems and their ramifications and fostering civic engagement. Media is a critical factor in determining the result of elections. The media informs the public about the various political parties and their candidates, empowering them to make educated decisions. During elections, the media also serves as a watchdog, ensuring that the voting process is impartial and free of fraud. The media assists in forecasting election results through exit polls and other types of coverage, which influences the political narrative.

Ensuring accountability

Another important function of the media in Indian politics is that of a watchdog. The media serves as a check on government actions, holding officials responsible and exposing corruption and mismanagement. To mention a few, the media has played an important part in uncovering various frauds and scandals, including the 2G spectrum scam, the Commonwealth Games scam, and the coal scam. The media, via investigative journalism, exposes the corrupt behaviors of people in power and contributes to the creation of a more transparent and responsible government. The 2G spectrum scam was one of the biggest corruption scandals in India’s history.

It involved the alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum licenses by the government in 2008, which resulted in huge losses to the exchequer. Investigative journalism by various media outlets including The Times of India and NDTV exposed the irregularities in the allocation process and highlighted the involvement of powerful individuals and companies. This led to widespread public outrage and eventually resulted in the cancellation of the licenses and the prosecution of several individuals involved in the scam. Similarly, The media critically exposed the Commonwealth Games scandal in Delhi in 2010. They exposed instances of corruption, mismanagement, and poor infrastructure through investigative journalism and reporting, resulting in widespread public outrage and pressure on the authorities to act. The media’s efforts eventually resulted in a government investigation and a clean-up of the Games’ organization, highlighting the importance of a free and independent press in holding those in power accountable.

Shaping Public Opinion

The media also has a significant impact on public opinion. Media can shape the public’s opinion of a certain subject or leader. The media can alter public conversation and agendas through its reporting and editorial coverage. This power may be both beneficial and harmful, and the media must remain neutral and objective in its reporting. Coverage of the farmers’ protest in 2020–21 by the media is an illustration of how the media shapes public opinion. The farmers’ protest against the new farm laws received extensive media coverage. Some media outlets were accused of being biased in favor of the government and portraying the farmers as anti-national elements. On the other hand, some media houses sympathized with the farmers and criticized the government’s handling of the protests. Thus the media coverage contributed to the polarisation of public opinion on the issue.

Rise of Social Media

The advent of social media in recent years has intensified the influence of media in Indian politics. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have become vital tools for politicians to reach out to and communicate with the public. Citizens now have a voice thanks to social media, which allows them to share their ideas and concerns. Nonetheless, the use of social media in Indian politics has been a source of contention, with concerns raised about fake news and disinformation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some Indian media outlets were accused of spreading misinformation about the virus, including conspiracy theories and false cures that became very popular through social media. This contributed to a climate of fear and confusion, leading to panic buying of unproven treatments and unnecessary travel.

The Problem of Yellow Journalism

The role of the media in Indian politics has not been without difficulties. The media has been accused of prejudice, sensationalism, and a lack of impartiality on several occasions. Political parties have accused the media of being influenced by corporate interests and acting against them. The role of the media in molding public opinion has also been challenged, with some claiming that media coverage is frequently sensationalized and lacks substance. One of the best examples to understand this is to look at the coverage of the 2012 Delhi gang rape case. The media coverage of the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi was criticized for being sensationalized and exploitative. Some channels aired graphic details and images of the victim, which violated her privacy and dignity. The media coverage also contributed to mob violence and vigilantism.

In conclusion, the media is very important in Indian politics. It serves as a watchdog, alerting citizens about government activities and holding them accountable. The media also influences public opinion and plays an important role in elections. The emergence of social media has intensified the media’s role in Indian politics, making it more essential than ever. Yet, the media’s involvement in Indian politics is fraught with difficulties, and the media must retain its neutrality and objectivity when reporting.

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Article

September 15, 2021
/ Leave a Comment on Media in Conflict Zones | Journalism

7 min
2 years
1,290 word

Tagged International, International Politics, Journalism, Journalist, Media

Media in Conflict Zones | Journalism

Journalism does not require justification to exist. Its contribution to society is sufficient justification. Media can not only help to disseminate information, but it can also help to combat hate speech and create an environment of balanced opinions, or information equilibrium.

AUTHOR : Sonali Singh and Ishujeet Singh

What is a common connection between Iraq, Syria, Palestine (Gaza), and Afghanistan? The answer is that all of these countries are at war right now. Over the last few months and years, there has been intense fighting in these areas, resulting in hundreds of thousands of civilian and military casualties. These conflicts have been covered by the media and served up to us in the comfort of our living rooms. While war reportage is nothing new, with the advancement of technology, media coverage has become so vivid and accurate that it outperforms any thriller or fiction. Policies and programmes for media development can help to prevent insecurity and violent conflict, as well as contribute to peace and justice. Its goal is to assist practitioners and researchers in the field of conflict prevention and communication in exploring ways to improve their work in this area. While there is growing recognition of the importance of media and its positive and negative potential in conflict, there is relatively little accessible evidence on what works, guidance for practitioners, or donor attention.

The entire history of war journalism is one of journalists attempting to gain access to events in order to serve the public interest. The ability of reporters to follow unfolding events has a history as long as war journalism itself. If not a peacemaker or a catalyst for conflicts, the media is an indispensable political actor in peace building processes. The media and individual journalists play an important role in constructing conflict realities on the discursive battlefields of already fractured societies in conflict countries. They publish a daily stream of news and analysis on current events. Media professionals not only influence the perceptions of millions of readers, viewers, listeners, and internet users through their work, but they also play a critical role in determining whether and to what extent conflict actors recognise the range of constructive options available for resolving their differences.

Newspaper sales and television news ratings may improve during warfare, depending on the quality of coverage. Winston Churchill, Al Gore, and Ernest Hemingway were all war correspondents, as were many others. The news from the front lines is never pleasant to hear, and the horrible images that adorn our television screens and newspapers hit us hard. Even if there is some filtering in the news, it is often a no-holds-barred environment. As a result, we receive disturbing information. Today’s war machines are sophisticated and lethal, and conflict zones are frequently not delineated. As a result, “their” wars become “ours,” and the consequences of wars are not limited to the warring parties.

There is an ongoing conflict between journalists’ desire to report on conflicts and military actions and military security concerns. In general, journalists understand the need for some secrecy when it comes to military manoeuvres. Many journalists, however, have observed that “secrecy and controls on reporters are frequently imposed for reasons of political convenience, such as avoiding blame for military or political errors that deserve to be exposed.”

The media can either directly or indirectly contribute to conflict escalation. Experienced war reporters have noticed that the mere presence of cameras can prompt both sides to start shooting. Terrorists frequently rely on the media for information. Terrorist attacks may be planned in order to attract media attention and thus draw attention to their cause. Many types of terrorism would be ineffective in the absence of media coverage.

Several studies have found that women are still underrepresented as political actors in journalism focusing on international conflict in these regions. They are frequently portrayed as casualties or victims of sexual violence. In fact, it appears that women’s perceived helplessness dominates their representation in journalism. Women’s representation, for example, frequently falls short of moving beyond casualty and incident reporting that pairs them with children. As much as 60% of our Wall Street Journal sample contains the phrase “women and children” or equivalents (e.g., “women and elderly”). Such a pairing may simply reflect the alarming number of civilian casualties in conflict zones. Nonetheless, they expose a common misconception about women as perpetual victims — individuals who, like children, must be protected and defended due to their innocence and distance from the conflict at hand.

Journalism does not require justification to exist. Its contribution to society is sufficient justification. Journalism can not only help to disseminate information, but it can also help to combat hate speech and create an environment of balanced opinions, or information equilibrium. The concern for journalists today is that a lack of safety and security for reporters will become an increasingly serious issue for both the media and the public. Finally, these are issues of expression, press freedom, and democracy. Finding a balance between preventing harm caused by speech and protecting individual expression can be difficult for the media. Finding this balance, on the other hand, is critical, especially in conflict situations. Responsible journalism is concerned with providing a true, balanced, and fair account of events rather than simply republishing press releases. To accomplish this, journalists must avoid judgmental representations and describe reality without embellishment.

In the event of a crisis or conflict, the international media can garner global attention. The mass media is a pervasive part of daily life, particularly in developed countries, and thus has the ability to shed light on conflicts all over the world. Because most armed conflicts these days are fought for governmental rather than territorial reasons, the parties are frequently concerned with ensuring that the majority of people are on “their” side, which opens the door to misrepresenting facts and attempting to seize control over the distribution of information. As a result, the intervention of unbiased and free global media is critical not only for the global public but also for the people directly affected. Broadcasting news on community radio stations can help people in different areas, and even in different languages, reach out to each other more easily. People can be addressed directly in this manner, and their own personal experiences and lives can be incorporated much more effectively than in foreign media. The risk of manipulation and inflaming ethnic tensions, on the other hand, cannot be overlooked. Another advantage of local media, particularly radio, is the ability to convey peace messages to passing fighters and refugees alike in border areas.

Finally, the traditional role of the media as truth-tellers can be critical in international conflicts. As previously stated, one important function of the media is to provide the public with the information they need to make sound decisions. The media can seek to confirm official accounts, expose official deception, and correct omission errors. When officials claimed that an oil spill eighteen times the size of the Exxon Valdez spill was spreading off the coast of Kuwait, one reporter hired a helicopter to search for it. It discovered no evidence of such a spill and revealed that the official claims were greatly exaggerated. It would be naive to believe that the media can bring about peace on its own. At best, they can contribute to the long-term establishment of peace-supporting social structures by defining or reframing conflicts, initiating consensus-building, and building trust within and between different communities. A variety of peace building-related media initiatives have been developed and implemented around the world in recent decades. They have been used in some cases to rebalance asymmetrical power relations and to oppose or counteract hate speech and violent actor propaganda.

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