Ashwin Shuklapaksha Trutiya, Kaliyug Varsha 5115
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If we go by the Antonism, “Some persons dressed in veil of journalism” are often engaged in beheading, subjugating and distorting the truth, thereby causing confusion for the aam admi. Within the last ten days, two such veiled-media heavyweights have been unmasked. However, the task took no less than stalwarts like an ex-Army chief and a PM candidate.
With the advent of globalisation and information technology, Indian journalism started to take to new highs and sometimes also new lows. Increasing demand and the scope of TV news channels arena enabled many aspirants to enter the field. However, this massive influx of hand-to-mouth media persons has made readers vulnerable to the quality issues in media today.
Although the tradition of excellence, which dates back well into nineteenth century before independence, is still going strong today. It is only a handful of so-called eminent media persons belonging to Antonian logic who are compromising ethics and moral values by acquiring arrogance by diversifying their journalism into power brokerage, paid news and image makeover campaigns in the interests of economic and political power moghuls. One senses that the assuring days of dedication and the pursuit of truth by the likes of Ramnath Goenkas are gone. Now everyday we wake up to flashy, colourful media persons speaking out the names of panelists and are left wondering whether they are real professionals or just someone pretending to be a journalist.
Veiled journalists work like moles representing a certain ideology. They invariably carry biased and partisan views about matters which do not match their ideologies and the same bias reflects in their work as a media persons. They go from reporting news to actively making up stories. They do not believe in professionalism, removing bias and partisan approaches. They use selective bias and propaganda for propagating their views and creating myths. They don’t like a story from ground zero and prefer discussing ‘themes’ for hours and hours together.
The Radia tapes scandal, which brought to light journalists working as corporate lobbyists and acting as opinion-makers through their mouthpieces is a case in point. Their behaviour is quite unlike journalists. And then there are those who try to read too much into nonsensical episodes in their efforts to project an Amitabh Bachchan (angry young man) image of a man who is clearly no man of action. Also those who prefer to stay rooted in 2002 when the world around them moves ahead with each passing year.
This proves the existence of such veils in the digital media world surrounding us. These veils have deep roots and are well-funded in addition to having corporate backing and political blessing, trying to shape and reshape popular opinion to suit their requirements, creating and perpetuating myths, and more dangerously, increasing their coterie. This is dangerous as it enters our homes directly and on an everyday basis.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Tilak, Gandhiji, Maulana Azaad, Ambedkar and others may not have imagined this loss of morals in journalism. We need a killer punch to set it right. It has to come from within the media fraternity as much as it has to come from public pressure. For this, we need the work of men of such public appeal who can reach large audiences and stem such rot. Former Army chief VK Singh and Prime Ministerial Candidate Narendra Modi have provided us the start. Let us build upon it. Satyamev Jayate!
Source : Niti Central
