For a very long time the media has been playing a big role in our lives. Be it about making news or about delivering news. And with all the movies and advertisements, which are by the way media as well, that connect the concept of media with the use of camera, an article upon the media is so incomplete without a proper mention of the camera!
The camera has long been recording and capturing what we as viewers want to see. Or has it? We all remember what the Indian media did during the Nepal earthquake in April and the widespread criticism that it had faced. It’s a shame that the Indian media has crossed all its limits for publicity.
But come to think of it, what do we really know of the earthquake that month? That there were deaths and that people were crying. Shockingly, some of the local news channels were even proud of reaching Nepal sooner than the other channels did. Amidst all the chaos that they tried to deliver, most of the channels forgot to even mention the fact that most of the food and necessities sent for the affected people did not reach them. Back then, corruption killed more people than the earthquakes did.
It’s a big shame that what should be the news is hardly emphasised over, and the tears of the people are made into some TV serial for us to devour and this was just one instance.
Sexual abuse is one of the biggest concerns in India till date. But it is a concern for whom? I remember though, some years back, a news channel was showing how a drunken girl was shamed and harassed publicly. But, not for once, did the camera man try to save her from the harassment. And another time, I read about a nurse who was raped, and though she lives, she is brain dead and her rapist was given a seven year sentence for robbery and attempt to murder. He was not even charged for raping her. That was 1973. We all are aware of the Delhi Gang rape case of 2012, but how many of us know what happened later?
“Nothing has changed… All promises and statements made by our leaders and ministers have turned out to be shallow,” Badri Singh, father of the victim said in an interview. “What is holding the authorities back from hanging those rapists and murderers when all the evidence are in place?” he said. “They say he (Modi) is fearless. They also say he is a decision taker. Will he then help us get justice?”
The main accused was found hanged, but the rest? You may be thinking that they are all hanged, but no. They are not. The juvenile amidst them is in a reform house, not hanged. And the rest are alive or at least they were, until 2014 as that case was pending.
Now you may wonder where does media have a role to play in this. I feel, if the media had been more responsible, they would have had highlighted what our judiciary did and maybe Jyoti Singh would have had her justice. I know, it is our judiciary at fault but isn’t our media at fault too? Sure we want to know how the December tragedy of 2012 united entire India against sexual abuse but for once, we do want to know what happened after that.
That’s not all. How well do you know your news channel? Because, some of the major news channels that you turn to, are owned by politicians or by someone or the other in their family circle. How do you even know you are getting facts which have been delivered with neutrality?
I don’t want to know how well some supposedly true Indians writing for the local newspapers can criticize Bangladesh or any other country when defeated by India. I don’t want to know how “hot” Rakhi Sawant found Ramdev or if aliens drink cow milk.
News channels are meant for more important things. For things such as these, we have the entertainment channels. Yes, a little entertainment is fine but at times, the Indian media forgets the line between news and entertainment. Our news channels need not be the next BBC or CNN. But they should at least have their own unique styles.
The media has done some great jobs too and we must give them their due credits. Covering some of the biggest news has its own risks. We are a part of a nation which grants its media freedom. But that doesn’t mean we should not express ourselves when this very media is exploiting the freedom it is bestowed with. Should you not question things that make you feel ashamed to be an Indian? Today you know about various issues because of the media. The media is the reflection of what we want to be made aware of, as a whole. But when this media is littered and polluted, and portrays such a poor reflection of our thoughts and mentality, it does matter.
