Excerpts from lecture of P. Sainath (Editor: Agriculture & Rural Affairs, The Hindu) delivered at Venkatesh Chapalgaonkar Memorial Awards at Symbiosis, Pune on 6th June 2014
(Acknowledgement and thanks to Electronic Media Association, Pune )
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(Acknowledgement and thanks to Electronic Media Association, Pune )
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Money,
Media and Politics: Understanding Stenography to power
By P. Sainath
Indian
press is child of freedom struggle of India. Gandhi, Ambedkar, Tilak were great
journalist who were use to print newspapers, magazines, journals. Even though
number of printed copies or circulation of these publications was merely in
thousands, but kind of impact it had on masses, on contemporary peers in media
and on imperial government was unparalleled in history. Unfortunately, in
today’s times, difference between journalism, public relations and stenography
is becoming less and less.
Greatest
speech in Indian history is unarguably that of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in
Constituent Assembly: “We have given country Political Democracy but have we
given country and its citizens the economic and social equality and democracy?
If not, the tension is to be created in future because of impending inequality and
thus the democracy is going to explode.”
Media,
supposedly fourth estate of democracy--is most undemocratic in its social representations,
about transparency regarding its accounts and on its accountability towards the
society they belong to. Today’s media is politically free but is imprisoned by
profit. Not all media houses are party to this crime but increasing
corporatisation, influence of neoliberal transactions within transnational MNCs
which are acquiring media houses and the deep running connivance between different
power structures are forcing the Americanisation of Indian media—is truly dangerous
to Indian democracy.
To
understand how media behaves one has to understand how corporates function
because media is no longer singular in approach, linear in interests and
traditional in its nature of operation. It has become so dynamic, finance
driven, politically complicit and morally bankrupt about its role towards
society that one cannot imagine how far the naked arrogance of its owners has
travelled that they are not in news business but in advertising space.
Beyond
technological convergence, today’s media mark the convergence of elitist
morality, indifferent conscience and inequitable economic vision for citizens
and country at large. In a way, as Prabhat Patnaik has described “Moral
Universe of Media has shifted away from people” and essentially “media seems to
be more powerful when sided with powerful.” Normally, it does not like to stand
against power. Whatever results come, they come due to individuals who fight
risking their lives, reputation and independence.
Revolving
doors in corporates, media and governments are creating not only permanent vested
interests but also shaping structures nurturing sustainable culture of endless greed
in our lives through different products they offer through media industry. Collusion
amongst politics, corporates and big media does not care about the issues which
really free, independent press needs to address. Today`s media is primarily hostage
to Advertisers, Hollywood, Cricket/Celebrities/Corporate for its content and
revenue, forcing audiences to chew only that.
Corporatisation
of Media is creating new powerful monopolies of media houses not only in print,
electronic media but also in digital domain. In fact, issue of monopoly is even
more serious in digital world as only seven companies are controlling the internet
in one way or another. Concentration of corporate, political interests in media
industry is so intrinsically deep rooted that there is now little space for the
problems of people to be discussed. In fact, all the major scams exposed
recently are either done by constitutional bodies like CAG, ED or by small
newspapers-magazines. Mainstream media, as we know it today, is falling behind in
terms of raising questions, ensuring follow up of pertinent crucial issues
needed to be addressed in real time through investigative journalism.
Fight
against monopoly is not only grave issue in India but also in Europe, USA. In
fact, USA has a great tradition of anti-monopoly legislations dating back to
1920s and 1930 when monopoly of Rockefeller brothers and Hollywood was broken
to create a competition friendly environment. Increasing insensitivity in media
can be gauged from the fact that major or almost all mainstream media houses
are slowly relinquishing beats or portfolio from its reporting/editing work
related to rural, poverty, labour, and development issues. This is very
disturbing trend considering major chunk of population in India is poor, labour
driven, working in unorganised sector and struggling to get basic amenities of
life they deserve to be getting from government.
So we
have arrived at the stage where media is not only becoming conglomerate itself
but also is becoming one of the arms of big, bigger MNCs who does not care
about spirit of journalism and its role in society like ours. This is primarily
because goals today’s corporate media espouses, dreams it instigates and vision
it inspires is that of deep inequality in society and not of democratic socialism
which our founding forefathers/foremothers have envisioned for us. This was
imagined in directive principles of state policy stated in Constitution. It is
often said that “We should speak truth to power. Time has come when we should
ask ourselves: “Whether it is necessary to speak truth to power or shall we
speak truth about power, which is increasingly being suppressed, diverted and
abused by people who illegitimately benefit from silence. So, the process
through which we can defend our rights, more broadly ‘Bill of Rights’ so as to
describe, should be strengthened and this process can be revitalised through democratic
protests, organising the voice of dissent and finally by giving voice to people
who want their stories to be reported, written, recorded, screened,
photographed, printed, aired. Larger people participation in documentation, journalism
and broadcasting will ensure this pressure to COMPELL MEDIA TO BEHAVE so as to carry
on the legacy of freedom fight and Freedom Press of that era which cared for fundamental
issues of human lives, development, dignity and human rights.
Transcribed roughly by Rahul Mane, creativityindian@gmail.com, 09654093359
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Resources:
a) Summary of Paid News Report:
http://presscouncil.nic.in/OldWebsite/CouncilReport.pdf
b) How original report was suppressed:
http://www.outlookindia.com/article/Paid-News-The-Buried-Report/266542
c) Original Report comes in full on Press Council of India website
http://presscouncil.nic.in/Content/139_5_Reportsonpaidnews.aspx
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