The things that should worry an average Indian are these- spiraling prices, unprecedented climate change, depletion and destruction of our fresh water resources, security. Or are they? A passing glance at the media circus would make us believe that the above said issues are mere diversions in between the all important issue of discussing celebrity weddings, cricket and useless rhetoric of corrupt, self announced protectors of our nation. Giving valuable air time or news space to real issues is mere a concession the media make to oblige boring people who want to spoil the party for us all. “80 jawans dead? Really? Vedanta usurped tribal land? Oh damn! Okay, now, lets get back to what Modi tweeted while having lunch..”
Let’s put aside the media obsession with twisting words and licking up tit bits of celebrities and other twits. What’s even more appalling and criminal is the deliberate attempts to hide truth, to keep people ignorant of things they should know and which would affect public opinion. Everybody knows the name of Shashi tharoor’s alleged fiancée, but not many people know who Srinivas Siras is. He died very recently; committing suicide after being tortured mentally and hounded out of Aligarh Muslim University for being ‘caught’ having sex with a man. The reason I bring up his name is because he’s not a rural faceless man, technically he should be on the radar of our media, for which farmers and poor people are generally not glamorous enough to be featured( they neither speak English and nor can they look good debating in a news studio). Bu for whatever reason, his death, a symbol of the extent to which institutions and society at large trespass on personal liberty and violently pursue their hypocritical , repressive views, was ignored while other issues of ‘international importance like Sania Mirza’s wedding dress took centre stage. This and other information manipulation is nothing new. It’s been hardly a week since the most gruesome Maoist attack in recent history killed more than 75 CRPF jawans. After the initial hue and cry, those lives have been forgotten. The Home Minister, under whose reign this occurred is a media darling of sorts. So lets forget that he has anything to do with this or any other terror attacks (and there are scores) and lets go hound a junior minister for wanting to marry a third time. Who cares that he is actually good at his job, he thinks we’re dopes, we’ll teach him a lesson!
Most of us live in fear of what are ‘mundane things’. Will my children have clean water to drink next week? Will the power go off as I try to study for an exam in the grueling heat? Will food prices go up again? Will my neighbour who serves in the Army come home in a flag draped box because his life’s disposable? These are trying times. To waste our time in the midst of baffling uncertainties with senseless drama is not just irresponsible, but sadistic and criminal as well.
The argument we hear over an over again in defense of news policies of most media organizations is an incoherent babble with the words ‘ratings’, ‘what people want’ etc. Maybe its time for the fourth estate in our country to admit that the so called main stream media doesn’t really give a damn about the way in which the content it churns out affects people. Don’t dish out ‘news’ to serve vested interests and then pretend to be guardians of democracy, freedom and all things good.
‘Why do we bother with news?’ is something most people I know wonder at. Maybe it’s time we stopped. That way we might actually save some trees and precious electricity. Listen to the headlines on the radio maybe, and then go plant trees or take a walk with the time usually spent on Prime time news. The circus will go on of course, but at least we won’t be the clowns anymore.
2 comments:
Sometimes i feel like an irresponsible citizen for not watching enough news. Reading this makes me feel better.
But all the same, i would like to take your allegations with a pinch of salt. It's true that when 75 CRPF jawans were killed some news channels did focus on the Sania-shoaib debacle. But i remember watching a fair discussion on the issue at the same time on another channel, at which point the Home minister was blamed fair and square and the next morning he offered to resign. It may have been a mild reprieve, but it amounted to something all the same.
It is true that all issues and movements have been commercialised, but we drawing room revolutionaries must accept that the media of 21st century has shown faith in the spirit of humanity and championed for the cause of many a victim. It definitely appeared in some media and hence you mention Srinivas Siras :)
Yes, media today is crass, cuckoo and cocky. But look around you, isn't humanity most often that?
After all is said and done, would you want to sit and listen to that one little Doordarshan, which more often than not, dished out news drafted from the PMO?
Yes, switching off the tv and going for a walk and planting a tree is what common man should do. But common man in doing that would stop being true to his name ;)
Keep writing Journo,
Kudos!
I agree with you. This was written in a moment of utter anger. After I posted it, i felt i should have been a lil more balanced. But i think thats what most people feel. The only mention Siras got was a miniscule square, tucked away on the sides. No other mention.
No you're right, I will not want to be back to Doordarshan. But BBC always makes me wish our channels would be more responsible and less crass and cuckoo :)
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