Oh My Media !!

The word Media is referred to every branch of press i.e. newspapers, electronic media etc. that exists. Almost every industry out there has developed with developing times. So has the information industry. The different forms of media have grown over the years and have turned from being the information agencies to the fourth pillar of the society or per say the backbone of any economy.

Over the years media has undergone a vigorous transformation cycle and now it gives out an impression of a change in its core values. The values in terms of the written word mean solidarity, openness & authenticity in information. I am not saying that everything associated with Mass Media or better call it the press has changed. As does everything, media too has good and bad sides. It does work in many good ways to help amplify the voice of the ones who are mostly left unheard within a crowd. Many have gotten justice because of the media & likewise many lives have been destroyed by Media.

These Information agents are considered to be the history shapers & yes they are. Many major incidents are recorded and archived by the media. What we know about history is because of the written word, the written word that was recorded at the time of the incident by somebody. Ask yourself a question, What if, the incident recorded sometime in history has been recorded incorrectly? perhaps manipulated? It’s a question beyond the scope of this article but the manipulation in the presentation of information that we see today brings us to a point where it seems anything is possible. Maybe the type of suggestive news we get today, the type of subjective opinions that the press presents to the viewer certainly lacks the moral & professional ground that the press should maintain.

What we write today will age with time & sometime in future, it might actually gain some authenticity, even if what we write today is just a figment of our imagination or in simpler words fabricated.

Media today is responsible for controlling the thought process which we all use today. It’s the media who shapes the information flow to present a particular news with either positive or negative impression. The part of the media in the information flow should actually be neutral. Presenting authentic information is something the media should work on.

When any piece of information is provided to the audience, there are a number of filters that are applied to make the news look sensational. The thing to understand is that any news/information should be edited only to the extent that it must not lose its real meaning. The same sentence said in two different ways can alter the meaning completely. I might say “ That person is addicted to movies “ but if I take out “to movies” from the sentence, it becomes highly offensive to the person in context. This trick is widely used to achieve audience to a particular scheduled program. This way Breakdown & reconstruction of information is highly prejudicial.

Media has turned from a information providing agency to a fascist organization that tends to control the flow of information to either benefit itself or to benefit someone with power or control. Democracy requires free access to information, the information which is not filtered or manipulated to suit someone in particular.

A Lie said a thousand times, might someday sound like the truth, but it will always be a lie. Press certainly has the power to say something, it has the freedom of the press with it, but unwanted nosing in personal matters is somewhat uncalled for. In fact, the people representing the press i.e reporters carry an attitude that should not be there in the first place. Press is not a governing body. They are most definitely not the decision or policymakers. Yes, their job lets them keep an eye out for corruption or bad policymaking, but that doesn’t give the media a right to hold, on the contrary, it gives them an opportunity to be the voice of the nation & to work for the people’s benefits. Sadly, they do not.

Advertising has been another add-on that has evolved alongside the News industry. It has evolved so much that there is more to advertising than to the information/News it carries with. Media now looks towards the advertisers for funding rather than to provide quality information to the audience. Every Industry out there works for money, but Media seems to be reaching a point where it will start working only for money & the code of conduct associated with the press will seem vanished.

The Information industry should realize the fact that small-scale press, mainly newspapers were the cause of mass enlightenment in our history. Be it the revolt against the British rule in India or Against the Nazi rule in Germany, the power of press did wonders when used with an open and clean gesture.

Fascism in media or the sensationalism of information might be a humorous topic for some, it certainly is not. We all should not think that “ Media is like that only” & “ Media can say anything”, don’t forget something said today might become a part of history someday & presenting the future generations with fabricated information is not the way to go.

There is a radical shift necessary in the field of information industry to keep the value of the written word intact & it’s our duty to make sure that the value of the written word stays intact.

Remember I am just speaking my mind, my observation to words,
no offense to any group, community or individual is intended.