EDITOR’S NOTE: The philosophy of the media encompasses the theoretical, the practical and the poetical, but strives not to be determined by the image, grammar, concept, context, performance, performance psychology, or technology – it rather wants to simultaneously preserve and overcome all these things within itself.
Malcolm X said “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent.” Media has the power to influence minds, ideas, behaviours, and attitudes of the masses.
Developments in the last few years have placed journalism under fire. A range of factors are transforming the communications landscape, raising questions about the quality, impact and credibility of journalism. At the same time, orchestrated campaigns are spreading untruths – disinformation, mal-information and misinformation – that are often unwittingly shared on social media:
- Disinformation: Information that is false and deliberately created to harm a person, social group, organisation or country
- Misinformation: Information that is false but not created with the intention of causing harm
- Mal-information: Information that is based on reality, used to inflict harm on a person, social group, organisation or country.
Dr Ambedkar’s perspective on Indian Journalism
Journalism in India was once a profession. It has now become a trade. It has no more moral function than the manufacture of soap. It does not regard itself as the responsible adviser of the Public. To give the news uncoloured by any motive, to present a certain view of public policy which it believes to be for the good of the community, to correct and chastise without fear all those, no matter how high, who have chosen a wrong or a barren path, is not regarded by journalism in India its first or foremost duty. To accept a hero and worship him has become its principal duty. Under it, news gives place to sensation, reasoned opinion to unreasoning passion, appeal to the minds of responsible people to appeal to the emotions of the irresponsible.
Indian journalism is all that plus something more. It is written by drum-boys to glorify their heroes. Never has the interest of country been sacrificed so senselessly for the propagation of hero-worship. Never has hero-worship become so blind as we see it in India today. There are, I am glad to say, honorable exceptions. But they are too few, and their voice is never heard.
AUTHOR: Ānanda Bashu
