Indian Journalism: Editing perceptions

Since its inception

Ideally, news is a reflection of the status quo of the system. But when Indian mainstream news channels and newspapers focus on the health status of Bollywood superstar, Amitabh Bachchan and his family over national security; the death of another actor over the devastating Assam and Bihar floods, you begin to question whether news is really a reflection of the status quo of the system. In other words, the Indian mainstream media does a pathetic job in deciding what news is worthy and what is not. With local shops closing down, and inability of people to earn a living unless you have access to a computer—does the state of the economy not qualify worthy of ‘ national headlines’. Does the state of frontline workers not qualify as ‘news’? Do the TRP ratings really decide the course of editorial independence? If a pandemic and the health of humanity  cannot shake the conscience of the press, what can? This post is an appeal to the non-journalist more than the journalist, because, at the end of the day—you have the power to to decide.

Why does the news matter and why should you care?

1. The answer to this question may seem obvious because it is intuitive and does not require processing complex information. If it doesn’t then I am here to tell you that the news matters because in a society, you matter—and, the news indirectly reflects the things that happen around you. Indirectly, in the sense that it’s second hand information you’re receiving. It is also important to understand that news is relative, and this is because the news means different things to different people. To the viewers and readers, the news is a platform for a voice, to demand and spread information and to exercise your freedom to speech and expression. To the government, the media can serve as a mouthpiece and a loudspeaker to inform the people regarding its policies or initiatives. But you and I are both aware that this the language that we use to ‘teach’ and ‘educate’ kids about the ‘role of a media in a democracy’. To the history buffs and students of political science, propaganda machinery sounds apt. To continue the thread, to the media outlets, the news means TRP ratings, which in turn translates to money. Although, they exist ( as far as a democracy is concerned) so that
   

2. If you take a step back and look at how this system functions, it finally boils down to what people want to see and who decides what people want to see.In the words of Patti Smith, People Have the Power; In order to exercise the power, you need to be informed. Merely being aware of your right to question and exercise your freedom to speech and expression is one thing—practicing it and figuring out how to do so is more important. I do not know what the news was during the early 1900s, but the news today is dominated with worrisome headlines without shedding an iota of attention to something good happening. I get it, the world is at a bad place right now, but it helps if the news can reflect a silver lining once in a while.

3. The reason you need to pay attention to what you read, watch and come across is because more often than not, exaggeration and deception is more convincing than you think. For instance, today, the Indian news channels report the news in an aggressive tone with jarring graphics dancing to dramatic tunes. If news were a person , its representation would shock its conscience, in the sense that, “ was I really that serious? ” the news would say. In the midst of the high border tensions with the Chinese, the outbreak of a flood and the dire state of the economy—should the murder case of a Bollywood Actor be allowed to supersede the general state of affairs? This does not mean do not report it. Of course, you do, but prioritizing this over everything else that is happening in midst of the pandemic is ridiculous. To put things into perspective, the state of healthcare workers never caught the attention of so many people; do not even get me started on the lack of reporting done regarding the access and affordability of masks. None of the Indian Journalists so far even raised a finger against the invisible elephant in the room: The Pharmaceutical lobbyists. I mean does the  need for regulation of prices regarding basic safety equipment ‘not qualify as National headlines?’ If the doctors and the nurses die because of lack of access to working safety protective equipment—who will help the rest of humanity.

4. You know what the best part of all of this is? you do not need to be a ‘trained journalist!’. In my dictionary, there’s no such thing( not that my dictionary should be the universal standard. I mean to add some perspective, that’s all). All you need to do is pay a little attention to the details and more importantly, consciously care for such details. The access to information is not a privilege, it is a right—and you get to demand it. Raising uncomfortable questions requires courage. Especially, when these questions are raised against those people who tell you what is happening around you. Sure they aren’t wrong, but remember this: they don’t just edit the sentence structure or the typographical parts of it—they exercise a form of editorial independence, which lets them add or remove all things making news. By doing this, they are adding and removing information that helps you form an opinion. In other words, they are in the business of editing your perception.

DOES THAT MEAN YOU DON’T TRUST ANY NEWS REPORTED?

Nope. that’s a little bit on the extreme. All you have to do is read through multiple sources and gain different perspectives on the same issue. While one talks about Black lives Matter, the other tells you what history teaches us, and another might tell you it doesn’t. Your job is to scan through all, without any judgement—and once you’re done—you filter out the stuff. And then ask questions. By doing this you are not just being informed, you are bridging the gap between the edited lines of the news; ensuring that access to the right kind of information is made available. In addition, you should take the time to encourage the smaller chaps who do a decent job in bringing the state of affairs of your city to the people. At the end of the day, we are all part of the loop and are recipients of incomplete information.