Role and Future of Indian Media

Abstract

Media acts as the fourth arm of democracy to supplement the Supreme Court in its role as the watchdog of the Constitution. It also acts as a talisman of common man’s quest for socio economic justice. Noam Chomsky was the first to highlight how through several filters, consent is manufactured from media by the corporate houses. The paper brings how in the free market economy of India, similar filters are being used to promote the cause of nationalism, branding contrarian viewpoints as “anti national” and muzzling dissent. The contrasting report of Global Hunger Index (GHI) and Ease of Doing Business brings out the dissonance between the growth story and human development achievements, as reflected consistently in low Human Development Index (HDI). The paper laments that majority of the media do not cover the underbelly of rural distress, which the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) Report (2011) captures. It also brings out how there is a harmony between social and economic indicators in China as compared to India due to strong political will. Of particular concern is the distressing situation of malnutrition of children as brought out by the Rapid Survey on Children (RSOC) report. One more area which is at the heart of impacting human development indices is the quality of primary education. Sadly post RTE Act 2009, guaranteeing right to education, the Annual Status of Education Reports (ASER) bring out how in terms of basic infrastructure and learning outcomes, there is acute shortfall as compared to the expected levels. The secondary education also shows a lack of vocational skill amongst children in the age group of (14-18) which is seriously impeding their employability. The paper strongly recommends that the press must play its role as an independent sentinel in a democratic system to project public opinion against apathy and high handedness of the governing class over the governed. A free media with an enabling environment and political neutrality is a surefire guarantee against potential fascist tendencies.