If Shiv Sena seems to be on an unjustified rampage against the Shah Rukh Khan starrer "My Name is Khan", the media is no different in taking the general public for a ride by championing the cause of democracy by provoking the masses to go and see the movie in order to show their solidarity for their star. It is not the noble motive behind this extreme reporting but it is the manner in which the media has gone overboard which mars the shadow over the intent. Its interesting to see the reporters prompting the people on the road to see the movie and then cheering on the 90+% occupancy of one single show in the riot marred zone in Mumbai. The reporting from the champions of democracy has gone to an extent of becoming PR machinery for Dharma productions or a tool of the “King Khan” to prove his mettle to the other “Ace Khan” in the light of the recent success of latter’s movie 3 Idiots. It seems that the makers wanted to match the media wave the 3 Idiots team created over the Chetan Bhagat controversy and ensure they dint disappoint Fox Films (global distributors of MNIK) by not using the media blitzkrieg to create unprecedented hype!
In all such events, it is ultimately the general masses that are forced to form an opinion or act in a desired manner by hijacking the entire communication mechanism. Some free observers feel that this SRK stand, though an individual choice was a double edged sword for the Box office fate of the movie where in a major territory was being sacrificed seeking the huge media galore in return which resulted in mileage for the film to an extent where viewing the movie was presented as a means to support democracy!! If that was not enough, the icing on the cake was the HUGE box office figures being circulated by the makers through media citing victory of their star over the political vandalism!! Trade analysts had however ascertained that despite a good opening thanks to the controversy, the collections started sliding from the 4th day of the release and this hot gas balloon is not going to have long legs at the box office as it is only section of classes, critics and overseas audience which is appreciating the movie where in the general masses have rejected it due to heavy content and lack of entertainment. The public in general is coming with negative feedback for the film criticizing the media for their reviews and promotion for this caper.
Sometimes one really wishes that the Indian media is more responsible and balanced in its approach while disseminating information for social good. If the recent reporting trends are any indication, we are heading towards a society where in we just don’t need to be very selective in reception of news content but also analyze the same to reckon the real worth of the message. There are couple of major challenges with the current reporting which one can witness : Firstly the media content needs to be reviewed as it tends to have issues/topics least relevant for the development of the society and nation. Secondly the topics which are relevant, mostly witness biased reporting which sometimes is far from reality. Coming back to the former one, we can see every channel is interested in covering Rakhee Sawant’s valentine day "fight" with her beau, how the filmstars are "back-biting" or how Harbhajan lost his "temper" to physically assault someone. Such special packages are screened across the clock and are lapped by the masses asking for more. This vicious circle prompts endless software being aired with matters which have no contribution to the growth of the society or the country. The other prominent trend is the bias which seems evident in the news coverage where inclination and judegements are an integral part of the communication.
The biggest excuses which can be seen as an unjust justification to these trends can be attributed to few major reasons:
1) The objectivity in reporting has been lost due to the self induced bias and prejudices with in the media think tanks over social issues which are closely followed by the presumption of being in the chair meant for pronouncing the judgments. The ring leaders in this media circus are self pronounced social aristocrats who have been bestowed the responsibility of getting the justice for the victims such as SRK!!
2) To run 24 Hour news channels, it is very important to have such “breaking news” as this is the staple fodder for churning out high TRP’s in the competitive media space where every India TV has an increasing set of audience and the other comparatively subtle channels need to follow such breaking news to keep their viewers intact.
The supporters of this trend however would come up with the logic that media is not just a tool for reporting, it has to be an effective means for socio political change where it has with it the responsibility of creating public opinion over anything and everything for empowering and uplifting the public at large. They will point out that it was media which has forced those in power/judiciary to bring to justice the powerful criminals in cases like Jessica Lal Murder and more recently Ruchika suicide case. They would defend such media activism and suo moto campaigns are necessary in booking those who would have otherwise escaped from the clutches of law.
But then one would agree that there is a very thin line demarcating the issues where media intervention and lapping is a pre-requisite for creating appropriate public opinion in the interest of the society to the others less relevant events where media becomes a PR tool in the hands of individuals seeking communication umbrella to serve their interests. The Indian diaspora needs to urge the legal framework and freedom which has been granted to media by the law of the country to exercise some restraint in their reporting mechanism and also evaluate the issues and events which really need attention. 24 hour run time should not be an excuse to sensationalize non news worthy content just for the heck of TRP’s resulting in the more important and focal stories taking a back seat. Till then we can enjoy this role reversal on going in the media circus where in Bollywood entertainers will make political and media headlines; where as the politicians and media personal will Entertain you to the hilt :)
