| Minding the Media
The media is important, democracy or otherwise, and there can no argument about this. And because of this importance, the media often develops a hubris that manifests itself most pronouncedly in its proneness to believe it is unaccountable. There is also often the tendency of those in the media to assume, or pretend as the case may be, omniscience, and in still more severe cases, omnipresence and omnipotence as well.
Very often again, while not committing any cognizable offence, the media also ends up doing grievous wrongs, the most serious of which is creating false consensus on public issues, sometimes wittingly and at other times not so wittingly. This is one reason why it has been felt essential that the media should develop its own checking mechanisms.
Elsewhere in the bigger media scenarios, this has already happened to a good extent. There have been for instance, experiments in media Ombudsmen, but more widely, media organizations have introduced the practice of running media columns written mostly by independent freelance writers whose taste and credibility are well known. As indeed, media columns have become a popular journalistic genre.
Today, there are even websites that concentrates on just keeping a vigil on the coverage of important events by various sections of the media, print and electronic, pinpointing where things have gone wrong. The brainchild of Shevanti Ninan and veteran journalist, GB Vergese, (thehoot.org) is one such. (Incidentally, visitors to the site may chance upon some contributions by The Imphal Free Press.
Some of our articles and editorials have been picked up by the website). Among one of the major blanks in the state's media, we would definitely contend, is precisely this media self critique. If there were volunteers, The Imphal Free Press would feel privileged to carry such articles.
Because this genre exist in other places, the common man gets to know so much about what is happening in the media scenario there. And we think we can assume without being unfair that the media on the media makes interesting reading. We are not here talking about gossips of the 'who is going out with who' variety, but of hard, healthy criticisms. It does not always have to be criticism too.
For let us admit it, the media is itself news very often. As for instance, isn't it interesting to know that the font used by the new look Hindustan Times is exclusive to the Hindustan Times, developed for it by a reputed company? That the Hindustan Times hired the service of The Washington Post art director, Michael Keegan, for the well done face-lift of the newspaper that we all were struck by one fine morning, and that the entire project cost Rs 3 crores (we maybe entering into gossip territory here, but as they say where there is smoke there has to be a fire).
Some years ago, the Ananda Bazar Patrika group, the one that brings out The Telegraph, did a similar feat. The group employed an internationally reputed business consultant, the Mackenzies, and on its recommendations, the group closed down its loss incurring Sunday Magazine. A magazine, which the current of editor of The Hindustan Times, Vir Sanghvi, edited. We have no idea how many crores were expended for that project, but it definitely must have been in terms of lakhs if not crores. Some money, isn't it?
(Courtesy: The
Imphal Free Press) |
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