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Commentary
Global Media Journal – Indian Edition/ Summer Issue / June 2011
IS SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY A SHAM FOR MEDIA?
Dr. Y Prabhanjan Kumar Yadav
Public Information Officer
Planning Commission, New Delhi
Government of India
Email: [email protected]
Abstract: Media, in India, inspired and ignited the freedom struggle. After the advent of Independence, it
also inspired and coaxed the citizens to come out and vote for the democratic governments. But no
longer, it is attached with the great words of patriotism or service. Media heads, at the top may claim
now and then that this much have catalytic or watch dog role rendered by our particular 'facility'.
Nevertheless journalism in India underwent several transformations from voicing people's feelings
against the British rule to not being aggressive against liberalization policies such as foreign direct
investment at present; the last two decades witnessed several sea changes. Journalism is a challenging
and fascinating profession in which success could be possible only through missionary zeal and hard
work. It gives great exposure to the enveloping of various situations. The present day journalism, due to
the short cut tendency of media, is passing through a critical phase. The entry of the electronic media had
changed the dimensions of news coverage and presentation of news. As a result, the coverage has become
either sensationalized or commercialized. Slowly the media is sliding from its social accountability by
giving abnormal coverage to abnormal events and issues. Hence media professionals should draw lines
and function with a commitment to social responsibility. Now media print, audio, video and web has
accustomed to the modern behavior and needs. These days, the visual media with live coverage besides
so many new shapes and forms even in print is the basis to my comment that Journalism spread like fluid
in the body. So the journalists should have a total commitment and involvement and work for the
betterment and escalation of the society. They should not aim at seeking immunity from social obligations
because the journalists should realize that they too are citizens of the country. They meticulously,
dispassionately involve in procuring almost all twists and turns of each development. The media
professionals should consider this situation in all seriousness and social accountability in the larger
interest of preserving the age old traditions, culture and values of India.
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Keywords: TRP, market-driven journalism, objectivity, sensationalism, social accountability
Introduction
Media, in modern times has become an integral part of human life. In today’s world, where one’s
social circle is mostly just work-related, based on some or the other selfish motive, we tend to
believe and depend more on the media for every type of information. Mass Media has become
more powerful by disseminating the information. Both the Governments and the people depend
on the mass media for not only on the disseminating information but also in setting the agenda
for the development. Media is interlocutor of the world and humanity. Journalism works into
society just like fluid in the body. Media in all its forms print or electronic is a mirror of the
times and the society we live in. In India, media inspired and ignited the freedom struggle. After
the advent of Independence, it also inspired and coaxed the citizens to come out and vote for the
democratic governments. But no longer, it is attached with the great words of patriotism or
service. Media heads, at the top may claim now and then that this much have catalytic or watch
dog role rendered by our particular 'facility'. Nevertheless journalism in India underwent several
transformations from voicing people's feelings against the British rule to not being aggressive
against liberalization policies such as foreign direct investment at present; the last decade had
witnessed several sea changes. The entry of the electronic media had changed the dimensions of
news coverage and presentation of news. As a result, the coverage has become either
sensationalized or commercialized. Hence media professionals should draw lines and function
with a commitment to social responsibility.
Now print, audio, video and web media have accustomed to the modern behavior and needs. The
upstarts used to try to pool in lot of tools, techniques and build the capacity of syntax in the
earlier days till 1990s. The practice of journalism is thoroughly challenging and fascinating. It
gives great exposure to the enveloping of various situations. The working journalists
meticulously, dispassionately involve in procuring almost all twists and turns of each
development. These days, the visual media with live coverage besides so many new shapes and
forms even in print is the basis to my comment that Journalism spread like fluid in the body.
Media thus has tremendous impact on the way a society conducts itself in the present, as well as
the shape it would take in the future. It influences people of all age group. In such a scenario the
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social responsibility of media becomes very important. It has the power to change the society and
therefore ‘ethics’ becomes very important. It has to rise above Advertisement /TRPs and
monetary benefits and be a true guide for the society.
Media Ethics
The dictionary meaning of Ethics is ‘moral principles’. Who sets these moral principles? No one
else, but we ourselves! Ethics is an open concept, which is to be beheld voluntarily, based on
one’s moral values. Ethics is something that is applied voluntarily. Our constitution has given the
right to freedom of speech. It therefore depends on the conscience of the media persons to
maintain the general ethics. There are two major theories in media ethics:
Authoritarian Theory- According to this theory, the media was seen as a very powerful tool,
and those in power used it to convey only the information that they wanted the public to know.
The rulers controlled the media. With the decline of monarchy the Authoritarian theory went into
history.
Social Responsibility Theory - With the spread of modern day democracy, the Social
Responsibility theory of media ethics has become the norm now. This theory inspires self-control
by the media, for the good of the society. In terms of this theory the media should•
Accept responsibility towards society by providing information in a truthful, objective
and balanced form, while respecting privacy and importance of secrecy of issues related
to national security.
•
Avoid publishing information that could lead to violence or social disruptions.
•
Expect societal intervention if the media fails to meet the professional standards
•
Collectively reflect a diversity of content. (Ref.- Media Ethics, www.merinews.com)
How Should Media Practice Self-Restraint?
There are certain major areas where the press and the media should essentially practice selfrestraint. Broadly these areas are-
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Crime Reporting: Crime reports form an essential part of media reporting. Certainly we need
to know what kinds of crimes are being committed in the society. These reports alert us. But the
media should restrain from giving away too much detail of how the crime was committed. Such
reports may inspire many more criminals in the society, particularly the vulnerable youth in need
of quick money and adventure. Just a few days back, I read an article on drug abuse. I didn’t
know much about drugs, but after reading this article I can tell many drug names! What is the
effect on the young people? They now know which drug is in fashion, which relieves stress and
which gives a greater high than the previous one. Isn’t such detail dangerous?
Police investigation is a step by step process, one clue leading to another. If every action of the
police is continuously reported, it will alert the criminals and make the work of the police
difficult. The media should help to maintain secrecy till the investigation is complete. But the
media in any way should not know the criminals provide the ways of the policing.
Market Driven Media Damages Democracy
The media today are under pressure from various fronts including governments, businesses as
well as modern and selfish motives, social and cultural interests. In the developed world, this
pressure that led to the emergence of a new form of journalism that puts the demands of the
market at the forefront. This commercial oriented journalism gives priority to articles along with
irrelevant erotic photos that attract mass audiences like entertainment while it downplays
information. The market-driven journalism undermines democracy because it narrows down the
forum for debate. As a result, active citizens are turned into passive observers in society. For
example, there has been an increase of entertainment, and supplement articles, which have no
relevance. This is because entertainment and sports articles can attract big audiences that the
newspaper needs to sell to advertisers. Advertisers are important because they provide financial
support to the newspaper. However, in a country where democracy is in its formative stages,
public information is necessary not only for citizens to make informed decisions but also to spur
economic as well as social development.
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Is it Insanity or Encashing the Weakness of People?
The newspapers aimed at narrow segments of the population- readers they could rely on, readers
they catered to by angling their coverage to suit their targeted unproductive, leisure and
entertainment proclivities. The result was slanted, unfair, with tempting half nude or almost nude
pictures and often inaccurate news coverage. For instance, if go through the following stories in
Times of India, Delhi Edition, dated 26th and 29th March, 2011, then it would revealed these
irrelevant and nonsense photos mismatching the News items covered. These News items
obviously reflect either the perverted mentality of the Journalist who edited the copy or the
shameful policy of the management to cash the weakness of readers. Now both print and
electronic media are over anxious with exhibitionism, porno or obscene pictures though they are
no way concerned with news items published and telecast. Sometimes the copy editor gives a
headline with ambiguity and pun. We can easily understand the underlying idea of the copy
editor when we read an entertainment news item published in Times of India page no 19 dated
27th March, 2011(Sunday Delhi Times edition) the headline is “Daiz wants A-Rod in her next
movie”, indeed the new items starts as “Cameron Diaz apperntly planning to make a movie with
new lover Alex Rodriguez”. In this context the headline can be “Daiz wants Rodriguez in her
next movie” which does not sound any nasty sense.
Magazines
In recent times, anybody who looks at railway bookstalls or city footpaths may notice that there
has been an explosion of magazines. One sees them in their glossy covers too often featuring
bosomy ladies whose physical talents have nothing to do with the contents of the journal. Editors
apparently have a poor respect for their readers. Many seem to believe that sex is all. There will
come a time, of course, when the shoddy and the third rate in journalism will get pushed off the
market; bad money does not always push out good money, at least not in the journalistic field.
We have to concern ourselves, then, with how to cater to the good journals.
Proving the impact of media is tremendously tricky. How can you tell it was the media that had
an impact and not something else? How can even the most meticulous of experiments
disaggregate the effects of media from the effects of environment, background or pure human
instinct?
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Objectivity
Objectivity is an ideal for Indian journalists, which is a relatively not a new concept. Let us
stipulate that “objectivity” is a troublesome term and set aside, for the moment, the debate over
the nature and achievability of objectivity. Suffice it to say we are talking about the idealized
notion of objectivity that the average Indian holds in his or her heart. The media has to be neutral
in certain cases and maintain a balanced approach. This holds true for cases like Kashmir and
Naxal problems in Indian context. If the media backs the armed forces or state, it may anger the
people of these areas. While if it backs the people, the armed forces may get demoralized. It’s a
tight rope walk. This should be reported in a way that it highlights only the facts, that does not
ignite further violence, but at the same time bring out the grievances of both sides.
Sensationalism: This is the biggest drawback of today’s media, to gain TRP. A
relatively insignificant news is presented again and again highlighting not much what actually
happened, but what all could happen. Every channel is trying to capitalize on the fear factor or
the mere gossip material. The Doomsday prophecy should have been ideally, just brief news. But
our news channels went on hankering about it so much that people started complaining of
anxiety and depression. Then the Batuknath case! An old married professor marrying his young
student and his first wife shouting abuses! Is it news or entertainment? Was it news at all? News
items like burning some religious books should be played down so as not to disturb peace in the
society.
Role Model: Mobs pelting stones, burning vehicles, parliamentarians shouting and throwing
chairs on each other…..! What are we supposed to teach our kids? It’s okay to do so when you
are adult???
Privacy: Celebrities are greatly affected by media reports. The paparazzi killed Princess
Diana and it has led to many a broken relationships. Agreed that private lives of celebrities’
interest people, but celebrities are human beings too and their privacy should be respected.
Country’s Image: What can be a better example of this case than the common wealth games in
New Delhi! The media should certainly point out and bring to light the drawbacks of the
project implementation. It’s an eye-opener and an alarm bell for many concerned. But certainly it
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should not be projected in such a magnitude that the entire country’s image is tarnished. We are
shouting out our own weaknesses by reporting them daily as front page headlines, for the whole
world to see. The situation is such now, that we have lost all enthusiasm for this big event and its
difficult to find any positives in it.
Advertisements or Commercials: Commercials are a big source of income. But here too the
media should accept only genuine, decent advertisements for publication. It should avoid
misleading and obscene ads. Whether its politics, crime, business, fashion, education or
parenting, media guides us and sets trends. It is not just a profitable business endeavor, but its an
enterprise which carries a huge moral responsibility on its shoulders. This field thus demands
honesty, moral courage, high moral values, discipline and a truly educated and enlightened
background. It should guide us towards truth and from darkness towards light.
The Maruti Suzuki SX4 diesel car advertisements running frequently on the idiot box these days
leave me dumbstruck. Overriding the age-old image of a family vehicle, these ads show a father
preferring to drive an SX4 rather than seeing his newborn, a bride at her wedding waiting for
the groom who is out for an SX4 drive, wife grazing at the moon on Karva Chauth in the absence
of her husband who is away on an SX4 ride…..
These ads leave me apprehensive about the kind of values some of our corporate as big as Maruti
does not realize its social responsibility and chooses unabashedly to portray passion for material
things, a big car in this case, outweighing all humans sentiments and relationships.
What disturbs me further is the tagline: “Men Are Back.” At the time when most products in the
market are turning to unisex advertising, it is hard to comprehend what Maruti is aiming at. Is it
an appeal to masculinity or chauvinism? Or is it just trying to reach out to some affluent blokes
who mindlessly indulge in crass extravagances? The corporate should realize that in this day and
age they need to show concern for human values and ideals that strengthen the bonds of family
and society rather than make a mockery of it all.
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Is Media Failing To Fulfill Its Social Responsibility
In the social responsibility theory of the press, the media is driven to benefit the public. It
expects journalists to answer society's need for truth, requires an open and diverse debate on
public issues, and honest updates of current events. In this model, media ethics is automatic
because the press is free to serve its purpose for the public, as opposed to special interest groups
or advertisers. Another condition of the social responsibility model is that news reporting cannot
be dependent on groups that may encourage bias and unethical practices in exchange for
financial support. The British BBC news and the American NPR news are both excellent
examples of Western media outlets which fall into the social responsibility category. They
depend on their public audience for compensation, not advertisers, and therefore are not worried
about corporate interests. They both share a focus on education, instead of merely trying to
entertain their listeners and viewers. They have to focus on social responsibility and respect
media ethics in order to satisfy the public.In order to sustain interest of the viewer, news
channels have stooped to lower levels; everything from witchcraft to celebrity weddings and
‘sting operations’ (real or staged) get aired with an aura of national importance. With so many
competitors around, each channel looks for newer ways to attract viewers and in the process
completely sidelines its primary objective.
However, the news channels cannot be entirely blamed for ‘creating news’ because in today’s
era of consumerism, nothing can exist without the will and support of the consumers. If it
weren’t for these news channels, the common man wouldn’t have gotten a platform to voice his
concerns and issues. Just to be able to bond with the viewer, the news channels give the common
man a fair chance. We, the people, who prefer things at our convenience, are the ones who help
such channels to proliferate. If we are happy to watch whatever filth is shown to us and in
whichever way, then we are to blame. As long as the channels get their TRPs, they will continue
to churn out such base content.
Hence, at the end of the day, it is yet again we who can make a difference. It is indeed quite
amazing to see the magic in the cosmic design. By bringing about change in a very small, not-soevident yet important speck of life – ‘you’, ‘we’, ‘I’…we can get things on track, make other
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pieces fall in place just as we like. And this is what the news channels actually should be aiding
in anyway – to create change.
Conclusion
The media should function as a source of information and sustain democracy by constant
struggle. Journalism is a challenging profession in which success could be possible only through
missionary zeal and hard work. The present day journalism, due to the short cut tendency of
media, is passing through a critical phase. Now print, audio, video and web media have
accustomed to the modern behavior and needs. These days, the visual media with live coverage
besides so many new shapes and forms even in print is the basis to my comment that the
Journalism spread like fluid in the body. A journalist should have a total commitment and
involvement and work for the betterment and escalation of the society. Journalists should not aim
at seeking immunity from social obligations because they should realize that they too are citizens
of the country. The journalists meticulously, dispassionately involve in procuring almost all
twists and turns of each development. The media professionals should consider this situation in
all seriousness in the larger interest of preserving the age old traditions, culture and values of the
land. Journalism today has become more city-centric, market-driven, pub and profit oriented, a
little bit eccentric in exposure with half nude female pictures and is ignoring the problems and
plight of the countryside and sideling the social accountability. Such a trend needs to be checked.
References
Jay Black, “An Informal Agenda for Media Ethicists”, University of South Florida, St.
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Ford N. Burkhart, “Journalists as bureaucrats: perceptions of “social responsibility”
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Clifford Christians, Kaarle Nordenstreng, “Social Responsibility Worldwide”, Journal of
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Jan van Cuilenburg, Denis McQuail, “Media Policy Paradigm Shifts, Towards a New
Communications Policy Paradigm”, European Journal of Communication, Vol. 18, No. 2,
181-207 (2003)
Keane, J., Public life and late capitalism toward a socialist theory of democracy,
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1984.
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Patrick Lee Plaisance, “The Concept of Media Accountability Reconsidered”, Journal of
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2000, New Delhi, India.
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