It's 7:30 in the morning, and a familiar sound catches your attention. It's the soft thud of the newspaper sliding beneath your door. You pick up the paper and are greeted by the humble neighborhood politician, hands folded, plastered across the front page, embellishing his and his party’s extraordinary contributions to society in light of upcoming elections. You turn the pages, and the stark contrast between the promises of politicians and the reality of governance becomes glaringly apparent. The candidates you cast your vote for are now embroiled in a heated verbal feud, trading barbs over matters of religion and caste. Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the newspaper, lives lost to a devastating natural calamity are granted a mere 3x2 inch space.
Most citizens will likely forget about it, as they do every day, and go about their daily lives. But you, as a responsible citizen, turn on the television and navigate to the news channels, hoping to see quality debates to evaluate the performance of your elected representatives. Alas, you’ll never get to the bottom of it since midway through the debate, it turns into a cacophony of shouting matches, reminiscent of the chaos that unfolds in parliament.
This is not an isolated incident; it’s a recurring narrative that remains constant during elections. Politicians seek to hide their shortcomings behind the veil of religion and caste-based tensions, often with the eager assistance of the media.
Now, you must be wondering what the media has to gain by being in cahoots with the politicians. What motivates them to deviate from journalistic ethics and standards? Read ahead, and you’ll understand.
The media is often referred to as the "Fourth Estate", It is supposed to be a watchdog that scrutinizes political decisions, investigates issues, and provides unbiased reporting. Alas, even within the realm of media, where words often hold sway, economic realities cast their shadows. Further cementing the timeless notion that at the bottom of all issues lurks a single malevolent force: Money. Good ol’ capitalism, eh?
Between 2015 and 2020, India’s top 18 political parties (7 national and 11 regional) spent on average more than 52% of total election expenditure on publicity and propaganda. Wondering what that number translates to in rupees? A whopping 3,400 crore rupees! That’s enough to fund the BMTC for an entire year (free tickets for everyone this time) and yet have some pocket change left!
Obviously, media houses wouldn't want to miss out on receiving a blank cheque and would write anything that would please their prospective cash cows. The added benefit is that media houses stand to gain constant advertising from companies owned by politicians or their immediate family members. Attend any family event organized by a politician, and you'll see big-shot media moguls sitting in the front row alongside other VIPs.
This close relationship has more fruits to yield. Journalists often rely on politicians for access to information, interviews, and exclusive stories. They risk losing this close connection by writing critically about their source of information.
This access to breaking news before it breaks has now become a necessity for media houses, as in the age of the 24-hour news cycle, sensationalism sells. It is imperative to capture and retain the eyeballs to survive. In essence, journalism has become a brutal, cutthroat arena since the dawn of the internet.
And sometimes, it boils down to the inherent bias of the editor or journalist on the ground. While it’s the duty of journalists to be unbiased, they are also humans. It is natural for them to develop biases and sometimes write to satisfy or reaffirm those biases.
This transformation isn't solely the media's doing. It's a dance between media houses hungry for revenue and politicians eager to maintain their carefully crafted images. The symbiotic relationship we've discussed is, at its core, a complex tug of war.
This mutual dependency often results in a curious dynamic: the media becomes a platform for political theatrics, while politicians become characters in a narrative crafted for mass consumption.
However, in this mathematical equation of money, media, and politics, one casualty stands out: the truth 'x,' which the media was supposed to uncover, and the ultimate sacrifice, democracy. When the representatives we elected and the watchdog media join hands to keep the truth from us, can we truly consider ourselves to be living in a democracy?
Our entire understanding of our representatives is nothing more than a carefully crafted narrative specifically meant to sway votes. That implies that elections are merely results of which side executed this narrative better.
So, what actions can you take as consumers in this challenging environment? While systemic issues may limit our options, here's what we can do: proactively seek diverse sources, apply critical thinking to the information we encounter, and champion independent, fact-based journalism.
Furthermore, we can exercise our power to hold politicians accountable for their statements and actions, urging them to prioritize clarity and integrity.
In the end, the responsibility to safeguard the integrity of journalism and the truth it represents rests not only with journalists and politicians but also with us, the custodians of democracy. It's a responsibility we should embrace, for it's in the pursuit of truth that the light of democracy shines brightest.
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