The Karnataka Home Minister proposed the Media Ombudsman. We need it now, more than ever.
In an age where there is intense competition from several news channels for eyeballs, editors vie for sensations and create monsters out of molehills, heros out of zeros and vice-versa !
An example of how insensitive TV news channels can be was demonstrated during 26/11. ( watch Al Jazzera's take here and my own here and here).
What better can one expect from a 'contract system' of hiring( hint: They run the widest circulated English language newspaper in the world) The journalist's contract is renewed only if he/ she can produce sensational articles day after day. Who cares for credibility or even readability.
That the Media is protesting against the Ombudsman in the interest of Freedom of Expression is laughable. Read this- NDTV's conduct is shocking.
The Media might criticise the rest of the world. But nobody ought to criticise the Media. This seems to be the media's attitude. And if some one manages to criticise it at all, the response is all too predicatable and irresponsible: Don't shoot the messenger,if you dont like the message.
My foot, the message is fine, Thank you. It is the messenger who is the mischief-monger.
About the Media Ombudsman. The Media is obviously an interested party. And the unscrupulous (most of the Media, is) ones will suppress the voices supporting the ombudsman.
Hence, one should discount Media's own opinion on the proposal. But the real threat is the Media's attempt to obfuscate the issue.
Not long ago, the media forced the Central Government to scuttle a move to bring in controls during an emergency. Apparently because the media has a self-regulatory code. To bolster their argument, they invoke the ghosts of Emergency and Censorship. Seriously, does anyone believe that censorship will work, in this age of blogging.
The bottomline is : We need a Media Ombudsman. The question is:
How, of course, that the Karnataka Government will enforce the Ombudsman is the question ?
Of course, We may never know, since the media is powerful enough to scuttle the Central.
Maybe post-polls some might just have the guts to show the Barkha Dutts of the world their place.
btw.... For those who did not know, the Karnataka Home Minister blogs @ http://www.drvsacharya.blogspot.com
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2 comments:
how do u find time to write something?? GREAT man
Hope you would have heard about Journalist ethics.. (how to cover a murder scene / how to report a sad story etc.)
But this is more of recommendatory and not compulsary.
If a Ombuds is set and if you find a media is termed as most unethical, the same media will also emerge as first in circulation.
Because people want that. If nothing dramatical is there in the paper / news, they say "Nothing big is coming in this paper..".
So, am confused as to what is the solution..Whether strict laws / Ombudsprocess / Some Awards / circulation ..???
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