Essay on Crisis of credibility in Indian electronic media for Class 12, Mains Exam (UPSC, PSC, SSC)
Crisis of credibility in Indian electronic media Essay : The inception of All India Radio(AIR) in 1936 and Doordarshan as a branch of it defined Indian Electronic Media. The split of Doordarshan from AIR in 1976 made it the only Electronic viewing media in the nation. India has come a long way from government-owned electronic media services to mostly privately owned ones. The Indian media has been ranked 142 in the recently published media freedom index which is lower than the index of neighbouring countries Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Discussion
Managing and administering electronic media is an expensive affair for its excessive reliance on advertisements. The success of electronic media channels is determined by the Television Rating Point (TRP) it receives. The TRP is directly proportional to the amount of advertisement it gets to broadcast on its channel.
Experts and the government alike, are anxious about the ill effects of a TRP-driven media industry for it becomes a commerce-oriented one rather than an information-oriented industry. The TRP-obsessed industry replaces real journalism is replaced by ‘yellow journalism’ characterized by a lack of journalistic principles and ethics. Over-reliance on advertisements results in a loss faith of in the credibility of media. For instance fabrication of facts by the media has led to a real-life crises such as the mob attacks in Delhi on 11 March 2022 that left 50 people dead and 300 injured.
In addition to the degeneration of media credibility, the absence of any statutory body aggravates the crisis of credibility in the Indian media industry. Private media channels are mostly given the free will to broadcast any materials unfiltered and unregulated by any government authorities. On the contrary media channels justify the absence of regulation as freedom of the press.
Most of the acquired materials to be broadcasted are deemed as infotainment which is a combination of information and entertainment. The aim of the media channels to sell information as entertainment has led experts to question the credibility of the channels. The Parliament’s Standing Committee led by Shashi Tharoor has voiced their support for the creation of a government media council on the same lines as the Press Council of India (PCI) as a regulatory body of media in India.
The Indian media has enacted an incongruent role in moulding public perceptions of politics, electoral outcomes and the way the power system functions. As recent revelations by radio tapes show, media officials regularly meet and greet top-level politicians, industrialists and corporate lobbyists there fabricating news to the advantage of the power-holders.
Conclusion
India being the largest democracy in the world cater is the epitome of democratic principles and ethics. In such a country credibility of electronic media channels is essential for the masses of democratic India to have the Right to Information. Media information needs to be authentic and must be checked when it misleads the general public. The setting up of regulatory bodies like the government Media Council will facilitate in ensuring that the common citizens are not fed biased and partial news and information and are protected against any form of media manipulation.
FAQ
Q1. Which were the first Indian Electronic Media companies?
Ans: The inception of All India Radio(AIR) in 1936 and Doordarshan as a branch of it defined Indian Electronic Media. The split of Doordarshan from AIR in 1976 made it the only Electronic viewing media of the nation.
Q2. How does TRP influence electronic media?
Ans: Managing and administering electronic media is an expensive affair for its excessive reliance on advertisements. The success of electronic media channels is determined by the Television Rating Point (TRP) it receives. The TRP is directly proportional to the amount of advertisement it gets to broadcast on its channel.
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