Why do we need a Positive media?

The play titled Misery of Media was going on. Anarkali was dancing in the court of Zille-ilaahi. The Zille-ilaahi was relishing every sensual step and leers of the dancer. As a token of appreciation, he kept on stripping and throwing his rosaries towards the dancer and the sycophantic courtiers. The courtiers, more interested in tokens than the dance, would jump and catch the pearls and bow to the emperor in gratitude. Being unable to decipher the relation between the title of the play and the scene being produced, I approached the director. I was told that it was the media dancing in the court of LORD PUBLIC and the courtiers included the publishers, editors, business groups backing the media and its marketing managers.

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The play moved on to the next scene. “Have you forgotten the real purpose of media? Don’t you have a journalist’s heart?” someone from the old school of journalism asked a scholar of modern journalism. The torch bearer of neo-journalism replied, “I do have that heart but a human stomach and a an inhuman money-wallet overrules my heart.” He continued, “If I am not able to make the newspaper interesting for lord public I will lose my job.”

Now let me tell you the fundamental physical, biological, chemical and mental properties of this Lord-Public. He is a bit narrow minded, crazy about the dark sides of human nature, brimful of repressed desires but very social and full of showy civic sense. He likes a little seasonal patriotism, a touch of pseudo-secularism, a slight bravery, a mild reaction but lots and lots of entertainment. He runs in rat-race. If any of his organs refuse to run with him, he gets upset and declares that organ as vestigial and removes it off. He has a strong regenerative property and recreates a new organ functioning according to his desires. But has he been always like this?

When I was debating with some people about reinventing true journalism, an aspiring journalist shouted, Why are you blaming the present media? It is only a mirror of the society. It just reflects what happens. I replied, “Media is a concave mirror for bad news and if not a black hole, it is at least a convex mirror for the good ones. It has never been a plane mirror.” I hope we never live to see the situation when society is as bad as our media appears it to be.

To quote a great philosopher, “The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything except what is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this and having tradesman-like habits, fulfills their demands.” There is widespread soft pornography in the name of news by the media reveling in the display of bare bosoms and semi nude figures that has become their staple fare. I wont hesitate to say that it is the time of pornocracy in Indian media. People are being taught the benefits of condoms instead of virtues of morality to ward off AIDS. With painstaking ‘efforts’ the 24 hour news channels present sex and crime stories and sensationalize senseless incidents. The media has been practicing the glorification of darkness so much that it itself has darkened. So the same Anarkali who started drinking a little in order to please her master, ended by drinking a lot to please herself.

A need of media reform was felt to get the Anarkali out of the courtroom of the Lord-Public, making her get rid of her self-oblivion and put her at a pedestal equal with her predecessors like Kesari, Yuganter, Karmveer, Pratap and Karmyogin. The media should lead and direct like a beacon and not follow like Anarkali.

We must proclaim that every movement must be positive. Rather than highlighting the negative issues we must highlight the factors proving India to be a nation on the path to true development, as it is and to let the public realize their ignorance which has caused scams, corruption and immoralities in this country. We must highlight the great efforts being put forth by various individuals and organizations for the sake of country. We must highlight the hidden qualities of India and thus, the Indians. We must persuade even the little initiatives towards real progress of our nation. We must highlight the forgotten patriots and revolutionaries who sacrificed their comforts for nation. We are not expecting the media to forget or ignore negative happenings but not to make celebrities out of Terrorists and scammers.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam once said – Spread the messages of success. There are many grim events and developments that you have to include, but the positive can also be the news. Build up an image of an India with hundreds and thousands of heroes who are creating India’s destiny.

And coming back to the play, we see ourselves as Shehzada Salim who loves Anarkali and who will not let her become a dancer to please the Lord-Public rather a guide to lead and direct him unto the path or righteousness.

Published in my e-newsmagazine THE POSITIVE PRESS

www.positivepress.in