Role of Media in the Formation of a Sound and Healthy Society

The world of journalism has long been referred to as, ‘the media’ in the context of books and newspapers i.e. print media in the early days, but with the advent of technology, media now encompasses television, movies, radio and internet. The media plays a pivotal role in proper functioning of a democracy and also influences strongly in shaping a public opinion. The oppressed can hold grounds and fight their way out by making proper use of the media. It is considered the 4^th pillar of a democracy and rightly so, since it helps in upholding the truth time and again. The role of the media in the formation of a sound and healthy society, as such, cannot be underrated.

From the beginning of civilization, media has remained a very important part. Yes, it is true that its shape has changed since the past due to technological advancements and other such factors, but nonetheless, its functioning remains the same. From the days of emperors and kings when decrees were accompanied by sounds of beating of drums, to the mass gatherings in the recent past and now the audio-video, print media and internet, the media has been ever evolving into newer and efficient forms. During the days of freedom struggles and world wars, newspapers were the only sources for information to pass from one part of the country to another. They helped people unite against the tyrannies and follow the footsteps of the likes of Gandhi and Nehru. Print media viz. The Bengal Gazette, Bombay Times, The Indian Mirror etc. had played a great role in successful relay of useful information even after the imposition of restrictions by British on particular types of contents at frequent intervals.

The media acts to protect the interests of common masses from the greed of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. Since independence, the media is playing a commendable role in fighting against corruption and other anti-social elements. Some of the biggest scams involving highly placed individuals would have gone unnoticed if the media didn’t raise awareness about them. The Jeep scandal in the early independent India, several defence weaponry scams, the commonwealth games scam and the recent 2G spectrum scam - media played a very important role as the catalyst in each of those cases and was the cause behind escalation of these matters up to judiciary. The media was thus successful in letting a silent message into the society that the wrongdoers are going to be punished irrespective of the positions they hold. Thus, the media once again proved themselves to be effective in maintaining a good health of the society.

In this era of globalisation, the world is at our fingertips. With the advent of World Wide Web, it has given a chance to the common man through which he can express his views and opinions through digital platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and websites. This has made information sharing as easy as 1,2,3... since one person sitting inside the comforting four-walls can interact with the whole world instantly.

The media also plays an effective role in educating the masses. A single radio or television set can spread the warmth of education to many households. With the progress made by India in space technologies, the satellites like GSAT-3 (also known as EDUSAT) are dedicated exclusively to serve the educational sector. Government of India has been trying its level best to make good use of such available resources and has been quite successful in this regard. With Free-To-Air TV channels like Gyandarshan, government is trying to provide quality education to the remotest corners of India and thus is doing its part for an educationally sound society.

But every coin has two faces, and the media is no exception. Media can sometimes be the reason behind disruption of social harmony and peace. Biased and interest driven media often provides the masses with wrong information and creates panic among the general public. These become even worst when starts circulating through the Social Media platforms. This can be owed to the controlling of media houses by industrial powerhouses, corporate giants etc. and hence they only show the perspectives that suit their interests. In this very process, they forget the duty of neutral and fair journalism. More than a billion people live in this country and amongst them a large number of people are suffering from poverty, illiteracy and health issues, but in the hot pursuit of gaining TRP, we often see the news channels in a rat race of making sensational spiced-up news. Lack of proper analysis and distortion of facts have made a portion of today’s journalism a mere comical appearance.

To build up a nation that is free from illiteracy, diseases and unemployment, a vital role must be played by media in this regard. It must rise above the trivial things and should actively emphasize upon things that are of greater importance to the mankind in general and the nation in particular. In a country of billion dreams, good things do happen at nooks and corners each day. So, the media must understand that highlighting good things happening around them is as important as exposing corrupt and evil. The media has to be the torch bearer of optimism and should try to instill the sense of responsibility and positivity in the individuals for a collective good of the nation and thus succeed in formation of a sound, healthy and inclusive society.