Indian Political Science Association

ROLE OF MEDIA IN INDIAN DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM

Author(s): Bina Rai
Source: The Indian Journal of Political Science , July - September, 2015, Vol. 76, No. 3,
SPECIAL ISSUE (July - September, 2015), pp. 437-441
Published by: Indian Political Science Association

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26534863

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The Indian Journal of Political Science
Vol. LXXVI, No. 3, July-September, 2015, pp. 437-441 (ISSN NO. 0019-5510)
ROLE OF MEDIA IN INDIAN DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM
Introduction: “India is the cradle of human race,
the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history,
grandmother of legend, and great grandmother of
tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive
materials in the history of man are treasured up in
India only” -Mark Twain
Democracy in general terms is understood to
be a form of government which is subject to popular
sovereignty. It is essentially a rule by the people which
is in contrast to monarchies or aristocracies. One of
the crowing glories of the democratic system is the
freedom of expression and the space that is provided to
views from different sections of the society. Reliable
information resources are an important constituent
of any democratic society (Habermas, 2006). With
flourishing growth of India and largest democracy in
world, one of the greatest achievements is its vibrant
media. Right from the era of independence, where
power of ink was recognized more than bullet, media
role was seen as stature to bind people together for
a common agenda. LalaHardayal started publication
of the journal ‘Ghadar’. Within one year, millions of
copies of this journal were published in Hindi, Urdu,
Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi and English and sent to
India and to all parts of the world.
Constitutional Provision: The importance of
freedom of expression and speech can be easily
understand by the fact that preamble of constitution
itself ensures to all citizens inter alia, liberty of
thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
The constitutional significance of the freedom of
speech consists in the preamble of constitution and
is transformed as fundamental and human right
in Article 19(1) (a) as “freedom of speech and
expression. It therefore includes the right to propagate
one’s views through the print media or through any
other communication channel e.g.; the radio and the
television. Art.19 (1) (a) secures to every citizen the
freedom of speech and expression.Therefore the press
keeps and enlightens the citizens to make political
decisions, know the opinion of others to weigh
them up against each other. It stands as a permanent
Dr. Bina Rai, Assistant Professor(Political Science), R.G. (P.G.) College, Meerut (U.P.)
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Bina Rai
means of communication and control between the
people and their elected representatives in Parliament
and Government.  Banning of publication in any
newspaper of any matter relating to any particular
subject or class of subjects would be obnoxious
to the right of free speech. Freedom of speech can
be restricted only in the interests of the security of
state, friendly relations with the foreign states, public
order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt
of court, defamation or incitement to an offence. It
cannot, like the freedom to carry on business, be
curtailed in the interests of the general public.’
Media and Indian Democracy: Media came
into existence in 1780 with the introduction of a
newspaper  namely  “The Bengal Gazette” and since
then it became the integral part of our life. It is not
only the source of information which may affect the
normal human being in his day-to-day functioning,
but also keep them informed of developments,
national and international. The media can be said to
promote democracy in four key ways:
1- By Fostering Public Debate and Political
Engagement: The capacity to provide a civic
forum in which meaningful and serious political
debate can take place is often viewed as the key
democratic role of the mass media. The virtue
of this is that better-informed citizens with
more independent and considered views will be
more politically engaged. The mass media are
therefore agents of political education. Indeed,
the media may have largely replaced formal
representative institutions, such as assemblies,
parliaments and the local councils, as arenas for
the dialogue, debate and deliberation that are
the very stuff of democratic politics. The media
provide a forum for the expression of a much
wider range of viewpoints and opinion than is
possible within representative’s institutions
composed only an elected politicians.
2- By acting as a ‘Public Watchdog’ to Check
Abuses of Power: The ‘watchdog’ role of
the mass media is, in a sense, a subset of the
The Indian Journal of Political Science
political debate argument. The role of the
media, from this perspective, is to ensure that
public accountability takes place, scrutinizing
the activities of government and exposing
abuses of power. Once again, in carrying out
this role the mass media is supplementing and,
to some extent, replacing the work of formal
representative institutions. Media professionals
such as journalists and TV presenters are
particularly suited to this role because they are
‘outside’ politics and have no interest other than
to expose incompetence, corruption or simply
muddled thinking whenever and wherever it can
be found. This may not only taint their motives,
but it may also discourage them from criticizing
processes and practices that they may wish to
take advantage of in the future. However, the
media can only perform this role effectively.
3- By Redistributing Power and Political Influence:
The mass media promotes democracy by
widening the distribution of power and political
influence in society. This is largely accomplished
through the ‘new’ media’s capacity to
significantly enlarge access to information
exchange. Communications technology ensured
that government knew more than their citizens
did, and helped them control the flow of
information to the public, giving them ability
to ‘manage’ public opinion. However, the so-
called third communication revolution, brought
about since the 1990s especially by the spread
of satellite and cable television, mobile phones,
the internet and digital technology generally,
has helped to create what has been called an
‘information society’. In addition, the ‘new
media’ have facilitated political participation
and helped to give the politics of protest and
popular mobilization greater organizational
effectiveness.
4- By Providing a Mechanism Trough Which
Democracy Can Operate:The media’s
democratic potential is embodied in the
possibilities that new technology offers for
expanding citizen participation, through what is
called electronic democracy, ‘cyber democracy’
or ‘e-democracy’. From this perspective, the
problems that afflict many mature democracies,
such as declining attendance at political
meetings and falling electoral turnout, may be
less a reflection of growing disenchantment with
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438
democracy and politics in general, and more
an indication of the failure of the democratic
process to keep up to date with how citizens
in an information society wish to participate in
politics and express their views. It overcomes
the problem of size because people no longer
need to assemble in large numbers to engage in
political activity; it massively enlarges citizens’
access to information and makes possible a
truly free exchange of ideas and views; and it
enables citizens to express their views easily and
conveniently without having to leave home.
Every citizen is entitled to have free access to
the knowledge and information they require. The
democratic political system depends on the efficient,
accurate, and complete transmission of social,
political, and cultural information in society. Thus
mass media forms an integral part of democracy as
it contributes to those factors that are intrinsic to
genuine democracy.
India has the largest democracy in the world
and media has a powerful presence in the country.
It has now becoming the backbone of a democracy
which makes us aware of various social, political
and  economical  activities happening inside the
country and around the world. Media act like a mirror
in which we can see the bare truth and harsh realities
of life clearly. It’s also an eye opener and reminds
politicians about their unfulfilled promises at the time
of elections time to time. Mass media has become the
lifeline of country.
Mass media in its different forms have influenced
human life in the present century. They have primarily
provided information and entertainment to people
across countries. Print media, being the leader over a
considerable period of time has now got competition
from Television, which is reshaping many of the
social responses. Radio apart from providing news
and views has also developed a flair for entertainment,
thereby getting a lot of acceptance. There is also
the new media with internet being its flag bearer.
Internet has indeed made it possible to disseminate
information and ideas in real time across the globe.
Informing the citizens about the developments in the
society and helping them to make informed choices,
media make democracy to function in its true spirit.
In India diversity is almost everywhere and it is not
a developed nation. The role of media in India, the
largest democracy of the world is different from
merely disseminating information and entertainment.
Role of Media in Indian Democratic System
Educating the masses for their social upliftment
needs to be in its ambit as well. In a country where
there is large scale poverty, unemployment and
underdevelopment media has a responsibility towards
developmental journalism. It has a role to play behind
formation of public opinion which can force the
political parties to address the core issues haunting
the country’s progress. However, public opinion can
be manipulated by vested interests to serve their own
goals (Corneo, 2005).
In India public service broadcasting was given
much importance after independence. It was used as
a weapon of social change. AIR (All India Radio)
and Doordarshan, the public service broadcasters
in the country had the responsibility of providing
educational programs apart from information and
entertainment.
Positive Role of Media: Media acts as an interface
between the common man and the Government. It is a
very powerful tool with the ability to make and break
the opinion of people. If media tells the public that this
picture is being demanded as one of the most wanted
terrorists, people would regard him as one blindly.
It has the capacity to swing perceptions or evoke
emotions. This is what it has gained – faith of public.
Media through its various means of newspapers,
television and cinema is what rules the heart and
minds of people. For instance, the advertisements
by IDEA Cellular and the TATA group promoting
education for all, democracy by voting through Short
Message Service (SMS), the Jaago India slogans are
perhaps, not only charming the public but also have a
huge impact on their minds.
The media has helped to make our society a
democracy by placing emphasis on issues that at one
point in time would have been considered strictly
private such as child birth, homosexuality, child
care, domestic violence, and sexual harassment.
Media has a significant and indispensable place in our
lives. It brings to us the true face of today’s world
– a face which is usually hidden from the common
man. Mahatma Gandhi vested immense power in the
media, and used it as a platform to unite the people of
the country towards the common cause of freedom.
That was more than sixty years ago. Later, Indira
Gandhi crippled the power of the media when she
declared a state of Emergency. Today, our media has
arisen from those shackles. But in terms of its role, it
still needs to accomplish its rightful position. Media
usually refers to mass media, which is any medium
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439
that provides citizens with information regarding all
the current affairs of any area at a large scale. It is
unbiased reporting of facts through print, television,
radio or Internet.The most horrendous explosions, that
is, the Mumbai terror attack, commonly abbreviated
as 26/11 was an outrageous incident experienced
by India. Media was the one who reported every
second of those 63 hours of operation conducted by
the commandos. It’s all due to media that youth is
strongly affected by the NSG commandos, who came
into picture with their proud achievement and will
always abide our blessings.
The Jessica Lal case ended on a comparatively
more on a positive note than could have ever been
expected thanks to the media. The media is brought
to the public’s attention forward the real picture of the
case.
Traditionally and constitutionally, the media
has no defined role in governance. It doesn’t have
the power to change any decisions made by the
various arms of a state––the legislature, executive
and the judiciary. Yet, the media plays one of the most
important roles in the functioning of any society. It
amplifies the voice of citizens and communicates
their opinions to the lawmakers.
Access to information is essential for a
democratic society because it ensures that citizens
make responsible, informed choices rather than acting
out of ignorance or misinformation and information
also serves a checking function. It is well known that
media overlaps other functional areas of democracy
and governance. For example, support for media may
yield results in governance activities, particularly
those related to decentralization, anti-corruption,
and citizen participation in the policy process.
The rule of law may be further institutionalized by
support for an independent media that keeps a check
on the judiciary, reports on the courts, and promotes
a legal enabling environment suitable for press
freedom. Free and fair elections conducted through
transparent processes require a media sector which
gives candidates equal access, and reports the relevant
issues in a timely, objective manner.
During all these years the Indian mass media has
successfully performed the following functions:
1- Supporting objective news and informative
programs so that people can make quick
decisions.
2- Cultivating alternative media, so that multiple
The Indian Journal of Political Science
voices and opinions will be heard.
3- Mobilizing popular participation in the transition
process.
4- Multiplying the impact of transition activities by
disseminating information on successful local
peace and participatory efforts.
Democracy and mass media are the two essential
components of Indian life. It has accomplished the
task of transforming the lives of the people. But to
what extent has Indian lives progressed and what
advancement has the nation achieved is a matter
of concern. Like every coin which has two sides
the effects of mass media in Indian democracy
has brought in serious advantages as well as
disadvantages. We need to understand the role and
functions of media in our nation and the significance
of media in democracy. Television and radio
have made a significant achievement in educating
rural  illiterate  masses in making them aware of all
the events in their language.The media also exposes
loopholes in the democratic system, which ultimately
helps government in filling the vacuums of loopholes
and making a system more accountable, responsive
and citizen-friendly.
Negative Role of Media: Is media really
fulfilling its social responsibility? Is a booming global
mass media posing threats to the democratic way of
thinking? In it posing challenges to a country like
India where media has a greater role to play rather
than merely providing information and entertainment?
“Tell me, why is the media here so negative.
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our
own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great
nation. We have so many amazing success stories but
we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?” -Dr. Abdul
Kalam
This observation made by our former late
President is very true. It is a very sad fact that every
morning we have to begin our day with negative
news. Indian mass media often has a tendency to
exhibit gossip, scandal and violence.The aim of mass
media is to sensationalize every piece of information
rather than sensitizing them. The lack of media
literacy among the pubic also makes matters worse.
With the increase in the number of competitors in
mass media nowadays we find that a wide range
of topics are being discussed among the public.
The common man and the celebrities express their
opinion, but usually there is no measure taken after
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440
that. The issues discussed become stale and after a
week a new storyline creeps in bringing in hope and
opening up a new avenue. Political parties started
their own channels to highlight their achievements
and political news were more about personalities than
about their ideologies. Even Reporters of various
Channels and Newspapershave biased opinions. Most
of time these channels stand against government. In
the absence of serious debate, voters are left with paid
political propaganda containing only meaningless
slogans making them disinterested and cynical about
politics and losing faith in democracy. Forgetting its
responsibility to educate the masses media is busy
transforming citizens into spectators by offering them
pure entertainment.
What happened in most of the cases is that Global
Competition and profit motive made media forget
about democracy. The interests of the advertisers
did not coincide with readers, listeners and viewers.
Advertisements occupied the pages in newspapers.
Democratic values and principles were to be buried if
advertisement rules media Money ruled over morals
and media was no more interested in veracity.
Once upon a time, the media was a solution to
one’s problem. It helped people in getting justice,
solved their problem, helped to bring out the problem
in front of everybody and hence evoke the public
support and so on. But it seems like a dream today.
The past is gone, and the present is on. Today, the
most impractical and feeling less is media.The truth
is that in this competitive world – the media is also
a victim.
There are a number of ways in which the Indian
media differs from that in the west. For instance, how
many of us know about the scandals our politicians
are involved in? In the west, a Carla Bruni or a
Monica Lewinsky can rock the President’s office,
but in India, such matters are still kept under wraps.
Another difference would probably be the political
stand adopted by the media. In the west, newspapers
make no bones about declaring which political party
they support, while in India this is still done (not
so) discreetly. For example, an India Today clearly
supports the Rightists, but doesn’t claim so. HT to be
pro-Congress, but again, they remain discreet about it.
Just a week or so back, I was surfing through the
various news channels on TV to update myself with
what was going around in the world. The convenience
seems to get enhanced day by day with the variety,
Role of Media in Indian Democratic System
novelty and competition on the rise between media
houses and news channels which seem to get tougher.
So, while surfing the news channels a week or so
back, all channels focused on “Sheena Murder
Case.” These channels and newspapers report their
own distorted and manufactured version of the news
to gain popularity and recognition, even if it means
stooping to extremely low levels. Their news is about
the rich and the famous and is at the expense of the
common man.
“PIPLI LIVE” was ironic movie on media’s
negative role. Hence, probably the question that is
as ‘old’ as news itself must be answered again now.
‘What makes news?’ One common argument has
been, ‘the usualness or newness of an event that
qualifies it to become news’. The essence and the
answer were summed up by Charles A. Dama, who
said: “If a dog bites a man, that’s not news. But if a
man bites a dog that is!”
But politics unfortunately is hardly about being a
‘mere’ people’s representative. It is never that simple.
The obvious reaction of any politician to any news
story centered on him/her is to go into the defensive
and play the blame game. Often, they end up making
sweeping statements or unsavory comments, which
are exaggerated by journalists preferring yellow
journalism to an accurate reporting of facts. Half the
politics of politics arises from the way it is reported by
the media. Moreover, most informants of the society
are under the influence of powerful politicians,
causing biased views, nepotism and even negative
campaigning in case of elections.
Conclusion: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru called
media ‘the watchdog of our democracy’. This handed
the media a huge responsibility in the functioning of
our society. Thus media plays the role of communicator
in democracy. They make people aware and
conscious of their state of affairs by providing them
with in depth insight on important issues concerning
people. Though freedom of press is essential and
indispensable for the successful functioning of the
Indian democracy, it is very often silenced by the
executive, gagged by the legislature, suppressed by
judiciary, repressed and muzzled by the pressure
groups. Democracy’s respect has been maintained to
some extent due to presence of the media. Media bring
out the most cases of the malpractice in the system.
From the time of Indira Gandhi to the current date
media have unveiled the face of corrupt politicians.
We have seen the politicians watching pornography in
the parliamentary session. The scams such as fodder
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441
scam to Colgate scam have been discovered due to
the presence of the vigilant media. Media not only
have saved the democracy but have saved its total
extinction.
The journey of India from developing nation to
a developed nation will depend on the role played by
the media in the country. It needs to be focused on the
real matters, which are mostly social and economic
in nature, instead of trying to divert the attention
to the non-issues. Achieving the good governance
requires the understanding and participation of every
member of the society. The media, their significant
roles, channels and contents, are considered to be the
most powerful weapon to make this achievement a
reality. As such, it has to shoulder the responsibility
of presenting what is true, advocate what is necessary
and enable the people to sift the essence from material.
As an instrument of social change, economic progress
and moral development it should uphold certain
values and principles and strengthen democracy.
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