IS INDIAN MEDIA RESPONSIBLE?

Now that we have discussed social responsibility, we shall now see whether the Indian media stands
up to the standards of the social responsibility theory.

In the discussion held by the Confederation of Indian Industry titled Responsible Media vs

Sensational Media, many television and newspaper editors participated, such as Shekar Gupta,
Rajdeep Sar Desai, T.N. Ninan and Vikram Chandra. By the end of the discussion, it was Rajdeep Sar
Desai that said “To be sure, responsible media is one which is committed to the integrity of news,
and has checks in place to ensure that the news is not deliberately manufactured or twisted. There
may be aberrations, but by and large, Indian media is responsible,”

However, many shortcomings of the Indian Media were discussed:

THERE ARE MANY CHALLENGES

 Fake news- fake refers to misinformation and disinformation spread by the media both
traditional and digital. Fake news has many times led to religious violence and the spread of
unnecessary paranoia. Some examples of fake news are: As part of the 2016 Indian
banknote demonetisation, India introduced a new 2,000-rupee currency note. Following
this, multiple fake news reports about "spying technology" added to the banknotes went
viral on WhatsApp[64] and had to be dismissed by the government, Misinformation and
disinformation related to Kashmir is widely prevalent. [47][48] There have been multiple
instances of pictures from the Syrian and the Iraqi civil wars being passed off as from
the Kashmir conflict with the intention of fueling unrest and backing insurgencies, and
Misinformation related to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is in the form of social
media messages related to home remedies that have not been verified

 Sensationalism (Ignoring real issues)- A lot of sensational and divisive news is shown in the
media. Often, real issues of poverty and economic struggles are ignored only for the screen
time to give to some celebrity’s child. We can see a bit of yellow journalism in the Indian
media to garner more views and TRP, however, sensationalism is strongest in social media
where fake sensational news spreads like wildfire.

 Paid news- Paid news is the unethical media practice where the articles that are published
under the print and electronic media are in the favour of the institutions that have paid for
it. It is considered an advertisement without a tag. Further, it is malpractice since it tends to
deceive the citizens by not letting them know the actual facts of the case. In fact it got so
bad in 1995. In UP, the Samajwadi Party, had initiated a campaign against newspapers under
the title ‘Halla Bol’. The Editors Guild of India had to intervene to redeem the prestige of
journalism and constituted a high-powered probe committee to be sent to Lucknow.

 Trial by media- When a critical issue is brought before the court, there is an expected rise in
interest among the public. Always on the lookout for exciting news, the media, including
newspapers, television stations, and news websites, begin posting their own versions of
events. “Media Trial” or “Trial by Media” refers to the impact of media coverage on an
individual via newspapers and television in developing an impression of innocence or guilt
 before a court of law delivers its decision. Excessive media coverage of the accused or
suspect prior to a court of law trial either incriminates a fair trial or characterizes the
accused or suspect as the one who has unquestionably committed the crime; this amounts
to undue interference with the “administration of justice,” an example- Sanjay Dutt case and
even the recent one of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death.

 Lack of diversity- there is a lack of diversity, According to research by the Network of

Women in Media India, women made up only 13.7 per cent of the panellists in prime-
time news debates across 28 stations and 11 languages. Dalits and Adivasis account for
less than 5% of all articles published in English newspapers. Hindi newspapers perform a
little better, with roughly 10% of the market.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE INDIAN MEDIA MORE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE?

 Senior print and television journalists must speak write and expose very clearly
the issues plaguing the press in India.
 Implementing the recommendations of TRAI with regard to media ownership
and investment disclosure norms would help in maintaining transparency
required for the news media sector.
 Journalists must resist the urge to sensationalise matters. They must keep a
global perspective, and pay attention to the words they use, the examples they
cite, and the images they display.
 And most of all, they must avoid fostering division, hatred, and radicalisation at
both margins of society.
 Although India has the Press Council of India and specific regulations,
the country needs more detailed laws regarding the media to protect not only
the  freedom of expression  and speech but also journalists’ safety.