Journalism in India was considered the fourth pillar of democracy at one time. Its role in raising the voice of society, asking questions from power and giving a platform to public sentiments has been unforgettable. But in the last few years, the level of journalism has fallen worryingly, while the fame, impact and access of journalists has increased more than ever. Why this contradiction? Journalists are getting older, but why is journalism shrinking? Today, Facebook journalists, journalists running news portals, journalists running YouTube channel have flooded the country. Daily newspapers are also growing rapidly. The day count of online newspapers is increasing. Look at which is doing journalism. Despite all this, the news has declined in the last few years. The level of journalism has fallen. The honor of the journalist has come down. First it is believed that it would be right if it is printed in the newspaper, but not ready to give any guarantee of the news in the media today. Today’s journalist is writing news but is running away from the news. He is not ready to claim that the news he has written is correct. Is reliable. Till the news is not considered bigger than the faces and journalism will not be seen again as public service, it may continue to fall.
About 20 newspapers of the country have launched a campaign on the news portal and fake news on the news portal and YouTube channel on the new situation of journalism. Under this, they are campaigning that news is sure and true news -print means sure evidence. They started this campaign but while running the campaign, they forgot that they are also running Facebook and YouTube channels, so that they have a professional team, so their news is more interesting, more reliable.
Journalism was once a mission. There was a mission till the movement of independence. Gradually, traders started coming in it. Industrial houses landed. Their purpose was not social service, business was done. They started doing business. They started printing which they would benefit. He opened shops in the name of journalism and newspapers. But he took care of the needs of society. By putting crores of rupees, he would conduct a survey of what the readers of which age they want to study, they would have done this news on the basis of that report. Write articles. Just take care of your interests. If these establishments started getting money, then journalists and employees associated with them started getting attractive salary and commission. The spirit of the mission disappeared from journalism. Media institutes are no longer independent. Large media houses are operating with corporate capital and sometimes appear close to the government. This puts a question mark on the fairness and boldness of the news. As a result – the tradition of asking for genius reporting, ground truth and question from power is almost disappearing.
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Small journalists from the village countryside were still engaged under the mission. The stories of Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda also came to light from a local such evening daily newspaper. Ramchandra Chhatrapati, Editor of Sandhya daily ‘Puri Sach’ of Sirsa, Ramchandra Chhatrapati, Ram Rahim and Dera were writing news in the ashram on Sacha Sauda. He was busy with the exploits happening there. Those Ramchandra Chhatrapati were shot dead. Murder was done. The charge came on Ram Rahim. CBI investigation took place and proved to be a crime.
Time is changing rapidly. Today journalists are not running their news portal. Running YouTube channels. Facebook is on Live. New bloggers are being born daily. Today’s journalist himself has become a ‘brand’. Social media has made reporting individual-centric. Earlier there were reports at the center, now journalists. Journalists on TV debates and YouTube channels prioritize their identity, ideology and dramaticness. Today’s goal has become a more popular face than the news. Earlier advertising had to be seen towards industrialists, it is not so. Now Google is paying according to your material. Those whose contents are different and new are taking fun. The most disadvantage of this is that the media is running the media in the race for taking their likes, views and TRPs. He has no time to reinforce the news. Faler is going on. Now during the operation vermilion, someone raised the news that when the Indian Saina entered Pakistan, one ran that India was occupied by Lahore. While there was nothing like this.
In the digital age, TRP and views have become the measure of success. Sensational news, gossip, and ‘debate tamasha’ have been replaced by serious journalism. The dharna of the fact, stimulation instead of analysis, and noise in place of dialogue have occupied. Anchor is engaged in attraining the readers by screaming by making noise. The reader is being forced to read the news by putting the news wrong of the news, while nothing happens in the news. Due to this, the level and credibility of journalism is falling rapidly. False news was stopped in newspapers. Efforts would be made to maintain the credibility of the news.
This is no longer happening in the individualistic system. In the race to show quickly and to collect TRP, half -stagnant news has started running. During the terrorist attack on Mumbai and Kandahar aircraft kidnapping scandal, the media launched some news that benefited the enemy and terrorists more. He did not see the interest of the country. The attackers sitting in Pakistan were giving directions to the terrorists by looking at the Mumbai attack live by the channel. It was also criticized. There was also a demand to make directions for the media.
Gradually the news of village-towns has disappeared. Reporters now sit in the studio and make a ‘neora’. They do not take the tension to go on the ground. With this, the basic purpose of journalism – giving a platform to the voice of public has become worth wealth. Now it is becoming necessary that journalists or video coming in the media bring training in journalism. They should know about the new mandate, country interest and law. This training should be made mandatory by the government for every journalist. Like Bar Council, a journalist council became an organization that keeps an eye on journalists. Prepare directions for them. If this happens, the government will not need to control the media. But the government will have to issue guidelines at some time to control it. As such, operations were released at the time of vermilion.
Journalism for budding journalists is now becoming ‘mission’ but ‘career’. In many institutions, they are made to work on very low salary, which reduces their dedication to the profession. At the same time, the Abha Mandal of senior journalists has become so huge that new people get less chance of emerging. Therefore, there is a need to promote independent journalism. Public funding or subscription -based models should be encouraged. New journalists should get training and protection. Ground reporting should be promoted.
– Ashok Madhup
(The author is a senior journalist)
