The importance and the impact of the media, written or electronic cannot be marginalized in the world of today. In the modern world of quick communication and quick information, media plays a very crucial role.
The original role of the media was and still is to give to the public all relevant information about occurrences in the country and the world. Now the written media includes a host of publications, dailies, fortnightly, weeklies, monthly all giving information about events with supplement of suggestions and comments by learned people. Today, the print media has acquired such proportions that, there is absolutely no avenue of knowledge or information that is left out.
Multifarious avenues are being touched upon, whether it be local, national or international. All avenues of news, business, health, sports, films and entertainment are being dwelt upon at great length. The great advantage of this media in spreading of news, knowledge and information through the length and breadth of the world.
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In these days of awareness, even the remotest of villages of India get at least one daily newspaper in their local language. This keeps them abreast of the latest news and happenings of the world. Moreover, written media is the cheapest medium of collecting all important information of the district, city, country and the world.
Next in importance come the electronic media, i.e. the radio and the television. I call it second to the print media because it is more expensive and so, less common in far flung areas of the country. With ever so many channels on the radio and the television there is no information that is left untouched. This media specially caters more to urban areas as it is more expensive to buy and then to maintain.
Thus, the media, whatever it be print or the electronic media, its importance at least in the modern world cannot be denigrated. While we are sitting in our drawing rooms at home, we can get all the information of all happenings around the world. We get a sea of knowledge and all the information, relaxing at home.
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So much so good, but, what we notice today, with the freedom of the press taking new proportions, the media is becoming slightly out of control and also partial. The latest trend in the media is that it has become tainted with signs of extreme partiality.
I personally feel that, the media is at times overstepping its limits and to some extent misusing its freedom. The job of the media is just to give information of what happens and not to add its own partial views to the information. The job of the media should remain restricted only to reporting facts as to when and how they occur, and leave the readers to form their own opinions. However, this is no more true of the modern trends of the media. They get news and paint them as per their own personal leanings and beliefs. This I’d say is not correct reporting as, it is likely to colour the views of the readers/ viewers. The task of the media is just to report and not colour the views of the people.
This is the position of the media because of the obvious political leanings and influences, and this I daresay should not be allowed to grow. It must be remembered that, the media plays a very important link between the people and organizations/Government. Thus, if a report is not correct or painted the common man gets a wrong picture of facts. In this way, the media is harming itself and tarnishing its image in front of the common man. If the common man loses faith in the truth of the media, it will be a bad symptom and a bad day for all.
It would be good if the media restricts itself only to passing On correct and exact information only, without any comments for or against any political party it would be doing its job correctly and sincerely. Political masters should be only heard and not followed by a media which is good and impartial.