MEDIA LITERACY: CRITICAL AND INFORMED CITIZENRY

 MEDIA, DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL

CHANGE  BY 

DR. SWATI JAYWANT RAO BUTEASSISTANT PROFESSOR

National Institute of Health and Family Welfare

Baba Gang Nath Marg, New Delhi – 110067

BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME IN THE MORNING, EVEN BEFORE YOU FINISH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE, YOU ARE GOING TO BECOME AN EAR AND EYE WITNESS TO EVERY MAJOR WORLD EVENT – AS IT HAPPENED WHILE YOU SLEPT, AS IT HAPPENS NOW…. THIS IS THE MORNING BRIEFING SESSION THAT WILL ARM YOU WITH INFORMATION TO MEET THE DAY MORE FULLY THAN ANY CITIZEN HAS EVER BEEN ARMED BEFORE…… (ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE AT THE LAUNCH OF NBC MORNING NEWS PROGRAM “TODAY”)

IN INDIA, THE ORIGIN OF MEDIA WAS FOR EDUCATION, THE CORE OBJECTIVE WAS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE BY USING DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDIA (PRINT, RADIO AND ELECTRONIC) FOR THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY AND TO BRING UNDERPRIVILEGED PEOPLE IN THE MAINSTREAM OF DEVELOPMENT.

IN NINETIES ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION OF INDIAN MEDIA MARKET HAS GIVEN OPPORTUNITY TO THE GLOBAL PARTNERS TO ESTABLISH MEDIA HOUSES AND TELECAST PROGRAMS AND HAS ALSO GIVEN BIRTH TO THE ERA OF COMMERCIAL BROADCASTING. NEW CHANNELS, NEW PROGRAMS AND PROGRAMMING PATTERNS BY TARGETING DIFFERENT AUDIENCES WITH DIFFERENT CONTENT REQUIREMENTS WERE STARTED, WHICH HELPED IN MAKING PEOPLE AS BETTER INFORMED AND VIGILANT CITIZENS.

DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH MEDIA LITERACY

THE CONCEPT OF DEVELOPMENT IS OFTEN EQUATED WITH MODERNIZATION, INDUSTRIALIZATION, SOCIAL CHANGE, PROGRESS AND GROWTH. DEVELOPMENT AS SOCIO ECONOMIC PHENOMENON IS SEEN AS NECESSARY, EVEN INEVITABLE, AS GOOD AS SALUTARY. (KEVAL J. KUMAR, MASS COMMUNICATION IN INDIA, SECTION – V, MASS MEDIA, CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT, 2004)

TODAY INDIA HAS OVER 600 TV CHANNELS; 100 MILLION PAY - TV HOUSEHOLDS; 70,000 NEWSPAPERS; AND PRODUCES OVER 1,000 FILMS A YEAR. GROWING DIGITIZATION AND HIGHER MEDIA CONSUMPTION SPECIFICALLY IN YOUNGER POPULATION IS GIVING CHANCE TO PRODUCE NEW PROGRAMS TARGETING THE CONSUMERS AND INVEST MORE IN THE MARKET, THIS GROWTH GIVING TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY TO BOTH INDIAN AS WELL AS FOREIGN INVESTORS.

WITH THE INCEPTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND CITIZEN JOURNALISM NOW READERS AND AUDIENCES ARE TAKING PART IN REPORTING LOCAL NEWS, IN DEBATES ON BURNING ISSUES AND EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS ON DIFFERENT SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORMS AND THIS WHOLE PROCESS IS HELPING AND EMPOWERING THEM AND SOMEWHERE ALSO GIVING US SIGNS OF MAJOR SOCIAL CHANGES. SOCIAL MEDIA ALSO PLAYED VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN RECENT POLITICAL PROTEST HAPPENED IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND IN INDIA.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

AS EARLY AS 1958, DANIEL LERNER HAD ARGUED IN HIS SEMINAL BOOK - THE PASSING OF TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES “NO MODERN SOCIETY FUNCTIONS EFFICIENTLY WITHOUT A DEVELOPED SYSTEM OF MASS MEDIA” (P. 55).

MEDIA IN INDIA WORKS AS FOURTH PILLAR OF THE DEMOCRACY, INDIAN MEDIA IS ENJOYING FULL FREEDOM IN REPORTING NEWS AND PROGRAMS; THERE IS NO PRESSURE OR CENSORSHIP ON THE MEDIA IN DELIVERING THE INFORMATION WHICH MATTERS FOR DEMOCRACY. BUT MEDIA IN INDIA IS STILL IN THE INCEPTION PHASE AND SOMEWHERE LACKING THE MATURITY WHICH IS REQUIRED IN DEALING WITH THE SENSITIVE ISSUES. MEDIA SHOULD NOT WORK AS A MEDIATOR BUT SHOULD WORK AS AN ATTENTIVE WATCH DOG OF THE SOCIETY WHILE DEALING WITH DIFFERENT ISSUES.

TO DEVELOP SUCH KIND OF CULTURE OR AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE MEDIA KNOWS IT’S DUTIES TOWARDS THE NATION AND THE PEOPLE IS NOT ONLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MEDIA HOUSES BUT ALSO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MEDIA INSTITUTES WHICH PRODUCE MEDIA PROFESSIONALS. FOCUS SHOULD BE GIVEN ON MAINTAINING SOCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ETHICS IN THE PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT.

IT IS ALSO NECESSARY FOR THE MEDIA INSTITUTE TO UPDATE THE CURRICULUM OF MEDIA COURSES. IN THIS CHANGING ENVIRONMENT WHERE HUGE MARKET IS OPEN FOR BOTH PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS, EVERYBODY IS FREE TO SELECT WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE; TODAY AUDIENCES AND READERS ARE MORE AWARE AND INTELLIGENT.

TO FULFIL MARKET DEMAND PRODUCERS ARE ALSO EXPERIMENTING WITH ALL THE AVAILABLE RESOURCES AND TALENTS. IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES IT IS THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY OF MEDIA INSTITUTES TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC TRAININGS - TRAINING FOR GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE NEW TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS IN USE, TRAINING FOR UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWING WHAT AUDIENCES WANTS AND HOW THEY SELECT THE CONTENT AND THE PROGRAM, TRAINING FOR INCREASING STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING IN NEW AREAS AND ISSUES WHICH ARE EMERGING SUCH AS HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, BILATERAL ISSUES, INTERNATIONAL POLITICS AND DIFFERENT CULTURES.

AUTHENTICITY AND FACT FULLNESS IS THE FIRST PARAMETER OF ANALYSING ANY NEWS ITEM AND IF REPORTERS ARE LACKING IN THIS SKILL DEFINITELY IT INDICATES AN ALARMING CALL FOR THE PROFESSION. BY PRODUCING SUCH KIND OF CONTENT AND STORIES THEY ARE NOT ONLY PASSING WRONG INFORMATION BUT ALSO SOMEWHERE MISLEADING THE AUDIENCES AND ALSO DEGRADING THE DIGNITY OF THE MEDIA PROFESSION.

THAT IS WHY IN THE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS MORE FOCUS SHOULD BE GIVEN ON INCULCATING THE HABIT OF RESEARCH BEFORE REPORTING ANY TOPIC OR ISSUE WHICH IS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY RELATED WITH THE PUBLIC INTEREST.

IT IS ALSO A RESPONSIBILITY OF THE UNIVERSITIES AND MEDIA INSTITUTES TO FOCUS MORE ON ACADEMIC RESEARCH PROGRAMS ON DIFFERENT AREAS AND ISSUES BASED ON THE FREEDOM OF PRESS AND TO STRENGTHEN MEDIA AS AN FOURTH PILLAR OF DEMOCRACY IN TRUE SENSE.

BY DOING THIS INDIAN MEDIA INDUSTRY WILL NOT ONLY COME OUT AS AN MORE POWERFUL INDUSTRY WORKING FOR ESTABLISHING AND STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC VALUES BUT ALSO MAKING PEOPLE AS AN MORE INFORMED AND CRITICAL CITIZENRY.

THANKS