Don’t you see that the whole aim of the newspeak is to narrow the range of thought ?

In the end we
shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.
George Orwell 1954

Whether it be the newspeak in Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 or the the Reich press chamber, the
danger of media being used by authoritarian regimes to control the access, quality and nature of
At the time of the first war of
information by their citizens is not unknown to us .
independence, newspapers like Bangadoot of Ram Mohan Roy, Payam e
Azadi, Samachar Sudarshan, Doorbeen, advocated social reforms and sowed the
seeds of freedom struggle. They also reported on religious riots post Independence
in a secular manner by ensuring that it did not hurt their sentiments.
Evidently , in the first election of 1951 we saw how transparent and accountable media are the
building blocks of a robust democracy as well informed citizens exercised their right to vote which
put people to power. However, in the contemporary times ethical journalism has gone for a toss
with media bias getting capitalised by political parties to influence public attitudes and further their
While the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated this
own power.

media bias in India. A study of 30 Indian newspapers and 41 Indian

TV channels with the largest viewership rates in the country
confirms the existence of rampant media bias during a two-year
period from 2017 to 2018.1This coupled with the widespread of fake news and
misinformation especially on social media platforms teeming with people graduating from whatsapp
university has worsened the situation by reducing the consumer’s trust in authentic media. In this
essay I will discuss in length about the role of media in Indian democratic landscape and contrast it
with the reality.

Since the 17th century, the role of the press as Fourth Estate and the public watchdog has been
widely recpgnised. Agreeing with Thomas Jeffreson “ Were it left to me to decide whether we should
have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate
to prefer the latter.” , media in all the forms is quintessential for dissemination of right information
to the public.. In an ideal democracy the role of an active and neutral media should be to act as
check and balance and question those in power. There are instances in the past when the media has
stood its ground in promoting democratic values, protecting fundamental rights, sensitising citizens
and ensuring an accountable government. The unflinching role in the coverage of Kargil
War(1999),26/11 Bombay Terror Attacks or the Uttrakhand floods of 2014
shows the legacy of Indian newsrooms. The media also has the role of
reporting and investigating into various public administration reforms by
holding conversations that go beyond the mere analysation of the fabric
worn by the cabinet minister to the budget session.it has to perform the job
of an opposition in disguise which should constructively criticise
government’s measures.
However, in recent years the duplicity and the brouhaha of the news channels has replaced
meaningful debates and active inquiry on various social issues. The first issue is tabloidization and de
priotising of socio- economic issues. Sensationalism and flashy click baits are a common
phenonmena to skyrocket their TRP. During covid pandemic there was under reporting of migrant
workers and death cases. Instead reputed channels like Aaj tak was seen playing ‘Antakshri’ during
prime time shows. One of the reason behind this is the political influence due to which they not only
self censor but also get biased. The
political rallies of unmasked campaigners
chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ , mob lynching by police of street vendors
or the increase in cases of domestic violence during lockdown was
all overlooked Infront of boycotting muslims by calling them out as
covid transmitters.

Another issue is political funding Government

advertisements serve as a
financial lever for influencing media content and public opinion.
Hence, the channels report news by filtering it through the lens of
those in power.

. Currently, 36 percent of daily newspapers earn over half of their

total income from the government of India and most major TV
stations have owners who served as politicians themselves or who
had family members in politics.This monopolistic control also
threatens the new emerging independent small media houses like
newslaundry, Satya Prakash etc who do not have a wide publicity.

Media bias during elections is another nuisance which misleads

the voters during elections . The 2014 general elections saw the
over use of newchannels as a propaganda tool to earn votes and
this still continues by white washing any news which would prove
harmful to the party in power.

The second issue is the lack of representation of diversity during

interviews on channels. The real stakeholders i.e the citizens or
experts on various policies are never called for discussions. Rather
there are priests or party workers who make a ruckus by shouting
and screaming.During the recent case of Bilkis BANO RAPE CASE
reporters were seen interacting with the convicts who were freed
and feted in a cheerful tone instead of posing questions on the
judiciary.
Another issue that plagues Indian media is the instant gratification
leading to fake news. The media houses are always on the rush to
be first to report the news without even taking into account the
credibility of sources for jumping to conclusion. This creates a
situation of mass hysteria and polarisation. The role of Media
should be to cover all point of views and leave it to the viewers to
make their choice. right-wing channel Republic TV quoted an
exclusive footage from Hasti TV, an Afghan TV channel in the UK,
saying that Pakistani air force attacked Panjshir valley in
Afghanistan. right-wing channel Republic TV, which on Monday
quoted exclusive footage from Hasti TV, an Afghan TV channel in
the UK, saying that Pakistani air force attacked Panjshir valley in
Afghanistan. However, fact check website Boom soon found that
the footage aired by Indian media is from the video game Arma-3.