Blog post from Prof. H. O. Srivastava

Prof. Dr. Sir H. O. Srivastava, IBS, K. St. J
M.Sc. M.Phil, Ph. D. (Info Sys.), Ph. D. (Chemistry), D. Lit. (Management)

“Is the media responsible for the failure of democracy?

We started our discussion about failing democreaceies around the world in our blog dated 16th October 2022. Thereafter, we started analysing the reasons for failure of democracies. In the previous two blogs we analysed, if the leaders (Part 2) or “we the people” (Part-3) are responsible for failure of democreacies -Part-2 and Part-3

Continuing the series, we are analysing below, how much media is responsible for this failure.

The role of media in a democracy is critical, as it is supposed to serve as a watchdog, inform the public, and facilitate the free exchange of ideas. The media is supposed to be a watchdog, holding government officials and institutions accountable for their actions. Investigative journalism should uncover corruption, inefficiencies, and abuses of power, a platform for public discourse and debate. It is supposed to provide a platform for citizens to express diverse opinions and contribute to building a well-informed public opinion. However, media houses are prioritizing profit over public service, being influenced by political interests, and engaging in biased practices. Many media houses operate as businesses, driven by the need for profit focusing on advertisements, especially from governments. This leads to sensationalism and prioritization of content for higher viewership or readership rather than public interest. Dependence on advertising revenue and government support through advertisements creates a conflict of interest. Media houses might be inclined to avoid content that could jeopardize these revenue streams. Further, how can they project the real picture on the ground unbiasedly when they are projecting a rosy picture based on the advertisements?

To attract attention and increase viewership, some media outlets resort to sensationalism and clickbait, prioritizing entertainment value over informative content. Look at the heading, “This bank has increased the interest rates” instead of “xxx bank has increased the interest rate”. They want the audience to click on the heading for increased clickstreams.

The news channels have become advertisement channels. Most of them need a change of nomenclature from a news channel to an advertisement channel. When listeners/ viewers are paying for the network and content, why they should be forced with the long advertisements?

The public debates are of substandard, and devoid of intellectual and stimulating discussions. A very limited number of people are invited for the debate on media channels. It shows as if the entire wisdom of the universe has been confined to a limited number of individuals having an interest in influencing the public. This has led both the intellectuals and the public to be away from the media. Perhaps, the media does not care for the public since they are run by advertisement revenue and the university’s education system teaches how to become billionaires at any cost and not the ethics.