28th May, 2009
So, here I am, after lot of inhibitions to finally able to start writing something that I suppose makes sense
Today, while waiting for a friend to go for dinner, I thought to have a look at today’s newspaper at our hostel reading room. Although since morning I was eager to look at… like what all new news has come about cabinet… but lazy me, couldn’t find time (that’s what I use to hide my inefficiency) for the same.
Hope I’m not exaggerating the thing.. but here’s what I observed while glancing through headlines of today,,,
Why the hell did the reporter use “but” here. I wondered, if press is still the legacy of the forwards. And if it’s really the mistake of the reporter (that’s what I strongly feel) and not the whims of a crackpot (that’s what one will consider me, if he/she doesn’t feel so), then also in any case, can the human error be justified in India’s largest read English daily(ya you got it right).
Although it may not be noticed by many, still there is still enough inkling to suggest that even after 60 years of our democracy and governance professing equality, we still need to have catharsis of our beliefs that don’t want us to realize that… we are the same….
Although a bit less disappointment, but it was a bit same on the day after Obama’s victory speech. Almost one third of the front page was covered with the pic of last night where Obama smooching his wife. Hey I am not that orthodox or with old beliefs to be against all this, but was this scene really, the essence of what Obama said that day…… Hope the reporter didn’t want to say, “Spread love, not hatred”. :-D :-D
Media is the mirror of society. We get to see what they show us. So in that sense, it becomes their prime responsibility to abridge us with an unbiased and unprejudiced view of the world. But are we really using freedom of press, provided by government in right sense. In the scenario when the press has become a business for most of the media houses, Isn’t it the right time when we start thinking about some mechanism to keep a check on all this.
I was thinking that that it’s good that only about 5% of Indians read English newspaper, or else such offense could have been caught by somebody. For their good, it’s not the widely used source of media. Hope we didn’t forget that over the controversial lyrics of a song, the screening of Aaja Nachle (a Madhuri Dixit starrer hindi movie) was suspended and only when a phrase (felt offensive by a group of people) was removed, the court allowed the rescreening. And how can we ignore today’s 24 x 7 news channels which add enough spice to the stuff just to increase their TRPs.
I even felt while writing, “Am I telling all this just to gain some attention among friends or does it really make sense?” Although I didn’t have good feeling for the petitioner about that movie lyrics incident at that time, thinking that there are already so many cases pending in the court and people like them just to get cheap publicity.
But still I am confused, where to draw the line. and if its really a serious matter to ponder on, are we in urgent need of some system to keep a check on our so called free press..............
