Journalism in India is no longer a vocation, but a profession catering mainly to the interests of the rich, the famous, and the powerful. Mushrooming of magazines with sole profit motive has only added to the ignorance of the people and not their enlightenment. Twenty-four hours TV news has become a curse than a blessing. The new motto is to serve big business and the government, not the people and society. The press creates a smoke-screen to hide its real objective and beguile people into thinking in a manner it wants them to. The frequent terrorist attacks, the perceived divisions in Indian society based on caste, religion, and region are swallowed in as heaven sent boon for the media. Media tend to exaggerate these divisions and seek to thrive on the ensuing conflicts. Conflicts and controversies are strategic instruments used by the media for marketing. Unsuspecting media consumers are led to believe the myth that the media give every view point and every section of the society an opportunity to be heard. With a couple of exceptions mainstream media has become like film media - celebrity affairs & marriages, lost dogs, drunken brawls, trivial headline news and the sellout of mainstream media is complete. Indian Media’s credibility seems to be on the down swing.
Pages: 336
Price: Rs 250
ISBN: 978-81-7108-753-2
Publishers: Better Yourself Books, Bombay, India, 2010