The technological triumphs in the media world have had the sublime effect of communicating the news and views of people who would normally be out of mainsteam journalism reach. This is no doubt a blessing to the print media especially because at least in my country the English language press is out of touch with reality. that is why they are off the mark in preelection surveys and checking people’s pulse.The search engines have come not a day too soon because some of the offices do not have reference material. yet the flip side is that such easy availability has served as a disincentive for research. The pages are abundant with graphics and the source too is attributed . Ask a journalist about the source and he shrugs off: i googled.
now google is doing a fine job but is that enough for our presence? If this goes on, the time may come when surfing would be the only qualification for entry level jobs.
Most of the innovation centres around design, not content. I see so many columns but the packaging, I find, is all even here. Perspective is lacking, insight is absent and the depth of experience which a columist must bring to bear on his writing is rarely relected in the offering. Syndicatin and tieups have worsened the situation. Yes, america is a truly great nation but should I, situate in a continent half a day away get to know the daily ratings of Hillary clinton in the presidential race? the greater tragedy is that i get to read the same stuff in more than one newspaper i subscribe to. what about matching contributions, for instance? We talk of equity and justice. How much of Bangalore and India figure in mainstream media out there? unless it is the ugly side of the country. this, I find, is the modern version of sanitory inspector’s respect, as Bapu dubbed an englishwoman’s report on india.
Yet another facet is the celebrity buildup. I am sorry to say that celebrity ads would not work in india. Or it may, only in segments. Perhaps the target market is the neoriche. A middle class consumer was complaining to me the other day that these costs push up prices and cause a dent on his purse.the cynic may say " then don’t buy it". easier said than done. In fact it is time a survey is undertaken on the social havoc wrought by these consumerist campaigns. Believe you me, the damage is very real. We do have youths who are impressionable and the easy option is always enticing. With both parents away from home working their arses off (pardon the vulgarity), the children are on their own. The tevelevision and intrnet revolution, the pornography that pops up at all times even when one is not looking for it and the general level of pollution physical as well as psychological drug the students to complacency. the choice at the stage is striving more to get what they desire, or choose the shortcut. the latter is what they do, not all perhaps but quite a few. Suicides are common among the teenagers these days . all this is hapening because they donot have a godfather or a confidant. What a tragedy that such young lives, promising ones are lost? the media here is irresponsible. They even mentin the substance they have taken to end their lives.
True, progress comes with a price tag. should it be at the cost of society’s backbone that is youth? and is there a way out of this tragic impasse.