My opinion on why media has become biased and it’s credibility is at risk.
The newspapers in other countries across the world, like Europe and America, have been losing readers day after day, while Indian newspapers and media have continued to grow with a large circulation and greater marketing opportunities.
I have read that in a democratic country like India, the media is still regarded as the third most important pillar after the judiciary and the bureaucracy. In our country, the media is viewed as a store of public trust for transmitting accurate information to the public.
The introduction of technology has altered the way news is conveyed and opinions are exchanged. The rate at which information travels has increased exponentially, and the media has become more powerful than ever in shaping people’s minds and forming attitudes. Social media is also becoming a ubiquitous instrument for connecting society and influencing business marketing tactics by those who hold power.
In recent times, we need the media to spread awareness in India about the rash of climate changes, which has led to the delay of monsoons in India by months.
The fact is that the farm bills have been unfair to the majority of farmers, there has been a rise in COVID-19 cases across the country, and there is government accountability for disclosing numbers on the migration situation during the lockdown, which has perhaps been one of India’s worst humanitarian disasters. The media hasn’t shown or honored the lives of the doctors who have died trying to save others, nor the amount of pain and stress undergone by students appearing for highly competitive exams like the JEE and NEET.
The media has been reporting a number of suicide cases among farmers who weren’t able to pay for their land, migrants looking for jobs in India, and students who have been kicked out of various institutions overnight. The media is only showing one part of the story while not addressing what the government can do to prevent more and more farmers from committing suicide day by day. Most Indian news outlets are only concerned with suicide alone.
In my opinion, this is not acceptable. What I see is that the media has failed to perform its duty by bringing the situation to the table; instead, they curate the news for us based on how many views they receive. Indian news is also extremely biased and corrupt when it comes to politics. It was recently exposed that people who have been calling themselves journalists and writing news articles were actually working only for the money.
People want the media to portray the unheard voices and opinions of rural people, especially the farmers. People still believe that they cannot trust the media material and that its credibility is at risk because it’s driven by vested interests and designed to take advantage of the situation to get high ratings and money. This is why I completely agree with the fact that the media has been skewed, putting its credibility in jeopardy.
