It is very important in a democracy that voters take the trouble to be well-informed. It is just as important for them to resist attempts to stampede them on emotional and irrational issues. It naturally follows that those entrusted with the task of informing them, too, do so impartially and with diligence. Unfortunately, in India and many other democracies, even the media has become untrustworthy in this regard. Former US President Donald Trump, for instance, has made it a habit to instigate people against much of the mainstream media, describing them as liars and purveyors of ‘fake news’. This has created the threat of physical attacks against media persons from his followers.
Although the situation is not so bad in India, there is certainly a major credibility crisis. The reasons for this are many and have to do with the inability of journalists to straddle the expanse of diverse viewpoints. Too many of them are ideologically committed, or compromised by having obtained favours from politicians, lobbies and others, or simply lack the professional training and background to do their job properly. Many of them are captive to social and class attitudes they have unconsciously picked up due to inadequate education and personal experience. The divide between metropolitan and small town as well as rural India has become so wide that many are simply unable to relate with the ‘other’.
There is also the gulf created by the barrier between English, the language of a diminishing elite, and the Indian languages. It has become so wide that common words are misinterpreted and misrepresented in the translation. The contempt of those on both sides of the divide for each other is becoming extreme, which naturally results in a confused message being communicated to the common people. These failings need to be compensated by the recipients of the message by being better informed through other means.
It is one thing to have voted at one time because onions had become too expensive, or the government was supposedly undertaking enforced sterilisations (during the Emergency), but the stakes are too high today for people to take anything at face value. Perhaps, a rating agency of high quality needs to be established to rank the various news outlets on the basis of credibility. The propaganda needs to be weeded out from the information flow. Pressure ought to be applied by those who foot the bill – advertisers and subscribers – on news providers and commentators to be objective and well-informed. Also, very importantly, the role of the editor should be reinforced in an age when all kinds of others have taken over.
