By: Hiren Shah
usshah@now-india.net.in
June 15, 2003

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The commencement of the war in Iraq has put the media in a strange predicament. There were so many newspaper reports to the effect that the Iraq war was perhaps the first war in History which elicited such a worldwide protest. One came across so many reports suggesting the fact that the whole world was against America which was hell bent on ignoring the United nations. However all efforts came to naught and the war started.

Taking that into consideration, the whole of print media, TV Channels, internet etc seem like children clamoring for attention .We may as well shut them down. Does anybody listen to children in serious matters?

In today’s times one can devise an official internet enabled referendum which would enable the powers that be to know the exact number of people for or against a particular issue but even if the people in power do not listen to that as well, what can be done? Is that not a mockery of democracy?

There are several newspapers in our local club where one could come across a lot of articles against America. In the month of March 2003, there were 102 articles against America, 16 neutral and 2 (From George Bush and Tony Blair) in seven Indian newspapers- The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Pioneer, The Statesman, The Tribune and The Asian Age. Writers apart, poets against the war in America made a forum called www.poetsagainstthewar.com in which 13000 poets participated. However, the powers that be refused to listen and went ahead with the war.

Even in India, the media could not do anything to prevent the removal of efficient and honest minister Prabhu, could not do anything against the representation of people’s ordinance against criminalization of Politics which was refused twice by the President of India and could not do anything to prevent the victimization of Mr Tarun Tejpal, who was victimized for exposing corruption at the highest echelons of the government. Now, from the way the American President has behaved on the Iraq issue, what is to prevent the local and national politicians to disregard the media completely? He has really set an undesirable precedent from the media’s point of view.

Does all this not convey the impression that the media’s well researched articles are just a lot of Intellectual masturbation which does not amount to much. At this rate, journalists will resemble heroines of some Hindi films; just having ornamental value. If this continues, they will resemble our Parliaments and our Budgets- conception without adequate implementation. The difference is that they are doing very good work but there is no implementation for no fault of theirs. Would they be satisfied with being mere spectators? I have read so many good articles like the one in India Today which stated how politicians never vacated government bungalows. However, thereafter both the media and the public forget about it after a while. What is the point in writing such articles when nothing is going to get implemented?

The media is clearly becoming a case of efficiency without effectiveness. They should adopt some drastic steps to redress the situation.  

Hiren Shah