If one were to go by the daily papers today, the impression would be that hindutva mobs are marching on the streets and ordinary citizens and minorities especially are not safe and being attacked in a random fashion.
Such has been the nature of reporting by the media. And this has resulted in intellectuals from all walks of life joining a chorus for restoring of communal harmony and curtailing the activities of the Sangh Parivar.
Some scientists have now jumped into the fray by writing to the President and expressing their concern over the deteriorating situation in the nation and comparing the present situation to a ticking nuclear bomb.
It is interesting to note that some of these scientists are actually based overseas. Is the situation really that bad?
Reporting should be of such a nature that it should not allow the media to manipulate public opinion.
For instance, when the Owaisi brothers made their hate speeches, not a single media outfit bothered to carry on a sustained campaign against spreading of such hatred.
But when the BJP government is in power, each and every incident is looked at with a magnified lens.
Equal prominence should be given to the lives of citizens; they should all be looked upon as Indians irrespective of their caste, religion etc. Then only will people’s faith in the system be strengthened.
That means a murder of a Prashant Poojary should be given as equal coverage as that of a Mohammad Akhlaq. Both of them are Indians and neither deserved to die the way they did.
By the same yardstick, both Praveen Togadia and the Owaisi brothers need to be punished for their kind of politics.
It is precisely this kind of objectivity missing in the media. They are ending up polarizing society more than before. Against this backdrop, it would be worthwhile to look at the wise words of NSA Ajit Doval, made at a defence convention.
“The media should realize that freedom of expression etc exist only as long as the nation exists. They should realize that their fate lies intertwined with that of the nation. They will either sink or swim with the nation.
If the nation goes, so will their freedom of expression etc. A nation is as strong as the will of its people. The will of the people is influenced by the media.
The day the people lose confidence in their fellow Indians and the existing system, it will be disastrous for the nation. It will destroy the will of the people.
So, the task of the media is to bridge the people and make the nation strong. In that lies the welfare of everyone.”
