Shilpa Shetty case
There is a common adage that "the pen is mightier than sword". And media has got that pen in its hand which can impact the life of ordinary people. We are in the 21st century where we talk about information technology in every aspect of life. Today any news from any part of the world spreads in seconds with the help of technology. When in mid eighties Reuters was started, its Paul Julius Reuter, he would have never thought that media would reach to such heights in future. Media is using the latest technologies available to reach to each and every house, even in the remotest corner of the world. It has made such a huge impact in our lives that, what they serve are not just merely news but thoughts that influence our lives. Whatever we see happening around us, we try to emulate them and our actions are directly or indirectly affected by what media is showing us.
In India alone there are more than hundreds of news agencies, news papers, and news channels. And with the advent of internet, its spread has become myriad. This incumbency of news media in our lives has got its own pros and cons. It is like a wild horse, if tamed will make you win the race with its sheer vigor but if it is not then it can create havoc. Democracy is all about freedom and liberty, and Freedom of Press is one of the aspects of a democratic country. And it is the responsibility of press and media to bring the correct news to its consumers.
As there are so many news channels and there is fierce competition amongst them to sustain there TRP ratings so as to get the best business from its advertisers. They sometimes forget their core responsibility of bringing in the right news to its viewers. The prime time of these news channels consists mainly of masala news rather than those which really impact us. They are not the only one to be blamed but also its people like us who like to watch such news for entertainment. On the eve of Republic Day this year, it was only Doordarshan which aired Independence Day proceedings for maximum time, where as other news channels were busy analyzing the latest book, Line of Fire released by Pakistan President Parvez Musharraf. This in itself shows the importance of Masala news to the news channels. Media should not forget its social and moral responsibility towards the nation and towards the people whom they serve. The work of media is to sell news which is free from any alterations, but now such is the trend that media doesn't sell news it sells gossips as there is a lot of adulteration in the news that is being delivered to its viewers.
During the freedom struggle of India every freedom fighter use to run his own press by which he used to convey nationalist feelings to the readers. That was a time when press was used as a tool to inspire and motivate ordinary Indians and fill there heart and mind with patriotism. Now is a time when news channels use the media to earn money. They still inspire ordinary people but towards more of a materialistic living and a whimsical society, which eludes the feeling of nationalism.
Media knows that it can make or break the image of a person; they forget the difference between right and wrong. All they want is news which can sell. Be it from Nandigram about the land acquisition or from West Indies about World Cup cricket. Be it about the escape of Prince from a pit or the Shilpa Shetty controversy in Big Brother. They surely know how to make heroes and zeroes. There is nothing called private life if you are a celebrity, you have to share everything with your fans, courtesy media.
If we take the recent Shilpa Shetty case, media played god and showed us its strength in impacting decisions and mindsets of people. Even the script writers of the show would not have imagined that the popularity of the show would rocket sky high due to the controversy. The viewers of the show increased manifold in a matter of days. And the money that was generated was more than the expectations of its producers.
A time when Shilpa was a forgotten face from the Indian film industry and was stepping into the dusk of her career, a new spring of life was infused into her by the publicity that she got from Big Brother. And undoubtedly she thanked the media for what she had achieved, by regaining her self-respect and dignity by winning the show. Had it not been the hyping of the issue by media she would have been ousted from the show much earlier than she would have imagined.
Jade Goody would not even have imagined in her wildest nightmares that after her racist remarks on Shilpa Shetty she would become the most hated person in the world. When Shilpa Shetty joined the show she was not the favorite to win the show. However, after the controversy, it was evident that she will win it. Media played an all important role in the outcome of the show. After the racist remarks by Jade Goody, every Newspaper and every News Channel aired the controversy on their channels. This led to a world wide protest from all corners of the world. Overnight Shilpa Shetty became a global celebrity from an indigenous one. Media criticized the remarks through open discussions and special programs. All this hoopla lead to the winning of Shilpa Shetty in Big Brother, which was based on the audience polls. It was the media which orchestrated Shilpa Shetty's win.
The impact of media was so much that soon this became an international issue. People from Asian origin started protesting outside government offices. Politicians took political mileage out of it and criticized the British government. In India there was a storm in the parliament, a place where issues of national importance are to be discussed; our MPs were busy discussing about the show. Such is the influence of media in hyping the issue that a committee was set up in UK and it probed into the racist remarks made in the show. Its findings were made public and Jade Goody was found guilty, she had to apologize in public for her remarks made to Shilpa Shetty.
But after this hullabaloo what came out of this controversy was a rejuvenated career for Shilpa Shetty and an increased TRP rating of the Medial channels.
Democratic India provides us with the Freedom of Press but it also outlays some Fundamental Duties, which needs to be performed while cherishing our rights. Media should shed its image of acting as god and understand its true responsibility. The power of pen is mightier but with power also comes responsibility. We need a media which is responsible and portrays the correct picture in front of its viewers. It should act like a media and not a medium which adulterates news. Media should understand that the base of independent and free country lies on the pillars of Freedom of Speech and no one can exhibit it better than media itself. But playing god will not augur good for the media.
Arindam Banerjee
