The NewSense

December 18, 2009

Hubli: The outlook magazine editor-in-chief Vinod Mehta has written a special article on News being sold for money. He has shown his concern for ‘paid for news’ as if he is ethical journalist who has enlightened just day before yesterday. The whole India knows that journalism is being sold since almost all decade in India. It is not some thing which is new. Everybody including politicians is using it rather buying it according to their requirement. Even Vinod Mehta’s honesty towards the journalism is questionable as he is/was congress loyal. Now coming to the core issue whether is there any ethics left in journalism? The answer seems to be simple and it is NO. As people say large sections of Indians are idiots and what’s even worse is that majority of these idiots are in politics. The rest are journalists. The best solution is to believe that media is a business and all news presented reflects personal interest of the media house. Then there will be no more hypocrisy around this issue. In India what is not there for sale? Citizens of India sell their vote; elected members sell their loyalty and membership for parties; ministers sell their loyalty for portfolios; even chief minister has to sell himself to the high command for being and to remain chief minister. Everywhere it is purely business transaction. Elected members have to be paid for asking questions in parliament. Independent members and other party members have to be paid for getting their support at the crucial hours in parliament. Nothing comes free in Indian democracy. And fourth estate is absolutely a part of this system. Every branded media print or visual has its own affiliation towards its sponsors and owners. Running the fourth estate is more of business now days and they just can’t depend on reader’s subscription. One of the essential pillars of this estate is money and it is matter of survival for media. Thanks to globalization even foreign people can have stake in Indian media. Already Rupert Murdoch is on the way to India and Indian media. It is matter of time before people like Mehta will have global leaders to please. Today we are fighting Indian media being loyal to congress or BJP, but soon their will republican and democratic media centers in India also. Every media house is owned by business institution and it is matter of profit and loss in the end not ethics and principles.