Editorial: Only Independent Media Can Be Apolitical

…The more apolitical, the more neutral media is allowed to be, the more balanced it will become in weighting negatives and positives of a happening. The most useful step in the direction can be developing an arrangement in which different media houses can annually get a judicious share of government advertisement based on some consensus grounds…

In inauguration of the 62nd World Newspaper Congress and 16th World Editors Forum, President Pratibha Patil has rightly called for a balanced, fair, and more responsible approach from media. There is, no doubt, a tendency in some sections of newsmen to excessively focus on negatives of news rather than being fair, balanced by coming up with its positives, too. The ideal example in most recent memory is PM Manmohan Singh’s state visit to the US. The issue that Patil has raised is beyond the scope of today’s journalism, though. Gone is the era of Editors, long ago, these days media houses are either run by owners or promoters-turned-Editors, or are influenced by their commercial dependence on government and private sectors, where we lowly, poor hacks had little choice. Admittedly, editors still continue to be powerful opinion makers in the society who, as Patil said, help the public to understand developments through in-depth analysis. But the fact of the matter is that any expectation of godly fairness from media is futile until there’re efforts to make it free of market forces and political ideologies, something to which netas – those who hold share in media houses as well as those who don’t – can contribute more than journos. Yes, more freedom of press.

Well, there’s another latest event. Few days ago, an angered mob of Shiv Sainiks attacked office of IBN-Lokmat to revenge a negative report it ran about their supremo. So, in addition to market forces and political ideologies, the third factor controlling fairness of media is violence, too. In a country where freedom of expression is not free, where degree of tolerance is whether one confines himself to sophisticated ways of control or believes in physical punishment for ideological opposition, what’s of paramount concern is to clear away these rubbish first. True, Indian journos cannot match the passion of their British and American counterparts. We are, probably, not as unbiased as them. Many of us might even be tailoring news for our vested interest or political ambitions. However, it is yet not just to exclusively blame individual greed and ideological leaning for the mess. The more apolitical, the more neutral media is allowed to be, the more balanced it will become in weighting negatives and positives of a happening. The most useful step in the direction can be developing an arrangement in which different media houses can annually get a judicious share of government advertisement based on some consensus grounds, as much as good enough for their sustenance, promotion and financial independence.

We admit that job of editors requires objectivity, fairness and a deep sense of responsibility apart from intellectual capabilities, so arm them with a thorough independence – financial support and ideological tolerance.