Proliferation of media has led to a manic outpour of news, that is more often than not, a quest for misconstrued or misrepresented versions of facts. The Oxford Dictionary defines “post truth” as the “public burial of objective facts by an avalanche of media appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Under the garb of Freedom of Speech and Expression, we are living in a warped version of a post-truth world today. Historically, media has been a great boon for society but in its current form, it is fast losing trust and credibility, a danger that can prove catastrophic for any democracy.
Edmund Burke, during a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons in 1787, claimed that those in the reporters’ gallery represented “the Fourth Estate.” Thus, Burke argued that the press was the most powerful of all the forces, driven by the compulsion of seeking the truth and nothing but the truth, underpinned by an ethos of public good. Historically, the press has functioned on the currency of “trust”, of the people it serves, for holding up a mirror to society, complete with all its warts, evils and fallacies as well as ensuring that the powerful are held accountable for their actions. More often than not, the press has done this right.
From the Pentagon Papers to the UK MPs expenses scandal and the Panama Papers lifting the lid on how the wealthy and powerful hide their money without paying taxes in off shore tax havens are all excellent examples of investigative journalism on a global scale. Aside from these global media powerhouses, there have been many unsung heroes from local papers and stations who have often challenged the power and unveiled atrocities of big business, politicos and bigots, despite being threatened or worse, killed. They have lived up to the best ideals of the Fourth Estate as the “force for good” that aims to improve lives and also strengthen democracy. Over the course of the 20th century, Burke’s prophecy has stood the test of time, with the information revolution and proliferation of technology, infusing an almost unparalleled power into organised media.
Lord Melbourne, the former British Prime Minister, in a debate in 1817, argued that “remind the conductors of the press of their duty to apply to themselves a maxim which they never neglected to urge on the consideration of government that the possession of great power necessarily implies great responsibility.”
As we embark on the second decade of the 21st century, it seems as if the leaders in the media industry have failed to live up to this maxim, be it Fox News, CNN, NDTV, Republic, The Economist or The Financial Times. Trust in the media is falling to a new low. Moreover, far too many people instinctively believe that the media, instead of being a defender against the post-truth world, has become an enabler and participant of old-fashioned lies, hot air talk, willful exaggerations, buffoonery, biased reporting, “alternative facts” and so on. Bluff and bluster hides from public attention issues that may be less “news-breaking.”
The Freedom of Speech and Expression, enshrined in most democratic constitutions worldwide, has been and is undoubtedly a cherished ideal in society. However, journalists have been using this democratic right pervasively to function as the world’s “judge, jury and executioner.” The President of the Republic India used these words in a recent speech and urged the media to be more responsible.
Interestingly, many journalists accept this reality of a crisis of trust. This perspective was best presented by Rajdeep Sardesai, a renowned journalist when he told the DW,”I think there is a credibility crisis, in that television news media in particular, is driven by a tendency to put sensation above sense in the search for ratings.” Similarly, on Fox News and CNN, we hear commentators and journalists alike call out exaggerations or willful misconstruction of the truth. However, these are not mea culpa moments. Instead, they only call out those who they believe do not share their “biases.”
Unfortunately, these incidents therefore exacerbate the lack of trust in the media in general, across the world’s two largest democracies and democratic societies elsewhere as well.They reinforce the idea that media is not as interested in pursuing facts, but keener about pushing particular narratives that suits its biases. The mediated to use the doctrines of “Freedom of Speech and Expression” to pursue ratings and their own agenda even if that means hurting or tarnishing the reputations of innocent individuals to harming national interests.
The issue of post-truth is not a Left Vs. Right issue. While politics and society have historically paid the price of misinformation and manipulation of fact, resulting in full-fledged wars as well, the phenomenon of post-truth today, has assumed disastrous proportions. The access to technology and information, supposed to prevent people from remaining oblivious to happenings in society, has made it close to impossible to discern fact from fiction. It has become dangerous to believe anything written or shown in the media.
That is inherently a clear and persistent danger to democracy.
Shamit Ghosh and Aditi Rukhaiyar
February 3, 2020
source https://indiaoutbound.org/the-media-a-ubiquitous-threat-to-democracy/
