Media Hierarchy

AS SOMEONE INVOLVED with the mainstream media—notably print but also, to a lesser extent, with TV—since the mid-1980s, I regret having to proclaim the industry’s growing marginalisation. I would still hesitate to call it irrelevance because, as I often discover at airports and a few gatherings of the well-heeled, there are still people who read daily newspapers and, more surprising, read the opinion columns of English language publications. But such people constitute a rarefied minusculity. It is a far cry from the days Girilal Jain thundered that, as editor of the Times of India, he held the second most important job in the country. I understand that these days the editors of mainstream publications are often chosen for their public anonymity.

There are many reasons why daily newspapers no longer occupy the top slot in the media hierarchy. In a country where a measure of literacy and education is a pre-entry barrier to the world of newspapers, it is only natural that TV will acquire mass popularity. Even in the TV news channel space, the eyeballs are secured by channels that design programmes with an eye on the lowest common denominator. The greater the shrillness and the acrimony among the studio participants, the more appealing the channel will be to the target audience. And, for a lay person to know what a particular channel’s target audience is, just analyse the type of products advertised. India’s middle classes and the upper strata of the working classes are getting increasingly more prosperous. Yet, there is huge socio-cultural gap between the top, middle and bottom.

A growing dissatisfaction with what we call mainstream media is driving more and more individuals to discover alternative ways of keeping up with the news. My 30-something son, for example, does not subscribe to any daily newspaper. The habit, which I inculcated from my grandfather and parents of combining the daily newspaper with the cup of morning tea, is destined to die out soon. A large chunk of the next generation, not least in the West, get their news from scrolling their phones. I presume there are newspapers and publications that offer capsuled news. Otherwise, the Googles of this world give us bespoke news that can be irritating in case we want a taste of something different. The news provided by the search engines are tailormade to pander to both our tastes and our views—all of which I find scary.

There is another emerging trend. An increasing number of people in India seem to get their news and opinions from YouTube channels, most of which are run by former journalists who no longer find a place in the mainstream media. I presume that the range of subjects covered by the online channels is vast, but I have only been exposed to two varieties. First, there are the podcasts—mainly emanating from overseas—which cover my interests in history and current affairs. These are not all that popular in India, although the occasional series, such as the one on the history of Empire hosted by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand, has been well received in India. Secondly, there are the political podcasts which combine some information with lots of opinion. The good thing about the YouTubers is that they don’t have any pretensions of objectivity. They are out and out partisan, preferring one or the other side.

Earlier this week, I was talking to a journalist who specialises in the politics of Uttar Pradesh and the goings-on in the Muslim community. According to this veteran, it was highly unlikely that the I.N.D.I.A. bloc would make any impact in the country’s largest state. However, she was intrigued as to why this obvious reality seemed to escape many of the anti-Modi YouTube channels.

The question posed was relevant, but it was also based on a lack of understanding of what YouTube media is all about. The YouTubers identify a public preference or a prejudice that needs nurturing. This could be a visceral hatred of Modi and BJP or even a fanatical preference for the ruling dispensations. In their broadcasts, these YouTubers try to create an illusory but gung-ho world that presents a portrait of imminent triumph. As a BJP man, I used to get very irritated by a clutch of pro- Hindutva channels in Bangla. They often presented a needlessly upbeat picture of the state of the opposition to Mamata Banerjee. This was until a young activist told me that these people needed to create a virtual world to keep their audience hooked on to their channels. Going by the dictum that people believe what they want to believe. If this corresponds to reality, well and good. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter.

I find the premise on which this New Media is based quite fearful.

About The Author

Swapan Dasgupta

•