People's Democracy

Media Lacks Social Commitment

From Kiran Chandra WSF, Mumbai

IN the developing countries and the so called developed world there is a complete control and concentration of the media into a few global conglomerates, bringing in a diminishing effect on the diversity, felt noted editor from India and news analyst N Ram, initiating the discussion on Media Culture and Knowledge on the third day of WSF in Mumbai. WSF organised a seminar on media culture and knowledge as part of its delibarations.

Countries like India, which have not reached the height of media organisations or corporate organisations, plenty of diversity still exists, though without any standards, at times though it is chaotic by and large it exists as a part of the state. Within these diversities existing in regional languages we find concentration among the media players against the democratic movements, Ram narrated with examples from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal.

Formation of media conglomerates is a direct threat to all that is democratic and progressive. Second aspect of the monopoly he observed that the media in the countries taking forward the imperialist agenda was all the more fragile barring a few independent journalists and small organisations. He supported his argument by refering to the media performance during the war of Iraq, and Afghanistan. They completely surrendered their independence, their values for truth and their commitment for justice.

Indian media when looked upon the issues on the coverage of Iraq and Afghan wars was certainly better than the world media but on the pogrom of Gujarat and the Indo-Pak issues the role is completely fragile, and is falling in line with the dominant national players.

Bernard Cassen of ATTAC of France emphasised that the media system acts in the framework of the economic system. The liberal media, which speaks about their belief in free enterprise undermines the freedom of the citizens to know the facts. One can respect the freedom of the enterprises but they have no right to propagate false ideas. The role of the Television media in Venezeula, role of media against Salvador Alende in Chile are a few examples, which justify this, he said. The media professionals and journalist unions, academecians and the readers/viewers constitute the media system, he said. The freedom of the citizens and their right to know the truth should be the top most priority.

Richard Stallman of the Free Software Foundation speaking on the dissipation of knowledge said freedom to cooperate with the people, use, change, distribute, share and improve the version is a must and the concepts of copyright should be pushed aside. If sharing of recipies with the neighbours results in one being put behind the bars and called a pirate, it outrages anyone, he juxtaposed this to the sharing of knowledge.

The so-called intellectual property is the coincidence of many things that existed. Hence this can never become some ones own property but has to be shared among all. For the dissipation of knowledge and having a good knowledgable system, is only possible when there is freedom to share with others and the right to translate to all languages. He referred to the free dictionary as an example with a licencing system allowing people to use it to their requirements. He said copyright has started in the age of printing press as a part of industrial regulations, which becomes obsolete and has to be pushed aside in the age of internet that is the era of sharing knowledge.

Fernando Martinez Heredia of Cuba speaking on cultural resistance and media said that the right to knowledge is a result of struggles of millions that coincided with the struggles for liberation, struggles against fascism and the struggles for socialisation of freedom and democracy. He said with the collapse of the East Europe an block internal repression and imperial aggression grew up and strengthened the right wing orthodoxy of conservative nature. It is clear that new colonisation is under way and imperialism wants the colonisation of minds by demanding consensus. Imperialism feels that winning the cultural war is a necessity. The experiences and the feelings of the oppressed have become unidentified. With the democratisation of culture and knowledge we need to work towards the dissemination of ideas.

The lack of strong opposition to imperialism today is an important point to note. Accumulation of a culture of rebellion and going beyond what seems possible is necessary. Resistance is more feasible in media, we need to keep in mind that we are amidst of an omnipotent enemy, an alternative media is a solution to it, he said.

Nikhil Wagle a reputed journalist, who has been targeted by Shiv Sena for exposing communalism, said Indian journalism has a vast history of social commitment. He quoted Gandhi and Ambedkar as examples in their commitment as journalists. He said most of the mainstream media has lost this perception and are a propaganda vehicle for Mutlinationals. He said consumerism and communalism are the two sides of the same coin of globalisation. Alternate media with a social perception in the regional languages is a necessity for the greater dissipation of knowledge and put up cultural resistance, he said. Aminata Traire from Male and Namwar Singh also spoke.