Paid News In The Indian Media

Paid News In The Indian Media The emergence of Media Corporation, through growing cross media ownership is having their impact on medias public service commitments. In recent times, the Indian media and its journalistic practices have been criticised for breaking the trust of the public. Indian media have successfully succeeded in growing their economy through cross-ownership and advertorials. Under the influence of profit making, commercial interests which are controlling the news content, as editorial contents are being sold like other commodities. This commercialization of the media content is evident in phenomena like paid news. News is meant to be objective, fair and unbiased. This is the only difference between news and opinions. But, recently, the lines between news and advertisements are blurring because paid advertisements are deceived as news which favours a particular organization or a person by selling editorial spaces. The media organizations misguide the readers by providing no true information to them. By doing this, the media questions its own credibility and is fast losing the trust of the society. The readers/viewers cannot distinguish the difference between a news report and advertorials. This paper argues that the media is no longer the fourth estate of journalism and has become like any other marketable product with reference to paid news. The face of journalism in India has changed. The press is mostly owned and controlled by the capitalist class (i.e. the rich and powerful in society; opinion leaders; gatekeepers), who can use the press to report facts which are convenient to them. Over years, the ownership pattern, organizational structure and the content of the newspapers have changed. They are on sale for paid news and private treaties. In addition, this paper also tires to observe the impacts and analyse the responses of the media, civil society and the state on paid news. Paid News and the Private Treaties Phenomenon 1Paid news is run to pass off an advertisement, apiece of propaganda and advertisementpass that as news, pretend that it is news that is paid news P. Sainath. It is a deal signed by the media organizations with an individual especially corporate houses and the candidate standing for elections, assuring them a fixed amount of coverage through advertisements and news reports in favour of them. In addition, additional fee can be charged to run negative campaign against their rivals. The paid news operation is done secretly and no disclosure is made before such news printed or broadcasted. Journalists willing or otherwise practice this phenomenon on a large scale. Journalists who do not wish to practice this phenomenon are either sacked from their organizations or the individuals are denied coverage and also suffer media blackouts. 2The advertisers, who are ever anxious to catch consumers off guard, believe that simply there cannot be a better way of breaking into consumer mind space than disguising the brand messages as news, which is more credible and convincing than raw advertising, says Santosh Desai, managing director and CEO, Future Brands. Such content is priced more than the regular advertising rates. Private Treaties Private treaties are signed with corporate organizations because media owners want to grow their organizations. In 2002, Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd (BCCL) launched this phenomenon of private treaties by singing deals with potential advertisers who could not afford mainstream advertising in return for equity shares in their companies. Many corporate leaders say that when the news space is available for sale, there are many buyers for it, especially when it meets their needs. Example: In The Times of India, Delhi Edition, Olay brand articles were a part of paid marketing campaign by Proctor and Gamble, India. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) reported that media organizations are entering into agreements called private treaties with corporate organizations whose equity shares are listed on the stock exchanges that come out with public offer of their shares. The media organizations are picking up stakes in such companies and in return are providing favourable coverage through advertisements, news reports and editorials. Repercussions of Selling Editorial Space Most media organizations are interested in making profits for which they sacrifice the ethical norms of journalistic practice in favour of paid news. The first paid news phenomenon was broken down by P. Sainath. Paid news is common in Lok Sabha and state assemblies elections especially in states like Maharashtra and Haryana.  [3]  As per media reports, the size of the paid news market in Andhra Pradesh in the elections in 2009 alone, was said to be over Rs 1,000 crore. In Maharashtra, it is said to be in multi thousand crores. A lot of evidence is available of the malpractice. Example: Ashok Chavan used the print media effectively during the Maharashtra state elections in 2009. Identical articles with photographs and headlines having appeared in competing publications carrying by-lines of different authors around the same time praising candidates claiming that both are likely to win the election hints at some unholy dealings. Nowhere, is there any indication that the publication of such news reports has entailed financial transaction or has been sponsored by certain individuals or political parties. Press Council of Indias draft report of enquiry titled Paid News: How corruption in the Indian Media Undermines Indian Democracy points out that the deception that paid news involves takes place at three distinct levels (Sainath, 2010a): 4The reader or the viewer is deceived into believing that what is essentially an advertisement is in fact, independently produced news content. Moreover, candidates contesting elections do not disclose the true expenditure incurred on campaigning thereby violating the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, which have been framed by, and are meant to be enforced by, the Election Commission of India under the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The newspapers and television channels concerned usually receive funds for paid news in cash and do not disclose such earnings in their company balance sheets or official statements of accounts. Thus, by not accounting for the money received from candidates, the concerned media company or its representatives are violating the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 as well as the Income Tax Act, 1961, among other laws. Edelman, an independent public relations firm, in its 2010 Trust Barometer Survey states that the Indian news media have been losing their credibility and trust among the people.  [5]  Over the past two years, trust on television news dropped sharply from 61 per cent to just 36 per cent, that of business magazines has gone down from 72 per cent to 47 per cent, and that of newspapers has gone down from 61 per cent to 40 per cent. Trust in the media in India as a whole declined by 7 per cent (from 65 per cent in 2009 to 58 per cent in 2010). This decline in trust speaks volumes about the future role of the media in India and the threats to its hard earned freedom. According to the 2nd Press Commission report, the role of press should be constructive critic. It must oppose an official policy when needed; support it when it can at most of the times, bring out instructive opinions on important issues covering all aspects/ angles to provide knowledge to people. Journalists are accepted as moral guides in the Indian society. They are accepted because of the foundation on which the concept of media freedom was built. India guaranteed freedom of speech and expression to its citizens. It is a fundamental right under Article 19(1) (A) of the Indian Constitution, which allows everyone to express their views as well as allows the right to print matters which are borrowed from someone or printed under the direction of that person. Paid News Syndrome and Need for Greater Accountability The paid news syndrome has become a debateable topic for various platforms. When the credibility of the media is lost, its freedom gets restricted. Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India said that the explosive growth in the media had highlighted the fact that the Fourth Estate is only one among the pillars of democracy that has an identifiable commercial and profit facade. Disapproving paid news in any form, Sitaram Yechury says that paid news is not merely a serious matter influencing the functioning of a free press, but it is an issue that also concerns the future of parliamentary democracy in India. Providing access to unbiased, unfiltered and objective news or information is the role that media are supposed to play in a parliamentary democracy. This comes under very severe strain with the emergence of the paid news syndrome. Strongly arguing against paid news, Arun Jaitley claims that those who are in a position to pay more for information expressed as paid news shape the human minds in this country accordingly. This cannot be free speech. At best, it could be trade, it could be business, and, therefore, the government has to take this out of the arena of free speech and put it in the arena of business or trade, all in public interest. Favouring deterrent penalty against those who indulge in such practices he suggests that in the case of (a) candidate, it has to be an offence under election law (The phrase) corrupt practice must be amended in the Representation of the People Act and this should be a ground for setting aside the election and disqualifying the candidate, and if parties indulge in thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦there must be action against this.

V.S. Naipaul

V. S. Naipaul Presentation Reflection One of my contributions to our V. S. Naipaul presentation was the explanation of Naipaul’s past and how it impacted the writing he would later produce. This is significant, as the themes of alienation, deprivation and colonialism found in One Out of Many stem from his early life in Trinidad, his relationships and his travels abroad. Naipaul felt estranged in his native Trinidad, as he abandoned the Hindu beliefs of his ancestors for agnosticism. Additionally, Naipaul found himself frustrated with the economic, political and social characteristics of his homeland. This led him to seek an escape via scholarship to Oxford in 1950. After completing his degree, he took to traveling around the world to gather writing material. Naipaul’s extensive travels have given his work a theme of colonialism, as the wide range of affects the British Empire had on its colonies are often displayed. His lack of a consistent home base is why he frequently writes from an outsider’s perspective. This can be seen very clearly in One Out of Many, as Santosh is cast into a society that drastically contrasts the one he had at home in Bombay. This situation is reminiscent of Naipaul’s departure from Trinidad to England, as there is no doubt that the society he left differed substantially from the one he arrived in. Santosh experiences prejudice and humiliation frequently throughout the story and it is not unlikely that these instances were inspired by similar harassment Naipaul endured on his travels. In addition to explaining Naipaul’s basic background information, I also explored his personal relationships. Our sources revealed that Naipaul has made several controversial statements in the past about a range of topics including female writers, the religion of Islam and the â€Å"Hubshi† or people of African descent. Our sources also indicated that Naipaul has been involved in abusive affairs with women and tends to feel that he is superior to the ones he has married. These views manifested in One Out of Many, as Santosh makes comments that are somewhat racist and sexist. He does not even provide the name of the woman he is romantically involved with, only referring to her as the â€Å"hubshi woman† or maid. Lacking this biographical information, readers would be left to guess what inspired Naipaul’s works and would be deprived of a deeper understanding of One Out of Many. Readers would also be left with a much more negative image of Naipaul, instead of recognizing the cultural differences he is characterized by.

10 Reasons to Get a College Degree Essay

In the article â€Å"10 Reasons to Get a College Degree† by Kelci Lynn, she discusses tangible and intangible reasons on why getting a college degree is important. One tangible reason is that a person with a college degree will be able to make more money than a person without a college degree, and able to get a better job than a person without a college degree. Leaving the person with the college degree with a larger range of income. A second tangible reason is better job opportunities. It is easier to get a good job with a college degree compared to a person without a college degree. With a college degree in hand, it opens up more and/or better job opportunities. A third tangible reason to have a college degree is that is prepares you for situations in life that have yet to occur. A degree better prepares someone for changes that can occur in the world around them when thrown their way. They will know how to handle and overcome them once they happen. One intangible reason on why to get a college degree is that it makes someone feel better about them self knowing that they accomplished something. See more: Experiment on polytropic process Essay A second intangible reason is a college degree can help someone realize that they can do and accomplish bigger and better goals and/or dreams. The third Intangible reason is that while getting a college degree is gives a person an opportunity to meet and become friends with a lot of people that could become helpful to them in the future if needed. For example: A doctor, lawyer, or even a teacher. I am attending college to get a degree for a few reasons. One reason is because I want to set a good example for my younger siblings so they will go farther with their life and want to go to college when they get older. I want them to be able to look at me and think to themselves that they can also accomplish something with their life, and be able to have better opportunities instead of just settling with a GED. A second reason is because I want to become successful as a person and actually do something with my life by having a career instead of just a job. With a college degree I will be able to go farther in life than I would without a college degree. A Third reason why I am going to college is I want to have the chance to be able to have a better income, rather than making minimum wage for the rest of my life. With the job I have now I hardly have enough money to put gas in my car, but by getting a college degree I can have a career instead of just a job and have a better chance of making a higher income. One of the last reasons why am attending college to get a degree is because I want to open more doors in my life. I would like to have more opportunities with the choices I am going to have to make in the future, so I can have a greater chance of becoming successful at what I want to do.

Gender in a Dolls House the Importance of Being Ernest

How Is Gender Represented In ‘A Dolls House And ‘The Importance Of Being Earnest? A Dolls House and The Importance of Being Earnest were both written in the late nineteenth century at a period in time when gender roles in society were not only significant to the structure of society but were restrictive and oppressive to individuals. This was particularly true in the case of women who were seen as the upholders of morals in polite society and were expected to behave accordingly. A Dolls House and The Importance of Being Earnest challenge society and its inclination to categorise and expect certain behaviour of individuals based on their gender. In its historical context A Dolls House was a radical play which forced its audience†¦show more content†¦A successful individual is judged largely on whether they have fulfilled the expectations of their gender. A man who was dominated by his wife or an unmarried woman, for example would not command respect from society. The marital home in A Dolls House is greatly affected by outside influences and what people will think of what is happening inside. Likewise a marriage or an individual performs how it believes is appropriate in reaction to the gender constructions and expectations of society. As Ibsen demonstrates the inclination of individuals to live their life as a performance for society by complying with societys gender constructions, so Wilde addresses this issue in The Importance of Being Earnest. Wildes communicates this by creating characters who do not display typical traits of what was expected of their gender and position in Victorian society. The Importance of Being Earnest mocks society for the pressure on individuals to act in accordance with gender expectations. Wilde dismisses the need for individuals to acquiesce to convention by ridiculing and belittling the performance of gender roles in particular situations, for example the interview between Lady Bracknell and Jack over his eligibility to marry Gwendolen. Typically this is a situation which would beShow MoreRelatedEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 Pageson the Floss The Awakening Moby-Dick Billy Budd Mrs. Dalloway Bleak House Native Son Bless Me,Ultima One Hundred Years of Solitude Catch-22 Othello Crime and Punishment The Scarlet Letter The Crucible Slaughterhouse-Five A Farewell to Arms Song of Solomon Ghosts The Stone Angel The Great Gatsby The Stranger Heart of Darkness A Tale of Two Cities The House of Mirth Their Eyes Were Watching God Jude the Obscure 2003 (Form A): According