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| Democracy: A boon to the fourth pillar | |
By Mithun Dey
It is a fact that a home is made up by the fourth pillar. Similarly, state of affairs is with the word “Democracy”. Like a home, as we all know media is considered as a fourth pillar of democracy of the sate around the world. The other three administrative bodies are Parliament, Administrative Department and Judiciary. In absence of any of three bodies, the government fails to run as it should be.
But today the media is with them for healthy democracy. Media plays a role as an instructive bridge in between the governing bodies and the general public. Thanks to The British Member of Parliament Lord Macaulay did give the status to the media.
Media plays a central role in shaping a healthy democracy. It reflects day after day customs of the common people. In today’s competitive times, media is required to market a common story in a hatke packaging in order to stand out from the rest of the pack. And this is where, manipulation comes into play.
In the 21st century, we navigate through a vast mass media environment unprecedented in human history. And mass media has made a significant attainment in educating rural illiterate masses in making them aware in all the events in their language. Yet our intimate familiarity with the media often allows us to take them for granted. They are like the air we breathe, ever present yet rarely considered.
The media is an important instrumentality of democracy and its vital role in the public sphere as a communicator cannot be overstated. The awesome reach that the media has, can be either used for the good of society or to its detriment. India is a democracy where political freedom is enjoying all the benefits of a democratic society, allowed to make their own political, economic and social choices. The media has a great responsibility in this situation to ensure that democracy is well served and the authority and sovereignty, vested in the Indian people as a whole, is not usurped by any group, any individual or any vested interests.
Freedom of press is the spirit of social and political intercourse. Freedom of press has always been a cherished right in all democratic countries. The newspapers are not only survey news but ideas, opinion and ideologies also. It is made for wellbeing of the country and its people. And it is the duty of each and every person related to journalism to save this fourth pillar of democracy.
In this age of information technology, we are shelled with information. We can touch the world events with just a click of a mouse. The media is keeping face with the technological changes and the internet, with the result that the companies are now looking for more techno-savvy and quick-minded people.
The internet too can play such a role, because of its interactivity, relatively low cost of entry and freedom of state control. The media have the ability to emphasize their role in building up and intensifying democracy in many fledgling democracies. Democracy entails an active participation in citizens. Ideally, the media keeps citizens engaged in the business of governance informing, educating and mobilizing the public.
Democracy exists everywhere around the world and it contains the proper representation of all the people are classified into various castes, classes, religions and ethnic groups. It is impossible to do anything without proper representation in the constituents. And the most prominent exponent is media.
Media suggests about the modern policies and programmes for India becoming a developed state. Its development has accompanied an increase in the magnitude and complexity of societal actions and engagements, rapid social change, technological innovations, rising personal income and standard of life and the decline of some traditional forms of control and authority.
There is an association between the development of mass media and social change, although the degree and direction of this association is still debated upon even after years of study into media influence. Many of the consequences, either detrimental or beneficial, which have been attributed to the mass media, are almost undoubtedly due to other tendencies within society.
The media works both as a conduit between governors and the governed and as an arena for public discussion that leads to more intelligent policy and decision making towards the end. Certainly, the enlightenment tradition of the press as public forum remains strong. Democracy has been a boon to the press.
(The writer is a Freelance writer and Contributor from Bongaigaon, Assam)
(Opinions expressed in write-ups/articles/Letters are the sole responsibility of the authors and they may not represent the scoopnews.in)
Editor, Scoop News
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