Media and Politics - Partners in Crime??
Even as I begin to write this post, I hear the cry that goes round..."Why has Andy abstained from posting anything on his blog for so long?".
"Has something happened to him?" question a kindhearted few.
"Yippee And hurray!!! It seems that his blogging fever has subsided. Spared are we from his useless ramblings", go the majority.
"Ah well who cares! I always used to ignore his blog anyway!" claim an intelligent few.
But to the deep dismay of many and wondrous delight of a select few, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Back! :) (Or in the words of Psmith - "Fellow Comrades, the moment of rejoicing has dawned at last! The cry goes round, 'All is good!!! Andy is well!! And he blogs!!'")
Well Ahem...Now coming to the topic actually...Who does not know about the recent elections in Tamilnadu! It has created enough hype and hoopla to the effect that even the most lackadaisical bumpkin would have been pounded with more information about Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha than his mental faculty can handle. What with promises of land, rice, TVs and computer sets galore, the election turned into merely one of those village trade fairs where you go about bartering your goods in exchange for more pressing necessities.
And what happens when Media is owned by these very politicians? Chaos and Rivalry reigns... Lets take the case of Sun TV, controlled by Mr.Karunanidhi and Jaya TV, controlled by Jayalalitha.
Election Result Day in Tamilnadu: 234 seats contested. Counting has begun early morning. And early indications are that DMK+ might just sneak through. As soon as SUN TV get a whiff of this, they hasten to bring in the most dumb looking so called experts. Try to analyze the possible reasons for Jayalalitha's impending doom. "The public has finally realized what a true leader means", they stoutly claim. And secretly, they gloat over their success, while trying to point out a fallacy in counting in every region that AIADMK+ seem to be leading with a look of utter disdain on their faces. .
"Ah well who cares! I always used to ignore his blog anyway!" claim an intelligent few.
But to the deep dismay of many and wondrous delight of a select few, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Back! :) (Or in the words of Psmith - "Fellow Comrades, the moment of rejoicing has dawned at last! The cry goes round, 'All is good!!! Andy is well!! And he blogs!!'")
Well Ahem...Now coming to the topic actually...Who does not know about the recent elections in Tamilnadu! It has created enough hype and hoopla to the effect that even the most lackadaisical bumpkin would have been pounded with more information about Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha than his mental faculty can handle. What with promises of land, rice, TVs and computer sets galore, the election turned into merely one of those village trade fairs where you go about bartering your goods in exchange for more pressing necessities.
And what happens when Media is owned by these very politicians? Chaos and Rivalry reigns... Lets take the case of Sun TV, controlled by Mr.Karunanidhi and Jaya TV, controlled by Jayalalitha.
Election Result Day in Tamilnadu: 234 seats contested. Counting has begun early morning. And early indications are that DMK+ might just sneak through. As soon as SUN TV get a whiff of this, they hasten to bring in the most dumb looking so called experts. Try to analyze the possible reasons for Jayalalitha's impending doom. "The public has finally realized what a true leader means", they stoutly claim. And secretly, they gloat over their success, while trying to point out a fallacy in counting in every region that AIADMK+ seem to be leading with a look of utter disdain on their faces. .
Scene at Jaya TV: Commentator stares at the screen confidently...It's early morning. And he has 2 experts besides him. What could go wrong? "Amma shall surely win", says his heart. The program begins, and the results starts trickling in. And they don't seem good. As the realization slowly dawns that AIADMK is doomed, mood in Jaya TV studio turns grim. But these are strong people. Refuse to give up so easily. And embark on a new tactic. Refuse to update the counting figures. Here is what they had to say:
AIADMK+ : Leading in 85 constituencies.
DMK+ : Leading in 35 Constituencies.
Others: Leading in 3 constituencies.
Simple math tells you that 110 odd seats are purely forgotten. Unaccounted for. Where are they? You'll have to switch over to Sun TV for that of course.
On a more serious note, what happens when prime sources of information like media are controlled by the politicians? What happens when all that you see on these channels is what the politicians want you to see? What happens when the process of elections becomes a mere farce, where politicians turn to near bribe for pocketing those important votes?
AIADMK+ : Leading in 85 constituencies.
DMK+ : Leading in 35 Constituencies.
Others: Leading in 3 constituencies.
Simple math tells you that 110 odd seats are purely forgotten. Unaccounted for. Where are they? You'll have to switch over to Sun TV for that of course.
On a more serious note, what happens when prime sources of information like media are controlled by the politicians? What happens when all that you see on these channels is what the politicians want you to see? What happens when the process of elections becomes a mere farce, where politicians turn to near bribe for pocketing those important votes?
I am not referring specifically to Tamil Nadu alone. The case is pretty much the same throughout the country. Politics in India needs to undergo a drastic change. Recent surveys show that in India, only 9% of people trust politicians.(Sources- BBC). It seems that there is little that they can do to better our living. In the end, it only seems to be a "Power-play". The people with the most clout win, the people with the most motivation lose. And the media, if controlled by politicians, has a major part to play in all this.
One can only hope that with newly formed parties like Paritrana - started by a group of IIT graduates with a strong social cause, maybe, just maybe, things could take a turn for the better soon. But even the most optimistic would still remain doubtful about such a thing happening in the near future.
And thus I shall sign off with this open-ended question - "Media and Politics - Partners in Crime??" Comments are invited!
Words from the Wise: #5:
BATH THEOREM: When the body is fully and completely immersed in water, the telephone rings.
P.S: Edited for easy reading! :)
posted by Anand Natarajan at 4:40 AM
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