About the author- The author of this article Subhendu Bikash Tahal is a Gold medalist in BA(POL.SC) and currently pursuing Post-graduation in Political science at Utkal University, and has also qualified for Junior Research Fellowship(JRF) and eligibility for Assistant Professor in the National Eligibility Test(UGC-NET).
Without batting an eyelid we killed the news. Yes, we killed it, killed it by dangling the news by its leg, and smashing it against the shadow of the news- noise. In fright and out of shock the news died, but it died an unlamented death. Under duress the news anchor of our primetime TV debate killed it. The news that was the Prime embodiment of our civility is no more. The news in all its form has been killed by a coterie of self-proclaimed intellectually sound Anchors who claim to defend the freedom of free speech. However, the intellectually disconcerting effects the death has have left a profound imprint in the minds of the lover of debate.
Over the years the newsroom acted as a vent to let the fury of the opposition out in the public and ensured accountability as a pillar of democracy has all of sudden lost all its credibility. The difference between civilization and barbarity lies in the way the Individual actors within the frame confront each other. Civilization gives a framework to conduct debate and discussion without becoming a violent pawn of anger and frustration, while in contrast barbarity spurs the anger, encouraging the forceful and illogical to be a pawn of his own anger and win over others by force.
Look at the way the newsrooms conduct debate these days devoid of intellectually compelling argument the newsrooms are loaded with emotive and visceral issues, stoking the fire of hatred when they can, are vitiating the narrow space for intellectual engagement. Riding on the coattails of the advertising partners instead of promoting parley, they sow, with their grandiloquent and pompous vocabulary, the seeds of hatred and disagreement.
We are the proud inhabitants of a liberal democracy, the edifice of which is based on the self-worth and dignity of the individual. But did you see how the sustained attempt of character assassination by the newsroom anchors finally influenced the institutions to run after someone for a long time? Here the fundamental debate which has long been left to academia surfaces, the debate between free speech and individual dignity. J S Mill, the celebrated English philosopher said ‘all mankind minus one doesn’t have the right to stifle the voice of one Individual’. But let me ask you this question in a distinct fashion- should we allow all our media to snatch the dignity of an individual in the daylight? Silent as we are, voicing solidarity, standing by their side by paying our subscription, and watching them, we are not only harming our pure reason but have become complicit in the assassination of the News.
As abettors, the remedy must begin with us, we must strive for the resurrection of the news because without the news the nonsensical noise will dominate which will pollute our sacred space of engagement and may turn into the last straw to snatch the democratic rights which have long been taken for granted by us. A biased media is a gravedigger for liberal democracy for they hide the hideous facts and promote a regime presenting the romantic aspects of the men in power. The underhand dealing between the power-thirsty politicians and their status hungry Media Partners ultimate result in the casualty of not only the news but also the democracy as a system of government.
The entire world is eavesdropping on us, the largest and the vibrant democracy on the earth. Can we really afford to lose our sight of the degeneration of the media undergoing through? “The eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”, freedom comes with a responsibility, are we ready to be responsible? Or else we will solely remain responsible for the things that are not too far.
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