This Day of Democracy, we asked our users if they think our journalists are doing their jobs effectively, or completely moving focus away from critical issues like the falling GDP, loss of jobs and deteriorating healthcare – the real issues that matter! They wrote, and in abundance. While most seemed downright disappointed and utterly let down by media’s understanding of what the nation truly wants to know, some expressed unreservedly how much the selective vilification of certain celebrities angered them; while many also shared what they’d actually like to see covered instead of panelists wrangling over matters of little or no significance. Here are our top ten picks on whether the Indian media is strengthening or weakening our democracy!
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Idiot Box To ‘Fascist’ Box: Mainstream Media’s Progression Over The Years
Published by Sushruta on September 18, 2020 | Culture, Society, Staff Picks
Television has often been christened as the “idiot box” due to its ability to destroy creativity, suspend critical thinking, and alienating human beings from their material conditions and their social, interpersonal relationships. However, from what has been collectively witnessed for the past month or so, television (and mass media in general) has become what we […]
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Sensational and Narcissistic: Why There Is Nothing Exclusive About Indian Media Anymore
Published by Sunil Kumar on September 16, 2020 | Culture, History, Politics
Early Ruminations on Media:The launch of Hickey’s Bengal Gazette, India’s first newspaper heralded the arrival of an age defined by media. Since then, public opinion has never remained the same. It is widely acknowledged that newspapers and radio became handy tools with the crusaders of the Indian freedom struggle.So, if MK Gandhi reached out to the illiterate […]
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Quick Byte: Dear Indian Media, Can We Believe In You?
Published by varun pandey on September 15, 2020 | Culture, Society
Dear Indian media,You stand for people. You stand for their voices. And, ‘people’ does not mean the majority, nor just our fellow Indian nationals, it should include people from every corner of the world. Each one of us, no matter where in the world we live, we need you.You carry a great responsibility of equipping […]
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Will Democracy Survive The 2020 Media Culture?
Published by Mumtaz Rehman on | Culture, Politics, Staff Picks
When people trust each other and distrust their politicians, they get a democracy. When people distrust each other and trust their supreme leader you get fascism.The question is how do you express your needs to the people for whom you voted; the people on whom you trusted because of the big promises that they made […]
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Opinion: If We Don’t Question The Indian Media Now, They Will Kill Democracy
Published by Srujani Mohinta on | Culture, Staff Picks
Hi Indian media,It’s been a while since I saw some real news from you. You possibly don’t know me, but I know you very well. I wished to work for you. I am an aspiring journalist, not sure if I should continue to be one in the future. But thank you for making me question […]
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The Vilification Of Rhea Chakraborty Discomforts Me As An Indian Woman
Published by Asra Naaz on | Culture, Staff Picks
TW: Violence against women, mentions of rape and assault. “Women face an uphill battle, from sexism and violence to inequality. In some areas, they are forced to deal with a culture that promotes primitive practices that endanger them, not just physically, but emotionally as well.”- Hagir Elsheikh, Through Tragedy and Triumph: A Life Well-Traveled.There is […]
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Indian TV Channels: The Case Of Rising TRPs And Falling Democracy
Published by Zainab Khan on | Culture, Staff Picks
The media today is ascending the mountain of TRPs by crushing democracy. But this did not happen all of a sudden. The media has been playing its dirty cards for a long time now, it’s just that a clearer picture of the destruction caused by them is visible now.But what does the media have to […]
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Self-Interest Of Private Individuals Is A Driving Factor Behind Our Media Coverage
Published by Tanisha Venkani on September 12, 2020 | Culture, Staff Picks
When I was 15, I remember watching news channels and all the panache that news anchors and the field reporters had. Whenever alone, in my room or my bathroom, I would pretend to read the news or make my comb a microphone that I would interview people with. Using the same tone and vocabulary as […]
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There’s A Lot To Talk About, But Does The Indian Media Want To?
Published by Migita Dcruz on September 11, 2020 | Culture, Staff Picks
The word ‘media’ appears to mean many things in various cultural contexts. I’m trying to unpack some of them here.For historians, it is a geographical name for an ancient country and former province of the Persian Empire in the northwestern part of modern Iran. For sociologists and anthropologists, it implies a medium of cultivation, conveyance, […]
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Dear Indian Media, I Have A Brain That Can Think On Its Own, Thanks
Published by Aulina Pandey">Aulina Pandey on | Culture, Staff Picks
For the longest time, the image of a journalist was similar to that of an activist. A person wearing a kurta, a jhola, specs and asking the hard questions. As time progresses, one would expect that such an image would only get better and as more people come out of fancy journalism schools and colleges […]
Some also conveyed their point, very to-the-point, in response to our IG AMAQ. Swipe left to read!