TLI Staff
New Delhi: As curtains come down on a leading newspaper, it warrants a look back on the change the media sector has gone over the years and why its survival is threatened.
Over the years, media companies’ reliance on advertisers has grown substantially. As a result survival and profitability of a media firm is directly linked to the financial health of corporates.
Among many advertisers, government is one of the biggest. Continuous advertisement flow from the government depends on keeping it in good humour. The more one offers, merrier he is. The rule of “what is in for me” applies strictly here too.
Needless to say, there is a cut-throat rivalry among media firms to keep government in a constant happy mood. It is an open secret and one does not need to mention it. It is there on almost all the news channels and newspapers for anyone to see. Its display is no longer a matter of shame. It is rather a moment of pride.
Gone are the days when people revered media houses for raising common man’s cause and rejected government propaganda. It is actually the other way round now and as a result the credibility of media houses has plummeted.
Most media houses are now run as a corporate entity with the editor tasked to ensure quarterly growth in topline and bottom line. Any slippage may affect their pays and perks. When foundation of an organisation or a company is laid, there are certain set objectives and a rulebook to achieve them.
The corporate functioning has also made media houses susceptible to the ill effects of an economic slowdown.
Together with the prevailing environment for media firms, an economic slowdown has spelt disaster for several entities resulting in closure of operations, retrenchments and salary cuts. No industry has been more prone to these developments than media but unlike what it preaches, the sector itself has remained a mute spectator and has let the situation prevail much to its detriment.
What has made the situation worse is the entry of complete non-players into the media operations. Their entry has been welcomed as in a difficult period such engagement can help operations to sustain. But the entry of property developers, politicians, criminals, crooks and corporates into the media outlets has brought in a culture that till recently was a complete “no go” for the media. The sole purpose of the newbies into the industry is to use and misuse the media platforms to serve business and political interests. Some of them use it for lobbying too.
These media entities have completely changed the landscape. Media company is, hence, like any other company and ready to go to any extent for profits — cash or intangible. In the garb of their media brand, they organize events taking sponsorships from bigger companies. In lieu of that they sell awards and trophies besides advertisements. No wonder, some of these media firms are busy doing events round the year. There are many deals they strike a common man does not know.
About 50-60 years back, when a media outlet was launched it was supposed to take up people’s cause or fight an ideological battle. It was based on no-profit-no-loss model like an NGO or a Charitable Trust. It was certainly not required to earn super normal profit as is the case today.
Some years back, a business house launched a newspaper to gain clout and then use it to get a mining license and clearances for power project!!
They have brought really a bad name for genuine journalists who joined the profession with a missionary zeal to make a difference. The unfortunate aspect is that such entry is not being resisted but is being welcomed. In the process we are creating dark web that would make even the most motivated and dedicated journalists surrender.
Also read | Modi government’s policy flip-flops, U-turns weigh heavy on economy
Also read | Modi government fails to deliver on economy, yet again