Media – The communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data are called media.
Nowadays ‘media’ is an integral part of our lives.
It is a term which collectively refers to television, radio, newspapers, internet and many other forms of communication.
These days’ social media is an inseparable part of our lives.
Types of Media – Media can be broadly classified into two types:-
Electronic Media
Print Media
Electronic media – Media that uses electronics or electromechanical audience to access the content is called electronic media.
Print media – Means of mass communication in the form of printed publications, such as newspapers and magazines is called print media.
Different forms of media:
Social Media: Those media refers to computer mediated tools that allow people to create, share or exchange information, ideas etc are called social media.
Mass Media – The means of communication through which we can communicate with a large number of people are called mass media.
Media is the plural of the word ‘medium’ which means mode.
In other words, it refers to the different ways in which we communicate in society.
Since it refers to the forms of communication everything from a small news item in the paper to the elaborate news in the TV; all can be called media.
Since these reach millions of people (in other words, the masses) across the globe, these are called mass media.
Media has strong links with:
Technology
Money (Big Business)
Democracy
Media and technology
Newspaper, television and radio are able to reach millions of people because of the use of technology.
The technology that is used by mass media keeps changing.
Benefits of advancement in technology:
Higher accessibility: The changes in the technology and modernization of machines have increased the reach of the media enormously.
Improvement in the quality of sound and images.
Changes our thinking: Technology brings about a change in the way we think about our lives.
For instance, television has enabled us to think that we are members of a larger global world. It has expanded our thinking.
Bringing the world closer to us: Through satellites and cables television, images travel great distances, thus enabling us to see the events happening in one corner of the world by sitting in another corner of the world.
Costs in Media
Media uses expensive technology. A news studio has the following expenses:
Equipments; like light, camera, sound recorders, etc.
Rentals for transmission satellites
Cost of human resources who includes salaries for newsreaders and support staffs.
Technology up gradation cost: Technology keeps on changing and media need to upgrade technology. This too involves huge cost to the media.
Note:
Running any kind of media is like running a business house.
It involves various costs and employees need to be paid salaries.
So, a medium needs some ways and means to earn revenue.
This can be done by various possible ways.
Revenue for media:
After understanding the extensive costs that media has to incur, it is obvious to find out its sources of revenue.
The major source of revenue for mass media is advertising.
Advertisements in electronic media:
There are lot of advertisements regarding cars, clothes, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods), etc. that are broadcast on radio and television when we are watching news/serials/ cricket matches, etc.
Advertisements in print media:
Newspapers also carry a lot of advertisements which are a source of revenue for them.
These days, all leading newspapers have full page advertisements of housing projects, cars, offers in super markets, etc. on their first two pages.
Media and democracy
Since a democracy refers to the concept of – ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’, the elected representatives are accountable to the people.
Media plays an important role in disseminating information about events happening in the country and the world.
Based on this information, people are able to understand how the government is working, how much it has fulfilled its promises and where it is lagging behind.
People can express their views/ suggestions and take action against the government based on the media reports.
They do this by way of: Writing letters to the concerned minister, Organizing public rallies and protests, Holding signature campaigns, etc.
The above measures are a way of asking the government to rethink its programme and decisions.
Role of Media in Balanced Information:
Since media has a significant role to play, it is very important that the information they give is balanced.
A report is said to be balanced if it reveals all sides of the story so that the readers are free to think about the next course of action.
For giving a balanced report, the media has to be independent.
In other words, nobody should have a say in what should and should not be included in a particular news report.
An independent media would give reliable and unbiased news.
Note:
In reality, media is not independent.
Government has a lot of influence on media.
There have been times when the government has censored the media.
An example of censorship by the government is during the Emergency (1975-1977).
The government continues its censorship in films but no longer censors the media’s coverage of news.
Independence of Media:
More often than not, the media does not give a balanced story. This is because:
Business houses control the media and it is in their interest if the media highlights only one side of the story.
The dependence of the media on advertisements for revenue deters it from reporting against people who give them advertisements.
For making a news interesting and increasing the public support for an issue, media tends to highlight on only one side of the story.
Setting agendas:
Since the media plays a significant role in deciding what stories to focus on, we can say that it decides on what is newsworthy.
An annual event at a school may not be covered by the media but if a famous cricketer is a Chief Guest at that function, the media will be interested in covering the event.
Media, by focusing on selective issues, has an influence on our thoughts and consequently on our actions.
However, there are also instances where the media fails to focus on issues that are important for our lives. Some of such issues are as under:
Unsafe drinking water: Every year thousands of people die due to illness caused by contaminated water. But media seldom discusses this issue.
Slum demolition: There have been instances where the media chooses one issue over the other when they are happening simultaneously
Local media – The media related to nearby area where person belong is called local media.
Since media will not be interested in covering ‘small issues’ that involve the lives of ordinary people, many local groups have come up with their own media. This is called local media.
Some examples of these are:
Community radio: These are used to tell farmers about the prices of different crops and to give many other valuable inputs to them.
Documentary films: These are low budget films and focus on the real – life conditions of different poor communities.
Khabar Lahriya: It is a newspaper which is a fortnightly that is run by Dalit women in Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh. It reports the issues of the Dalits. It has its reach to the farmers, shopkeepers, school teachers, panchayat members and literate women.
