By P. Raman
Adi Shankara had propounded two levels of truth – truth as seen by the common man and what those who realised brahman perceive. The first is ephemeral and the second, eternal.
But in Narendra Modi’s India, we have three levels of truth. The first is what the obedient mass media presents, which becomes the public narrative. The second is the counter-points presented by the alternative media, mostly on web portals and YouTube and other social media platforms.
And the third is the ultimate truth or what actually happened.
When unfulfilled promises accumulate, totalitarian regimes routinely block free flow of information at the source. They fudge data to prevent adverse remarks by statutory institutions and find ways to silence independent think tanks.
In India, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), Greenpeace India, Oxfam and Amnesty International have had their access to foreign funds blocked and have faced raids. On the other hand, pro-establishment thinks tanks have been given government assignments.
The print media has been the worst victim of the content control and armtwisting. Its working dynamics, with heavy investment and cost of production, make it vulnerable to pressures and intimidation. At the same time, the print media’s very survival depends on the trust it builds with the readers. It cannot get away with irresponsible behaviour like television channels can. Newspapers are under pressure to maintain a balance between complying with the official line and trying to appear free and fair. So, while television channels were quick to fall in line with the new information control system, the mainstream print media took longer.
Going by political reporters, the PMO sends all of Modi’s speeches to journalists, who use these as the basic material for their reports. A set of headlines are also provided with important stories, from which they can choose the intro. These are reproduced without any negative remarks.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
