Patna,(BiharTimes): The challenge posed by the WikiLeak is neither weak nor is it too small to be dubbed as leak. In fact it has opened a floodgate and the traditional media and the rulers, be it of the state, country or the world, will have to adjust or respond to the situation.
This was the bottom line of a lively discussion on “The Emergence of New Media and Challenges Before the Traditional Media” organized on the concluding day of the BiharTimes Conclave on Sunday.
Initiating the discussion noted journalist and columnist of the country, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta said that in this post-WikiLeak and post-Radia tapes era the world is witnessing a new form of protest, where protestors are not blocking the streets, but are jamming important sites, such as one meant for visa cards.
Today, not only the rulers but journalists, who had acquired a god-like image, have got exposed. “We have two faces of journalists at the same time before us,” he said adding that the new media will have to depend on the traditional media for making the fact reach the common people in the common language. For example, not everyone would go through the whole WikiLeak to understand what actually happened. For this it has to rely on the newspapers. “Now in this age you can not fool all the people all the time,” Thakurta added.
Noted documentary film-maker, Arvind Sinha, highlighted the problems being faced by the serious documentary films by the modern commercial films and the role being played by the so-called great actors in destroying it. He regretted that the government is doing absolutely nothing to keep it alive.
The former Resident Editor of Hindustan Times in Patna and now Director, Jagran Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, recalled how the media had played its role in 1990s without bothering about any threat or challenge from anyone.
Regretting that such type of journalism is missing in Bihar now he said that the media must position itself as a critic of the state. Urging the media not to buckle under any pressure he said that adversarial journalism is also a good business as the newspapers would sell more and thus attract more advertisement. But under pressure from management journalists have now adopted conformist attitude.
However, the Resident Editor of Dainik Hindustan, Patna, Akku Srivastava, tend to disagree with Mohanty and said that there are many journalists who are standing up before the challenge and the newspapers have enough of space for reporting issues involving the common masses. He said that those having backbone can certainly resist. Those who are unable to withstand the challenge of editing a newspaper now has an option in net-journalism, he added.
Mukesh Kumar, till recently associated with Patna-based Maurya TV, however, was quick to pick up from where Akku left and questioned the very presence of backbone in the body of many journalist friends. He minced no words to blast fellow journalists for crawling before the powers that be. Praising BiharTimes.com for highlighting the story of 4.72 per cent growth rate of Bihar in 2009-10 he asked as to why the entire media blacked out this latest figure. He said that today net-journalism is playing a great role but feared that tomorrow the same corporate bosses might hijack it. They are pumping huge amount of money and coming up with their own news-portals to hide all their misdeeds.
Yashwant Singh of Bhadas4media,com also warned of the corporate takeover of the media and said that the WikiLeak has exposed their hypocrisy all over the world. He said that it is better to adopt any profession rather than toe the line of corporate bosses in the media.
On the other hand Anand Pradhan of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, said that the print-media is facing serious credibility crisis. In the United States 70 per cent readers used to trust the newspapers till 1980s but by 2001 the figure came down to 30 per cent. He explained how the circulation of newspapers are declining fast in the West as alternative media is acquiring more and more space. He said that one can find stories against politicians in the media, but not against the corporate bosses.
While highlighting the role of radio the Bihar correspondent of the BBC, Manikant Thakur, said that one can not ignore its role even in this era of net journalism. However, he was extremely critical of those who were trying to suppress the media for their own end. He regretted that never in the last 25 years was corruption at such a peak in the state yet hardly anyone is writing and speaking against it.
Ajay Kumar, Editor of BiharTimes.com, who conducted the programme thanked the journalists for such a free, fair and frank assessment of one’s own profession. He said the media’s role is to show the mirror so that the fault and defects could be known and rectified on time.
Later several journalists and other participants intervened and expressed their views in brief. This include senior journalist, Nevidita Jha, Amarnath Tiwary, Soroor Ahmed, Jitendra, Nawal and several others.
The Conclave ended in the evening with Valedictory Session in which Brishen Patel, the Information and Public Relations Minister took part. Prof Saito of Japan had a few words of praise for Bihar and its people.
