These days the media - print, web or television are under severe competition. They have to look for what sells ahead of journalist's ethic about presenting the news to public.

This became a big topic for discussion as to which one should be respected.

If public want to know something and if it sells, what is wrong in playing that is one side of the discussion. The other side appears to be more orthodox group argues that public will have curiosity about knowing things that may not always represent ethical behaviour or polished manners.

Should there be lines of ethics coming in while reporting news stories? Especially when we are competing tooth and nail with other players in the business?

Because of the size of this country and the number of people that can be targeted by the media business huge amounts are invested in the industry and the players are under tremendous pressure.

These conditions led the focus towards business success ahead of journalist's ethic. The judgment now is now if something is newsworthy. The judgment is ability to sell. If two film stars kissing each other sell that becomes news worthy and that takes the front page. If Mahender Dhoni clicks his picture becomes the cover story. We write stories about things that can have potentially dangerous impact on a larger section of the public but that sells.

The matter of concern now is, should media cover those potentially dangerous aspects of the society at prime time to protect the interests of a very small section of population even if such a story impacts the larger section of the society adversely.

News

The explosion of investments in the area of news is the main reason for the news people getting into marketing mode rather than stay in the mode of being watchdogs and communicators to the society. You need to be creative about what you show or write and those stories also should have some spicy content so that they can get people easily.

Media should act as a watchdog for the society and so they have a right to cover anything that is a new dimension in the society or that has an impact on the society. But here comes the interesting part. Not many players in the media cover a news story as it is. They add flavour to it, they add their opinion to it and make sure that public opinion tilts in the way they drive so that the media player can convert that into a track for potential increase in ratings.

The element of unfairness in all this is - not looking at commercial aspects but the way commercial aspects were perceived. It is not argued that the watchdog of the country should be deprived of the right to get better commercial success. Instead of looking at those things that sells very easily because it is slated at such a low level to reach all sections of population, media can keep up the standards and help common public to mature into a stage to appreciate the higher standards.

We do not see too many things that impact our daily life in the media as prominent things. The society needs to know many things, we need to create leaders in each of the field and we have to grow up as a society. For that there are many issues - we can be warned about the way public places are getting crowded, the condition on the roads if there is an accident or blockage, we can be warned about bad traffic sense and manners and there are many other things that sells. Easiest of all is touching the primitive senses of human beings. By constantly following news paper, news portal or a TV channel can we judge which way the society is going?

There is a large-scale confusion about the social fragments. The economic divides are growing and in addition to business there are jobs that can give you very good income and push you into such a community.

There are communities such as software people that are earning lot of money at a very young age and what is going on with those people? Which way the education system in this country heading and is it correct? What are the consequences of becoming a dependent economy where we just play the role of "Delivery" people and the fruits are going into other countries that are investing on those delivery centres? What could be the psychological impact of having large-scale outsourcing business in India? Can we produce leaders in this environment etc are a few topics the media can look at and all of them sells because it is every body's problem of every day.

It is not only the very basic topics such as reproduction of crimes or news about filmi people or models but even constructive things can sell. While judging what is news worthy an analysis should go in as to protect whose interest are we portraying a story? Is the size of the population that gets benefited by the story is bigger or at least equal to the population that may get affected adversely. News is always that which can impact larger section of population positively.

Presentation of News

There is unfairness even in the presentation of news. One topic may be a good news item and society needs to know the new things happening around. But the way such a topic is presented can be harmful as well.

It is important for the media to present anomalous issues taking place in the society to make people aware of issues. Members of public will use their judgment while using the information they receive from the media.

However, if media presentation is opinionated instead of reporting of occurring of an event, it can impact the public opinion. With all respect I should say that not all members of the public are matured enough to handle the explosive information they receive from the media. We have kids, growing adolescents, youth, oppressed women who could not get good education or worldview.

Many sections of our society are deprived of education and maturity. So arguing that the members of public know how to use information is not a fair argument.

Several months ago I came across stories of society women having free sex with any man just for fun or relaxation published in the main pages of a very respectable news paper. The story rather than focusing the anomaly of the social behaviour argues that the way society is shaping into that and it may be acceptable because these are basic needs. The undertone of the argument was that this is acceptable in the changing social condition, which can easily mislead people.

I found an article about male prostitutes operating in Delhi and Mumbai and it covers the modus operandi and back ground of the players in such a way that it appears like an advertisement to invite women to seek this because some are apparently doing it and men to get into the trade. This issue may be a new dimension in our society and need to be communicated to the players but there are ways to write about. The whole story was not covering the right feelers. It shows a subtle approval of what is going on there and it can be encouraging many people reading it. So while something is news the presentation can lead to dangerous consequences.

There are many examples of such instances. While dealing with shaping of public behaviour media need to be careful to communicate the point as a news item rather than as an opinion. To inform the members of public about a specific incident or a behaviour pattern allowing them to make judgments, it is important to present the news item straight as an event. Mixing the opinion make the story spicy and so more sale worthy but it is not news worthy. The undertones in the reporting often motivate public opinion in the wrong direction.

Topics with positive tone were not getting realistic attention. Few months ago in one part of Hyderabad the police did an admirable exercise. They organized a meeting of the families of people died in road accidents. Each attendee has a sad story to share and the impact was immense. I could not resist dropping tears in seeing the pain associated with such incidents on family members. The police wanted to communicate this as a message to careless drivers that these kind of people are behind you and for their sake take care. This incident was reported in page three stories by some papers and almost very bad coverage from the electronic media. I felt that that such events should be carried in the prime time and repeat it couple of times. But that was not the case.

In addition, spicy titles leading to misunderstanding of the topic communicated should also be avoided. I read some interesting titles like 'does he opened his zip' or 'new sex icon of a game' etc. This is an attempt to brand an event of a person or just get cheap attention.

If the players in the media are so creative and can sell stories they better start media houses that sell creativity rather than news. In the name of news we cannot report stories that are spicy and impact the society adversely.

Sting Operations

The new angle to the media now is sting operations to expose a social crime. Investigative journalism is not born with TV news channels and there were incidents that led to large-scale reform of social and legal structures after exposure of some social practices that are detrimental to the larger interests of the society.

Invading privacy to expose a specific issue is prima facie wrong because the behaviour of the people involved in the expose is not natural. They were motivated to commit a crime or present misdemeanour and that is being showed as a crime.

The sting operations are by and large not news because the topic covered is often very narrow. Are we sure that Tehelka expose brought better management of Defence funds? Do we know that the Defence deals are motivated by highest level of ethic? Not sure. But the expose to some extent is permissible because Tehelka was not trying to spice up the stories and sell it self.

The exposes now being taking place about local doctor demanding bribe or a Government official demanding bribe or misbehaving with public are acceptable stories because the people getting exposed are public servants and they have to be transparent in conduct of their duties.

One important angle to this is most of the exposes of public mismanagement and bribery take place at the levels of section officers and below who are more susceptible to this because of their economic condition in the fragmented society. The expose does not cover a wrong decision of an elected representative to locate a public place in a particular area because he or his family members possess a large piece of land around there and this public place can boost the real estate value of the place leading to good profits for him or his family. Tehelka need to be appreciated in this because they have not targeted the susceptible sections of the society but those who can be above board because of their social and economic condition but gets tempted because of easy benefits.

Try catching up people who are not public servants and who do not argue greatest public manners and tempt them with basic temptations is un ethical because if you put yourself in the shoes of the person getting exposed and you cannot guarantee better behaviour.

The principles

Media should realize the responsibility vested on it by the society and the impact it can have on the society. To play the respected role media gets in the public eye a set of ethical code should be used.

Principle one - judge news basing on the impact it may have on the society. If the positive impact is more than negative the topic is news worthy.

Principle two - make sure that the sensitive topics are presented without interpretations and opinions. That will help public understand an event or behaviour pattern and use their produce to judge.

Principle three - do not show or write those things that can have disturbing impact on the society. Showing dead bodies in the TV closely or writing the modus operandi of a social ill such as adultery or prostitution etc should be not in direct terms but merely indicative.

Principle four - be sensitive to the demographics of the viewers or readers. Do not carry objectionable topics on main pages or at prime times, which can attract the attention of the young who cannot make judgments about the information they receive.

Principle five - try to focus on research to find out what positive topics sell like negative topics. It is easy to impact the basic instincts and sell but it may be a popular practice to alert viewers about public crowding or impact of wrong driving habits.

Principle six - our journalists does not lack prudence or maturity. Just use your journalist's brain more than the marketer's brain. If this is continued tomorrow's journalists will just be marketers and their creativity can do more harm than what is happening today because today's journalists have the ethic taught by their seniors.

And next generation will be deprived of such education and they will not have any intuition warning them about the immoral behaviour while covering a topic and making it news.

Venkat Manthripragada

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