Regulator For Media - Need of the Hour

           In the last few years Indian Media has grown into a big 'Monster'. It progressed (or i should say 'deteriorated' ) from a show like 'KBC' where you can win 1 Crore for your knowledge to a show like 'Sach Ka Saamna' where you can win 1 Crore if you are a morally degraded individual. When 'Rakhi Sawant' gives India 'Insaaf', there is something seriously wrong. Definitely Media is doing a 'lot of good', but equally or more its doing a 'lot of nasty things'. It encouraged and is encouraging 'lynch mob' mentality. News is no more just News, it has become a 'Commodity', so the media houses moved on to 'Packaging', 'Fabricating' and even 'Creating' News - Reminds me of the dialogue 'Tomorrow's News Today' in the movie 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. And another phenomena is this 'larger than life' image of chief anchors and journalists - NDTV is Barkha Dutt and Barkha Dutt is NDTV. Similarly Arnab Goswami is Times Now and Times Now is Arnab Goswami. Traits of our 'idol worship'.
                    The latest story about Media-Corporate-Politician nexus and Niira Radia's conversations with Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi is the 'culmination' of this natural progress/deterioration of Indian Media. See the chain of events - Paid News, Private Treaties. These Journalists have the guts to ferociously defend themselves and their employers don't give a damn about sacking them. Its not that they did something 'illegal', the point is about principles, morals and ethics of Journalism. When we read or listen to them, we think that they are 'true' and the 'Media' sets the agenda and 'influences' the thinking of people. In this article in 'Hindu', Vir Sanghvi says Niira Radia is just one of his 'multiple inputs' for the article he wrote in HT. So, 'We The People' are being fed News/Views/Analysis of these 'kind' of inputs and sources. We can guess the quality of 'other' inputs of Vir Sanghvi.
                  Coincidentally yesterday was 2nd anniversary of 26/11. What about the media excesses on that day 2 years back? Media's talk about Self-Regulation is just hogwash. In the 'garb' of Right to speech and expression, Media crossed all the boundaries. Its time to unleash a 'whip' and stop its transgressions. Its time for 'Legislature' to codify the rules of the game.

Social Networks & Governance

Facebook recently clocked 500 million users & 'twitterati' keeps growing/glowing. A recent editorial in 'The Hindu'- 'Governance & Fifth Estate' made some valid points about the use of this social network revolution. No wonder all famous anchors/presenters our Infotainment channels like CNN IBN, NDTV etc jumped onto this 'Fifth Estate' bandwagon. Recently i started following PRS Legislative on twitter @PRSLegislative. Its such a cool way to know what's happening in our otherwise boring, but important Parliament. Also i guess its a safer way so that people don't get cynical or violent by watching the proceedings on TV.  I guess in similar lines other important government bodies like Supreme Court, High Courts, different ministries -- what not everything that affects the people should start going 'social'. This increases the 'transparency' and is a good step in the direction of a 'participative democracy'. And i think the role of this 'Fifth Estate' becomes more prominent in these days where the 'Fourth Estate' is getting into murkier deals and is completely driven by corporates & vested interests who talk about the 'selling points' of Paid News, Private treaties.