2. What are Media?
• Media – mass media; folk media; group
media; community media; personal
media
• Mass Media – books, magazines,
newspapers, radio, television,
internet, ads….
• Media – loud speakers, pamphlets,
computers, folk media, wall writings,
cell phones, letters….
3. Media as Social institution
Media play different roles – such as teacher,
priest, parents – reflect, reinforce, mediate,
promote, impose, spin – values, ideologies
worldviews and attitudes…
Media – a centre for power, profit-making,
influence, information, entertainment,
socialization, globalization …
Media as part of social structure –
interdependent and interactive with the
political process at local, national and global
level
4. Media and Politics – Alliance
Media as powerful media making an
impact on the political process
Political parties make an impact on the
society that media reflect the voices of the
political groups
Media and politics are interdependent
Media and political institutions are
independent aspects of society
6. Politics of Media
Media construct reality – Create and destroy
political parties
Media promote certain values and ideologies –
in and through various genres – work closely
with power centers
Media – mass media work for profit!
Audiences negotiate meanings with the media
Aesthetic means – form and content are
inseparable
7. Concept of Mass
Creation of mass and mass culture
Construction of public sphere and
segmentation
Public regulation and private control
New language – audio-visual and convergent
Word
Freedom VS Control
Bias VS Objective reporting
Individual VS Public interest
8. Media and Politics
Areas of interest
• media and politics – International level
• media and politics – National level
• politics and media – Regional level
• politics and media – Local level
• Media as Political institution
• Political institutions and Media
• Media and Elections
• Democracy and Media
9. Media and Politics - international
NWICO – Many Voices One World – MacBride
Report – NAM – UNESCO – Democratisation of
communication – transfer of technology – NWO-
Thatcher, Reagan – IPR- WTO, WB, G7, Patent
Media Monopoly – Deregulation/Ir-regulation –
Privatization – Media ownership – Politics – Rupert
Murdoch – Political Economic School-
Media and War – Weapons of Mass Distraction?
WMD – Manipulation – national interest above
international audience – BBC, CNN
11. Media and Politics - National
Why control – TV and Radio????? Prashar
Bharathi??
Political Scandal – Tehelha.com investigative or
vendative?
Divisive – Media playing into the hands of
politicians? – Hindutva agenda – terrorism reporting
Political fairness? Correctness? Self-regulation?
NDTV/H/Zee/DD/Star/God
14. Media, Myth and Ignorance
Huntington’s thesis on Clash of Civilization
Edward Said’s Clash of Ignorance
Ignorance does not refer to ‘not-knowing the other’ rather
means to ‘knowing more or only the negative side of the
other’. It is often articulated by the vested groups and so
can be identified as ‘articulated ignorance’ of the other.
17. India Today
No of articles
Islam Vs
Hinduism
Terrorism(Islami
c)Vs
Nationalism
Iconic clashes -
Picts
Colours (green
vs saffron)
1981 3 7 00
1992 14 21 08
2002 56 73 17
Frontline
No of
articles
Islam Vs
Hinduism
Terrorism
(Islamic)
Vs
Nationalism
Iconic
Clashes
Pictures
1995 12 8 3
2002 71 79 17
18. Media and Politics - Regional
No regulation – biased towards regional issues at the
cost of national issues – Newspapers – political
leaders articulation
Poverty, exploitation, caste are non-issues – Karma –a
factor – only an election promise issue
Negativity and populism become the criteria for news
– Shaping public opinion - emotional
Other as evil, monolithic group and a fixed narrative
in the print, visual and other media – coverage of
migrants, minorities and so on
20. Muslim
Refugees
Dead bodies from
the train
Bogie on fire
Post Godhra
hatredness
hum paanch,
hamaare pachhis
(we are five and
we will be twenty
five).
21. Media and Mythical statements
‘Christianity is a slow poison which is the cause
of peace and family felling among the tribals.
Christian missionaries have made use of
Government resources for the purposes of
conversions’. – Sandesh Newspaper
missionaries do forceful conversion in Gujarat -
Gujarat Samachar (a daily newspaper), Nav
Gujarat (a daily),
23. Media and politics - local
• Street problems as political problem
• Village versus Town in politics
• Violence and politics
• Voice of public?
• Representing Gender, Race and disable people!
• Citizenship and neighbourhood questions
• Yellow magazines?! Are they democratic?
24.
25.
26.
27. ‘minorities have to earn majority's goodwill’
“70 HINDUS ARE BURNT ALIVE” as Headlines.
“AVENGE BLOOD WITH BLOOD” This is a quote from a
statement issued by a VHP leader
THE ROLE OF NEWSPAPERS DURING THE GUJARAT
CARNAGE
HINDUS BEWARE: HAJ PILGRIMS RETURN WITH A
DEADLY CONSPIRACY
Boycott of Muslims
India will be a Hindu rashtra in two years…
28. Media as Political institutions
Cable Channels as voices of political parties –
Sun/Jeya TV – NDTV/Zee
Perspectives and ideological promotions –
indirect support of the government – ads-
anything against government as political mileage
Relationship between government institutions –
political institutions and media institutions are
complex
29. Political institutions and Media
Love-hate relationship? - Ownership-mutual
benefit relationship? – Professional
relationship
Media – industry – political parties –
popularity
Nationalism – fundamentalism – terrorism –
language – visuals – speeches – texts mixed
Privacy and public – construction of public
sphere – turning them into votes
30. Media and Election
Media Circus and Election mania
Public debate or popular vote game
Media use politicians or politicians use
the media
Media and Manipulation
32. Democracy and Media
• Democratization of the media
• Media and Democratic culture
• Alternative media
• Political awareness – Critical deconstruction of
the mass media
• Media Literacy – mass participation
• Other types of communication – grassroots
group, interpersonal and teashop
communication
34. ALTERNATIVE
MEDIA
Global to
local
Local to global
Cheap,
available
Effectiveness
Simple, plain
Easy access
to community
Development and social
change Democratic,
participatory
Against mass
media in promoting
culture of peace,
dialogue
Promote communitarian values and Individual
freedom
Inter-cultural
understanding
Purpose
Reaching the mass but
not for profit
Fair representation of minorities,
disabled, refugees…
Taking sides with
poor, labourers in
reporting
Voice of
the
voiceless
Culturally rooted, community building,
inter religious harmony
Praxis
35. Alternative
media
characteristics
Dialogic, democratic,
communitarian, local,
participation
Voice of
voiceless,
minorities
and others
Cheap, easy
access, non-
profit, simple,
non-
professional
Towards
Social
change,
human
dignity
and
development
Intercultural in nature,
culturally rooted, folk
culture, updated
interactive technology
Alternative
perspectives and
practices
Space for
disabled,
HIV/AIDs
infected,
refugees,
Eunuchs, and
less privileged
people
Promote a
culture of
peace and
harmony
36. Possible Alternative Media are posters,
writings on the wall, loud speakers, postcards,
Christmas cards, cards, flannel boards,
pamphlets, tracts, notices boards, notices,
magazines, newspapers, puppets, slide
projectors, audio cassettes, VCDs, DVDs,
Video cassettes, VCRs, television, computer,
websites, Internet, radio and special training
programs and seminars, fellowship groups,
street theatre; some types are - Christian
education, access to schools, festival
programmes, house-visits, worship, preaching.
37. Further Possibilities to explore –
- FM Radio Stations in colleges and
Schools for education and awareness
Narrowcasting, community radio…
- Local Cable Channel space or Cable
Channels
- Running a Newspaper for local
community
- Online broadcasting, webhosting,
networking the members of the church
and sending them clips of songs,
messages and information
