“If the Media is not
utilized as an instrument of social change, then change will pave its own way,
which can have lethal repercussions for society”
-
Prof Qasim Raza Siddiqui, 2008
Mass Media, an important
stakeholder holds a significant space in civil society and contributes
enormously in bringing about awareness for essential change in any society. Media
has this tremendous responsibility to let issues related to child rights –
children’s safety and protection, their right to Education, their health and
development and overall welfare as important questions to keep alive in public
debate.
It is continuously felt
that Media houses, owned by big corporations have political affiliation and
favoritism. It is largely this political leaning which contributes in deciding
what goes on air, with how much weightage and for how long. German sociologist
Habermas thinks the function of Media has been transformed from facilitating
rational discourse and debate within the public sphere into shaping, constructing
and limiting discourse to those themes validated and approved by Media
Corporation. According to his theory the interconnection between a sphere of
public debate and individual participation has been thus fractured and
transmitted into that of a realm of political information and spectacle, in
which a citizen absorbs ‘passively’. Thus ‘citizens’ become spectators of Media
presentations, representations and discourse which mould public opinion,
reducing citizens to objects of news, information and public affair.
However, having said that
there is no debate that there are many examples of ‘good’ journalism in the
recent past which has generated mass awareness around issues pertaining to child
rights especially child protection. In the recent past there has been extensive
Media coverage on Nithari case (2006) where innocent children were abused and
brutally killed and buried, the famous Arushi and Hemraj double murder case
(2008) a case of suspected honor killing, and the case of brutal rape of a
5-year-old girl in Delhi. These and many
others like dismal status of children living in shelter home etc gathered
tremendous media attention and somewhere very boldly questioned accountability
of the decision makers.
Media and Communication
systems is increasing becoming central areas of profit making in today’s modern
capitalist societies. I think 24*7 news channels certainly holds all capacities
to mesmerize and influences the thought pattern of masses to such an extent
that one might get filled with empathy by looking at sadden faces, abandoned
children and shock struck individuals giving media bytes to innumerable humming
media channel personnel. When I look at coverage of child rights issues in our
county, I am of an opinion that not all the news channels and newspaper
practice ‘responsible’ journalism/reporting. Merely by not naming and blurring
the picture or giving her a pseudo name does not ensure communication the right
‘news’ to the viewers.
Reporting and covering child
protection issues is not merely covering a sensational news piece but it goes much
beyond that. It is an act of bringing the issue of child rights and child
protection in public debate and policy discourse and thus resulting in serious
effort to capture the route followed to avail justice.
The issue of bringing
about mass awareness around child right is a serious sustained commitment and
political will. We house millions of children in our country who are
malnourished, live in extremely unprotected environment, who are often abused
in and are engaged in labor instead of spending their childhood in school.
There is serious challenge
for modern day Media to responsibly keep taking up child rights issue and keep
them alive in public discourse.