POLITICAL DEBASEMENT & MEDIA DESCENT

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POLITICAL DEBASEMENT & MEDIA DESCENT

Whatever might be the reasons thereof, there is an unison of thought in the acceptance of the fact that there has been marked political debasement in the last couple of decades. Everything happening inside however much repulsive and crass is acceptable to the political class. Their interface with the outside world slowly started reflecting this harsh reality, it could not be hidden for long. Being public figures and in the eye of the storm, they started defending every act of debasement and more often than not, they were hugely successful. The feelings of their constituents were slowly numbed.

The professionals, thinkers, scientists, researchers, academicians and so to say, the worthwhile civil society, can provide immense value to the nation in a variety of ways. Given the nature of politics, politicians, government and governance of this country, they were broadly forced to keep away from anything political. Stark political debasement in all its forms and manifestations, has become the order of the day. This is India’s new political normal. The electorate, civil society and all who aspire to have a worthwhile political class have just given up.

Not that these elements would not like their voices to be heard and make change happen, but the biggest challenge is that the descent of media has been directly proportional to the political debasement. There is no voice left for this class. Whether there is quid pro quo or not between can be left to your imagination, but that would not require any soul searching or hindsight or foresight. It is out there for everyone to see. Unfortunately, it is not only the media; academicians, experts and professionals of dubious type are also doing the bidding. Media has a ready spin on the content and tenor of discussion issues, that it is driven by people’s preferences.

We can only choose from whatever is served to us. It can also happen that a media blitzkrieg of nonsense changes the taste of the masses. Making money at any cost is business ethics of the fourth estate. The 24/7 news cycles put a very different type of pressure, this can be one of its major manifestations. Sensationalism became the order of the day. Media houses started catering to specific political dispensations and ideologies, amplifying deliberately existing biases to the advantage of their political bidders and fueling polarisation. The focus on ratings often leads to a decline in investigative journalism and fact-checking, which does not catch their fascination in any manner. Media engaging in hate content, personal attacks, and dissemination of inflammatory content with a purpose is part of this descent. Whatever is left, the social media more than compensates through troll and well proven echo chamber techniques.

POLITICAL DEBASEMENT MANIFESTS IN A VITRIOLIC MANNER THROUGH THE UGLY DESCENT OF THE MEDIA.
Sanjay Sahay

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