Democracy
is the most popular form of government today worldwide, and India prides itself
on being the largest democracy in the world. In a democracy, the people are the
rulers as they elect their government. A true democracy means people's
government, by the people and for the people. Media plays such an important
role in a democracy that it is often called the 'Fourth Pillar' of democracy,
besides the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. A proactive media makes the
elected representatives and the public servants accountable to the public. It
gives voice to people, forms public opinion, and forces the government to heed
the people's voice. Media also plays an active role in exposing corruption and
other malpractices in government. Therefore, it is not surprising that powerful
people wish to control the media to manipulate people's thoughts. Though there
are other methods to control people's minds like religion, philosophy or
literature, nothing can beat the power of media to influence people's thoughts.
American singer and poet Jim Morrison said this aptly, "Whoever controls
the media controls the mind." There is no doubt that a vibrant democracy
needs a free press. When the press is free, people trust the media for knowing
the truth. When journalists are doing their job honestly, they are widely
respected in society and enjoy tremendous power. However, when the press is not
free, it loses the respect of the people. Tom Stoppard, the British playwright
and screenwriter, said, "A free press needs to be a respected press".
If the media becomes corrupt or biased, people are given wrong information and
fed with false propaganda of the political parties, which can misguide them to
choose the bad candidates in power, leading to the destruction of democracy.
(No. of words 288)
- Sunil Bhutani 'Rudraksha'
Email: translationclassroom@gmail.com
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