-Media democracy is a set of ideas advocating for reforming mass media and developing and participating in alternative media and citizen journalism.
-Media democracy cannot exist if private player take charge of all media.
-Government media players also not doing well.
-Women are exposed by media. This should not happen.
-Concentration of media firms in a few hands is not recommended.
-In India, press is free but media democracy is not there.
-Make media councils in every State.
Media democracy is a set of ideas advocating for reforming mass media, strengthening public service broadcasting and developing participating in alternative media and citizen journalism. We want to create a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of society and enforces democratic values. Media democracy demands that the media should be used to promote democracy and that media should be democratic itself. The concentration of media ownership leads to undemocratic practices. So, we are on the horns of a dilemma.
Media democracy supporters accuse that corporate owners and commercial pressures influence media content. The use of women as sex objects is also a burning issue. Just think – what a half-naked woman doing in an advertisement of bicycle tyres? She does not ride a male bicycle! News, opinions and entertainment that we receive are made up according the whims of media owners. We want equal distribution of economic, social, cultural and information capital. Political and Constitutional reforms are needed to bring about this change.
The concentration of media ownership in recent decades in the hands of a few firms led to stifling of opinions being expressed in the mass media. Commercialization of Media is not bad till it does not hurt media democracy. Media democracy is also against the concept of too much of media telecast, printing, publishing and web cast. TV stations throw programmes on air in a 24x7 pattern. Then, how can our children get time to read and score good marks during examination period? Pornographic content is also a serious issue which should be addressed by the supporters of media democracy.
A diverse range of content providers is needed so that viewers, readers and listeners receive the information from varying sources that is not tightly controlled, biased and filtered. We support this concept. Different sources of information are able to give content of fine quality. Then, consumers can pick and choose.
Media democracy supports those legislative policies that encourage a stronger commitment to serving the public interest and c commercial framework that facilitates independence.
In India, media democracy is affected by the corporate empires of today. The press is free but media content supplied by the private firms has commercial inclinations. Doordarshan and its organs do spread content. But they spread the content which Governments in power want them to spread. There is not much democracy in the public media either. If the rich man wants his own programmes to be made or telecast, DD Directors also do the same at Mandi House. The quality of DD content was very high during 1980s. Jut it fell in 1990s. Today, DD is not a major media disseminator by any norm. The number of TV channels is more than 500 that people do not know which one to choose.
The private firms must give good content, especially during the late hours. Pornographic content must be removed from interknit web sites. TRP rating system appears to be a farce. TV channels and programme producers are paying money to get high TRP ratings. This system must be abolished. Religious programmes are also sometimes misleading the viewers. Media democracy must take all these facts into account and request the Government to take action against the fraudulent people.
We must have media in private and public sectors. Further, Media Councils should be established in every State. They should prohibit the channels which spread substandard content.