HVK Archives: The Aliens are coming
The Aliens are coming - Mid-day
M V Kamath
()
1 January 1997
Title : The aliens are coming
Author : M V Kamath
Publication : Mid-day
Date : January 1, 1997
Two months after the launch of the Indian version of Cosmopolitan (the
glitterati calls it 'Cosmo'), the Indian version of the French magazine Elle
has hit the stands. Cosmo comes to Indian socialites courtesy Living Media
India Ltd, the Publishers if India Today Elle comes to us courtesy the
Bhartiyas. C M Ibrahim, where are you?
The information minister swears that he will not allow the entry of foreign
media in India. Brave words. Cat is Cosmpolitan, pray? And what is Elle?
Desi? Who is fooling whom?
These magazines are, of course, priced high so that the not-so-affluent among
Indian womenfolk will not have easy access to them. They will have to be
either borrowed or stolen but, no doubt, in due course, they too will become
available just as The-Bold And The Beautiful is now available to anyone who
knows which button to push.
There are various ways of destroying India. The communication medium is one
such weapon and it is being used with the concurrence of Indians themselves.
Like Amitabh Bachchan, they will tell you that what they are doing is in
India's interests. Hasn't Bachchan shown to the world what India is capable
of? The man is strutting on the information highway like a peacock in all its
finery.
The Bhartiyas, no doubt, are feeling much the same. The lady who edits and
publishes Elle was asked by Outlook (December 25) whether the desi component
would finally form the core of the journal or only the crust. What would the
ratio read like? Back came answer: "Just the heart. The ratio would read any
which way my reader wants."
Any which way, presumably, the reader wants to be instructed - or is it
corrupted? - in French style. Aren't we all, the Bhartiyas, the Godrejs et
al, errr... very sophisticated?
The Leftist Praful Bidwai says in Humanscape (December, 1996): "The principal
feature of media globalisation is what I call 'Murdochisation', ie the
violent reshaping of media institutions in a fashion typical of Rupert
Murdoch." Humanscape, incidentally, has devoted its December issue to the
media.
Violent reshaping of media institutions has already begun in right earnest in
India and Bidwai may not know, or may not care to acknowledge. What,
incidentally, does 'Murdochisation' mean? According to Bidwai, it involves
the very destruction of the media as a responsible institution that
disseminates information and promotes debate. Three 'tendencies' mark
'Murdochisation'. First, the complete subsumption and subordination of the
editorial process under the management and a total loss of editorial
independence. Second is Complete contempt for truth and honesty and resort to
the worst forms of censorship. Third, political lobbying as an integral part
of media operations.
Bidwai says that Murdoch has shamelessly bribed political leaders. But
doesn't everybody bribe everybody else these days? Bidwai says "serious
analytical writing is at a discount". He should talk to some of the
newspapers to which to contributes. As for loss of editorial independence,
with the response department taking over editorial, has Bidwai been talking
to some of the editors which boast of being national and with high
circulations? He may still learn a thing or two.
Incidentally, Bidwai should remember that there has been no "malicious"
campaign against M F Husain. What has been criticised in some sections of the
press is Husain's depiction of Saraswati - which is an entirely different
matter. But as a matter of historical fact, it in the Bidwais who have had
free access to air their views in the press than Husain's critics. Bidwai
should read newspapers more carefully.
Bidwai condemns Murdoch for having no use for things like taste or morality.
But how many Indian publishers do? He is, however, on safer grounds when he
says that "new forms of collusion are discernible between journalists and
corporations on the one hand and between editors and governments on the
other" and that "journalists are increasing becoming corporatised and
extensions of managements".
For good measure, he adds: "Corporate bribery of journalists, through
expensive gifts, junkets and firm allotments of shares, has reached new and
frightening proportions. A class of financial journalists has emerged which
is illiterate in economics and sees all economic activity strictly in terms
of business alone. This further restricts the definition of what is news. The
casualty is truthful information and the freedom of information".
Bidwai should know that this has been going on for quite some time now. He
says that on issues of economic and security policies, planting of stories
and private briefings have become the norm. One remark that he makes is
interesting. He writes: "On the official economic policy, people such as
Finance Secretary Montek Singh Abluwalia and Finance Minister P Chidambaram
have no compunctions in planting stories, influencing editorial comment and
putting pressure on dissenting or critical journalists."
Bidwai must complain to Home Minister Inderjit Gupta, no less, and a fellow
Leftist to boot. Or why does he not pour out his anger in the worthy columns
of The Time of India? There is no doubt that something has gone wrong with
the print media.
Trivialisation of news has gone hand-in-hand with globalisation. Reams of
pages are devoted to fashion when millions don't have a patch of cloth to
cover their. bare bodies. Socialites are pictured on the front page as if
they are the movers and shakers of the world. Middle class values are being
perverted not by Murdoch, but by his Indian clones, in the name of modernism.
And in that very name, Husain is glorified by such distinguished writers
like Bidwai.
But for all that there is much wisdom in what he has written. The national
press needs to be pulled up, but who will bell this particularly capricious
and wilful cat?
Has anyone dared to speak out against Living Media for publishing that
atrocious journalistic product called Cosmo?
Or against Bachchan for perpetrating that other atrocity called Mm World? Is
this what 'liberalisation' is all about?
Where does value begin and freedom end? A national debate on this seems
quite in order.
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