NCERT 7th Class (CBSE) Social Science: Media and Democracy

Question: What do you mean by an independent media? Why is it important for the media to be independent?

Answer: An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage of news. No one should tell the media what can be included and what should not be included in a news story. It means that media should not be under any one’s pressure. It will be totally independent. An independent media is very important because it is on the basis of the information that the media provides that we take action as citizens. Hence, it essential that this information is reliable. It should be biased at all.

Question: Write a brief note on ‘local media’.

Answer: Local media covers small Issues that involve ordinary people, and their daily lives. It is usually started by local groups. Several people use community radio to tell farmers about the prices of different crops and advise them on the use of seeds and fertilisers. Others make documentary films with fairly cheap and easily available video cameras on real life conditions faced by different poor communities and, at times, have even given the poor these video cameras to make films on their own lives.

Khabar Lahriya is also a local newspaper. It is a fortnightly that is run by eight Dalit women in Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh. It is written in the local j language, Bundeli. This eight page newspaper covers the Dalit issues and cases of violence against women and political corruption. This newspaper is popular among farmers, shopkeepers, panchayat members, school teachers and women who have recently become literate.

Question: How can you say that media is far from freedom? Or why do most newspapers still fail to provide a balanced story?

Answer: It is said that media is often controlled by business houses. Media does what these business houses wish. At times, it is in the interest of these businesses to focus on only one side of the story. Media is in the constant need of money.

Hence, it is essential for media to get linked, it is with advertising groups. In such a situation it is difficult for media to report against people who give them advertisements. Its close links to big business houses snatches its independence. It has to do as per the wishes of these business houses, Media also tends to focus on a particular aspect of a story because they believe this makes the story interesting. One thing more, if they want to increase public support for an issue, they often do this by focusing on one side of a story. Thus,it is difficult to say that media is independent.