Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Professor of … · InOur Globalizing World Media INSTITUTE OF OBJECTIVE STUDIES INDIA “A must-read book for all those who want to have an insight into

In�OurGlobalizing

World

Media

INSTITUTE OF OBJECTIVE STUDIES INDIA

“A must-read book for all those who want to have an insight into the nature and structure of the media…it marks the beginning of critical thinking and enquiry into the media's role in our globalized world.”

- Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Professor of Journalism and

Public Relations, Western Illinois University, USA

“Whether in the European Union or in UK, media coverage seems to be superficial and stereotypical rather than being well-researched and of considerable depth.”

- Dr Ahmad Totonji, Emeritus Director, International Institute of

Islamic Thought, USA

“Mainstream media has turned from pro-people to pro-market and pro-business. Instead of standing up for the poor and downtrodden, it is acting as agent of neo-liberalism.”

- Santosh Bhartiya, Chief Editor, ChauthiDuniya

Institute of Objective Studies 162 Joga Bai Main Road,

Jamia Nagar,New Delhi-110025,INDIA.Tel: +91 011-26981187, 26987467, 26989253

Fax: 91-11-26981104E-Mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Website: www.iosworld.org

PREVIEW COPY

1M E D I A I N O U R G LO B A L I Z I N G W O R L D

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Dedicated to all those working towards the creation of a humane society.


MediaIn Our

GlobalizingWorld

* Readings on Media* Proceedings of IOS Conferences 2011-2012

* Reporting on Global Media Ethics

General Editors:Dr Mohd Manzoor Alam,

Mohd Z Haque, R Mansukhani,R Malcolm

Contributing Editor:Paranjoy GuhaThakurta

INSTITUTE OF OBJECTIVE STUDIES, NEW DELHI

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CONTENTS

Preface 5Message 6Foreword 8

Introduction: What ‘Is’ and ‘Is not’ 11 Knowledge: ‘What’ and ‘How’ we know 15 Hegemony:The‘How’ofDomination19 Democracy: ‘Where’ lies Freedom 21 Nations:For‘Whom’dotheyExist 26 Globalization:‘What’istheDebate28

Our World: Why this Inequality 30

The Global Media: What’s Happening across Our World 34

IOS Conferences 2011-2012: AssessingtheMedia 38

The Indian Media: Grasping its Growth 50

Media Ethics & Freedom of Expression in Developing Countries: An Overview 53


I am pleased to write the preface to this book containing the proceedings of the

conference on Power of the Media in a Globalizing World,organizedby Instituteof

ObjectiveStudies (IOS).The IOS isheadquartered inDelhi, thecapitalof India,one

ofthelargestcountriesintheworldintermsofpopulation,andalsohavinga200million

Muslimpopulation,whichmakesitoneofthelargestMuslimpopulatedcountriesinthe

world.

IOSisaprominentIslamicorganizationinIndia.IOSisalsowell-knownforitspublications,

journals and its co-ordination with other intellectual forums and organizations and,

especiallywiththeInternationalInstituteofIslamicThought(IIIT),Washington.

The IOS,asa think-tankandresearchorganization,gains its ideational lightandspiritof

thinkingfromMuslimandnon-Muslimscholars.Italsomakesseriouseffortstomakethe

issuesconcerningIndianMuslimsknowntoIndianpoliticalparties,alongwithorganizing

conferences on economic issues, coordinatingwith Arab and Islamic countries to serve

themandalsotoserveIndianMuslimsalongwithstrengtheningtheirenergiesandskills.

IndianMuslimshavebeenadisadvantagedsectionsince Indiagained freedomfromthe

BritishEmpirein1947andtheMuslimsintheeastofIndiasplitintoanewcountrynamed

Bangladesh in 1971, twenty-four years after the creation of Pakistan. Considering this

context,workingfortherightsofMuslimsinIndia,creatinghorizonsfortheirupliftment,

buildingandcreatingorganizationstoworkfortheircauseswillbeatrueserviceforthe

humanityandMuslimsacrosstheglobe.

TheIOSconference,Power of the Media in a Globalizing World, wasanefforttomakea

connectionandestablishinteractionwiththemodernworldbecause,asaruleofnature,

peoplewhosecludeandcutthemselvesfromtheworldandlackactiveinteractionwithit

becomeuselessandtheirenergiesbecomediffuseanddissipate.IndianMuslimsdeserve

attention, support, and co-operation to strengthen and fuel their activities and their

organizations so that they can come forward to explore theworldof knowledgeand to

realisetheIslamicspiritualandhumanideal.

Weshould thereforepayattentionto theprojectsof IOSandalsobecomeapartof the

educationalandintellectualseriesoforganizations,whichhelpactivatethecultureofjustice,

solidarity,creativity,securityandpeace.Thisisatruereflectionoftheuniversalvisionofthe

HolyQur’aninthematerialandbarbarousworldbristlingwithnuclearweapons.Itwillbe

undoubtedlyaverysadmatterifcapablepeopleandcharitableorganizations,especiallyin

theMuslimworld,donotcomeforwardtohelpitscauses.

Wepray toAllah tograntussuccess indoinggooddeeds. Indeed,He is theHearerand

answersourprayers.Professor Emeritus

InternationalInstituteofIslamicThought,Virginia,USA

PrefaceDr.AbdulHamidAbuSulayman

6

MessageDr Ahmad Totonji

I would like to thank the Chairman of Institute ofObjective Studies (IOS), DrMohd

ManzoorAlam,forrequestingmetopenafewwordsonthereleaseofthepublication,

Media in Our Globalizing World. There is no doubt in my mind that the subject is of

utmostimportancetoallofus,whetherwearelivingandworkingintheUnitedStatesof

America,EuropeanUnionorinthefast-growingcountriesofAsia.Themediaisallaround

us, surrounding us at every stage, in every way; it is informing us, entertaining us and

educatingusaboutourworld.

The IOS, as a credible think-tankofNewDelhi, India, hasbeenputting the spotlighton

subjects and issues of global importance while underscoring the regional and national

perspectives.Beingvision-inspiredbyQur’anicprinciplesofjustice,brotherhoodandpeace,

theIOShasbeenforthright inspreadingtheseimportantmessagesforallhumanity.The

presentpublicationisoneintheserieswhichdoestheIOSproud,andItaketheopportunity

tocongratulateitsresearchers,writersandeditorsfortheirpainstakingwork.

Theeditors,asIcanperceive,haveattemptedtounderstandtheglobalissuesconcerning

themedia.Thelastfewdecadeshavebeenaperiodofenormousgrowthandchange;the

publication is trying toholdupamirror toour changingtimesandmakingus awareof

diverseissues.Thediversityofissuesanddifferentperspectivesistherealchallengefacing

theglobalmediatoday.Themediacannotaffordtobeuni-dimensional,mono-culturalor

representingtheviewsofjustonepartoftheworld,howeverimportantorpowerfulthat

worldmaybe.

AsMuslims,livingthroughouttheworld,wedofindthatthemediahasbeenbiasedand

prejudiced, tosaythe least, incovering Islamand its faithfuladherents.Whether it is in

theEuropeanUnionorintheUnitedKingdom,themediacoverageseemssuperficialand

stereotypicalratherthanbeingwell-researchedandofconsiderabledepth.Surely,this is

an issue which has been raised at several forums and has been the subject of innumerable

studies.Intheageofinstantandfastcommunication,themediahasto‘re-invent’itselfand

gobacktothebasics:truth,fairness,objectivityandethics.Onlythenwouldthemediabe

respectedanddeservingofourundividedattention.Otherwise, it facestheriskofbeing

clubbed as not only biased but also filled with elements of entertainment, gossip and

rumours.

IwishtoagaincongratulateIOSforthe25thYearSilverJubileeCelebrationswiththetheme

of Towards Knowledge, Development and Peace – Outlining Roadmaps for the Future. The

IOShas,timeandagain,demonstratedtheintellectualpowertopositionthesekeyissues

whichareofutmostimportanceforthedevelopmentofallMankind.India,withitshuge


populationofMuslimsspreadacrossthecountry,hasasignificantroletoplayinemerging

Asia.Knowledge,developmentandpeacearetheguidinglightsforthecountry,asawhole,

andtheMuslimsasanintegralpartofthecountry’sculturalethosandsocialcomposition.

KnowingDrManzoorAlam,asIdoforoverseveraldecades,IamsurehewillinspireIOS

to organize more seminars, workshops and conferences on the theme of ‘Media and

the Globalizing World’. These interactions between media practitioners, policy-makers,

legislators,academiciansandactivistswill goa longway in creating socialharmonyand

peace through sustained and meaningful dialogue between cultures, communities and

civilizations.

Emeritus Director, InternationalInstituteofIslamicThought,

Virginia,USA

8

At the advent of television, Marshall McLuhan, while emphasizing the power of

television,statedthatthe‘mediumisthemessage’.Withsocialmediaonslaught

andincreasinguseoftheInternet,thisphrasehasbecomeevenmoremeaningful.

Thepower, influenceaswellas thepresenceofmediahas increasedexponentially.Yet,

sadly, the pictures of other cultures and people have become more fragmented and

distorted.Muslimshavesufferedthemostasfarastheirportrayalandimagesinthemedia

areconcerned.AlthoughthecoverageofbothIslamandMuslimshasincreasedmanifold,

Muslims believe that the misrepresentation and distortion have never been so out of

context,exaggerated,negativeandhostileasthesearetoday.

On the one hand, the contemporary media either lack

the capability to understand and comprehend the

dynamics of the changes and turmoil going on in the

Muslimworld,ordeliberatelyignorethegroundrealities

behindtheeventstakingplaceinMuslimsocieties.On

the other hand, Muslims too have not made any serious

efforttolearnabouttheevolutionofcontemporarymediaandthetheoriesthatarethe

foundationofmediaoperationsaswellasthemediaculture.Therehaveonlybeenasmall

number of studies in the last half century to understand the media coverage of Islam

andMuslimsandthesehaveonlybeenat theacademic level. Muslimshavealmostno

investmentintheworldwideoperationandownershipofthemajormedia-print,electronic

and,more importantly, thenewsandwireservices. EventhougheveryMuslimcountry

has its own media and a few of them also have their news agencies, their media have

relativelyverylowamountofintrinsicallyIslamicnewscontent.Theytooreport‘religion’

inapoliticaldomaininthesamewayasnewsisreportedeverywhereelse.Theirdefinition

ofnewsisalmostthesameasthedefinitionbywhichnewsisjudgedandreportedinthe

West.Insteadofdestroyingmythsandstereotypes,theytoocreateandpropagatecultural,

religious,racial,andallothersortsofmythsandstereotypes.

Intheabovecontextthe issueofethicshasgainedmuchmoresignificanceamongboth

themediascholarsandpractitioners.Theethical frameworkof Islam isverydistinct, its

foundationsarerooted intheHolyQur’anandtheSunnah,and itsapplicationtomedia

practicesmayleadtothedevelopmentofadistinctcodeofmediaethicsandatthesame

timecouldalsoengagemediapractitionerscrossculturally.Suchinteractionmayresultin

the development of a universal code of media ethics which is one of the urgent needs of the

highlyfragmentedandpolarizedglobalmediaenvironment.Despitemanycodesofmedia

ethics,mediasystemsaroundtheworldpractiseethnocentricjournalismandthenewsand

entertainmenttheyprovideleadtoanimbalanceintheflowofinformation.Mostmedia

havebecomeaninstrumentofculturalhegemonyandneo-colonialism.Forexample,ifwe

ForewordMohammadAhmadullahSiddiqi,Ph.D

Muslims too have not madeanyseriousefforttolearnabouttheevolutionof contemporary media.


analyzethewayworldmediareportontheIsraeliaggressioninthePalestinianterritories,

we can very well understand both the power of media and their ability to misinform and

misleadthepeoplearoundtheworld.Withsuchbiasedreportingjournalismhasbecome

a crusade and journalists campaigners for vested interests. This, I think, is the most

prominentfeatureoftheglobalmediadespiteallthefascinatingtechnologicalanddigital

advancementsthatmediahavebeenusingtoreachouttotheirglobalaudiences.

At this juncture, therefore, Media In Our Globalizing Worldseemsamust-readbookforall

those who want to have an insight into the nature and structure of the media and also want

todevelopastrategytodealwiththemediaeffectsontheirlivesandtheirperceptionofthe

peoplearoundthem.Thisbookisnotamereacademicexercise;itisavaluableadditionto

thecriticalexaminationoftheroleofmediainshapingthepicturesofpeoplesandcultures

inourhead.Itintroducesreaderstoideasofmanyofthecontemporarythinkers,scholars

andauthorswhohaveprovidedacriticalanalysisoftherolesandfunctionsofthemedia,

whichalonecouldhavebeensufficienttomakethisvolumeworthreading.

The book, as the editors have called it, is a ‘work in progress’, which should mark the

beginning of critical thinking and enquiry into the complex issue of media’s role and

functions inourglobalizedworld.Astheeditorsclaim,thebookcovers importanttopics

including the nature of knowledge, the issue of hegemony, especially as it relates to media,

democracy,thechallengesposedbynationalismandthenotionofthenation-stateandthe

prosandconsofglobalization.

Themid-sectionofthebookprovidesasummaryorabriefoverviewoftheconferenceon

the Power of the Media in a Globalizing World,organizedbytheInstituteofObjectiveStudies

(IOS)inNovember,2011.TheIOShasdonearemarkablejobininitiatingsomeofthemuch-

neededworktohelpalleviatethecondition

of the Muslims of India in particular and

to bring strength and unity in the nation

in general.As a think-tank, it hasprovided

impetus to the establishment of national

organizations which are actively working

towards minority rights and welfare. The

issuesdiscussedattheIOSconferenceshould

beconsideredastheinitialorstart-upwork

to draw people’s attention to an area that

has been much neglected by Muslims for a

longtime.Innowaythesedeliberationsare

all encompassing but surely they set the ball

Hopefully this would be the beginningofaproductiveactionplantounderstandand engage with the mediaaswellastoinitiateamutuallybeneficialrelationshipwiththemediatohelptheminorities,especially the Muslims of India.

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rollingbybringingadiversegroupofscholarsandmediapractitionersintoabrainstorming

conferenceleadingtoanumberofresolutionsandrecommendations.

The last section of the book dealswithwhat I consider themost important issue that

pertainstotheglobalizedmediainourworldtoday.Itisalsoachallengeforinternational

mediatomaintaintheirintegrityandbeobjectiveandfairwhilereportingaboutvarious

crisesacross theglobe.Ethicsmayprovideastableenvironment formediapracticebut

onlyifjournalistsaccepttheirresponsibilitytowardsthesocietyinwhichtheyoperate.Ifall

thatmediacareaboutisto‘sell,’thentheissueofethicsbecomesredundant.Thatiswhy

theIslamicapproachseemsmoreflexibleandpractical.‘Tawheed’beingatthecentre,all

theethicalprinciplescanleadtoatensionfreeandacontradictionfreeapproachtoethics.

I disagree,however,with the classificationof countriesby institutions like theFreedom

Houseas‘free’or‘lessfree’becausesuchclassificationignorestheactualcircumstances

inaparticularregionorcountrythatcausesarestrictiontothefreedomofthepress.For

example,undercertainsituationsuchastheinvasionofPanamabytheU.S.orinvasionof

Iraq,U.S.restrictionsonthefreedomofthepresswerenolesscoercivethanrestrictions

inanyofthosecountriesthatare listedas less free. Nonethe lesstheethicalmapping

provided in this book provides an overview of the freedom of the press in a number of

countriesandthatisusefulindeterminingtheimpactofglobalizationonmediapractices

aswellasmediafreedom.

Media set theagenda for thedaily considerationof the issuesby thepublicandmedia

alsoprovidepeoplewithallkindsofimagesandperceptionsaboutvariouspeople,groups

andnations.Thatiswhyitisnecessarytounderstandhowthemediafunctionandwhat

role theyplayorcouldplay in society.Thenonlywecanalterand influence the image-

makingprocessandfunctionofthemedia. There isalsoagrowingrecognitionthatthe

conceptofaninterdependentworldencompassesmorethanjustpoliticalandeconomic

cooperation.Itrequirestheconvictionthatinspiteofthediversityofraces,colours,faiths,

andphilosophies, there isunity inhumansuffering,dignity,anddestiny. It is clear that

culturalecologyandtheorganizationandstructureofinternationalrelationsareatpresent

inaperiodofprofoundchange.Theneedandthenecessitytounderstandandadaptto

thechangingenvironmenthasbecomeobviousandurgenttodaythaneverbefore. The

book, Media in Our Globalizing World,isanimportantsteptofacilitatesuchunderstanding.

ProfessorofJournalismandPublicRelationsDirectorofJournalismProgramWesternIllinoisUniversity,USA

F O R E W O R D


At the outset, the editors would like to share with you, esteemed readers, how

‘the idea of this volume’ came about; ‘ideas’ in the twenty-first century have

acquired a currency and lexiconof their own, this volume is bringing together

‘ideas’ that are making an enormous impact in our lives through the media, academia and

everyotherchannelofcommunication.TheNewDelhi-basedInstituteofObjectivestudies

(IOS),athink-thinkwhosemulti-dimensionalachievementsyouwillreadalotmoreabout

inthisvolume,hadorganizedaseriesofinternationalconferencesaspartofits25thYear

AnniversaryCelebrationsthrough2011-12.The‘roleofthemedia’figuredprominentlyin

several of these conferences; the conference in Bangalore, organized during November 14th

to16th,2011,wasspecificallyfocusedonthePower of the Media in a Globalizing World.

The IOSSilver JubileeCelebrationsconcludedwiththe14th InternationalConferenceon

Minority Rights and Identities: Challenges and Prospects in an Unfolding Global Scenario

inNewDelhifromApril13-15,2012.Attheconcludingconference,Minority Rights, Civil

Society and Media,wasanimportantparallelsession.

InApril-May2012,aftertheall IndiaprogrammeoftheIOSconferenceswascompleted,

theChairman,DrMohdManzoorAlamdiscussedwithagroupofeditorsandindependent

journaliststheneedforapublicationwhichwouldbringtogetherallthesubjects,trends,

events, issues, concepts and ideas pertaining to the media that had been shared during the

IOSconferences.

Thegrowingimportanceofthe‘roleofthemedia’isalsoofprimeconcerntothink-tanks

liketheIOS.Themedia’sperspectiveonnewsandcurrentaffairs(andalsohistoryandpast

developments), its trajectory of growth and its technological developments need to be

studied,understoodandpresentedbeforeafast-changingworld.Sincetherateofchange

is rather speedy, the editorial focus has been to present the ‘constants’, subjects and issues

which have not changed, and old concepts and ideaswhich are oftenmasquerading as

new ones. The onslaught of technology is challenging the status quowithin themedia

organizations, and between the media and the civil society as a whole. This volume,

dedicatedto theglobalmedia, ispresentingthekeyconstantsaboutwhichpresentand

futuregenerationsmayneedtobeawareof.Subjectsthatareofprime,andoftentimeless,

importance are:

•Power and the power of the State toinfluence,manipulatethemedia

•Censorship,therighttodissentandtheeradicationofpublicmemory

•Domination of the United States of America inglobalpoliticsandmedia:TheIraqwarand

itsimplicationsonthemedia,publicmemoryandopinions

•Corruption in high places,smearcampaignsandtheirfall-outinmediaandcivilsociety

•Investigative journalism: Questfortruth,objectivity,andfairnessinglobalizingtimes.

IntroductionWhat ‘Is’ and ‘Is not’

12

Challenge to Power:‘Keepcallingpowertoaccount’-SeymourHersh,whoseexposeof

theMyLaimassacre inVietnammadehimahouseholdname,summeduphisvocation

andlifeasoneofthefinestjournalists. HiswordsresonatewiththoseofthegreatIrish

muckrakerClaudCockburn.“Neverbelieveanything,”hewrote,“untilitisofficiallydenied”.

JohnPilger,intheepicanthology,Tell Me No Lies,(London,2004)capturedtheessenceof

thesepioneeringjournalistswhobelievedthatthe“Stateliesroutinely…thisisnotwhatthe

mediacoursesteach.Iftheydid–andtheevidencehasneverbeeningreaterabundance

–thecynicismthatmanyyoungjournalistsbelieveordainsthemasjournalistswouldbe

directedattheirreaders,viewersandlisteners,butatthoseinfalseauthority.”

Intheintroductiontothisanthology,Pilgersharedhisexperiencesandwrote,“Secretive

power loathes journalists who do their job; who push back screens, peer behind facades,

lift rocks.Opprobrium fromonhigh is theirbadgeofhonour.When theBBC refused to

showJamesCameron’sfilmedreportfromwartimeNorthVietnam,Cameronsaid, ‘They

whisperedthatIwasadupe,butwhatreallyupsetthemwasthatIwasnottheirdupe’.

In these days of corporate ‘multimedia’ run by a powerful few in thrall to profit,many

journalistsarepartofapropagandaapparatuswithoutevenconsciouslyrealisingit.”

Traditions of Journalism: ThegenerationtowhichJohnPilgerbelongsistodayananguished

one.TheyhadcoveredtheVietnamandKoreanwars;theywitnessedtheUSdomination

overIndonesiaandsouth-eastAsia,besidesseeinghow‘embeddedjournalism’duringthe

Iraqwarwaschangingtherulesofthegame.Pilgerfelt,“itseemsquiteironicthatasmedia

technologyadvancesalmostbeyondour imagination, it isnot justthetraditionalmeans

ofjournalismthatarebecomingobsolete,butitshonourabletraditions.WhatofEdmund

Burke’sconceptofthepressas‘fourthestate’,asacountertothestateandits‘interests’?”

Why is journalism like this so important? questioned John Pilger. His hard-hitting, no-

holds-barred answer: “Without it, our sense of injustice would lose its vocabulary and

people would not be armed with the information they need to fight it. Orwell’s truth that

‘to be corrupted by totalitarianism, one does not have to live in a totalitarian country’

would then apply. Consider the hundreds of journalists who have been persecuted

and murdered in Guatemala, Nigeria, the Philippines, Algeria, Russia and many other

oppressive states because their independence and courage are feared…In his unpublished

introduction to Animal Farm, Orwell described how censorship in free societies was

infinitely far more sophisticated and thorough than in dictatorships because ‘unpopular

ideas can be silenced and inconvenient facts kept dark, without any need for an official

ban’. It is more than half a century since he wrote that and the essential message remains

the same…”

INTRODUCT ION


Keepingalivethefinetraditionsofliberalintellectualquestioning,theeditorshave

attemptedtopresentamuch-widercontexttounderstandingtheglobalmedia.

The terrain being covered includes the:

•Nature of knowledge -itsparadigms,thoughtsandideas

•Hegemony and how best we can relate this concept to our world and the media

•Democracy and it’s universal ‘cry for freedom’ across the world

•Nationalism, nation and the nation-state and the challenges it poses

•Globalizationandhowthedevelopedanddevelopingworldsaremanagingit.

Global Responsibility:TheissueofglobalresponsibilityisadmirablyaddressedbyJeffrey

Sachs,oneofthemostrespectedthought-leadersfromtheUS.Heposedthequestionof

globalresponsibilitytoaddressglobalproblemsandissuesintheBBCReithLecturesof2007.

Helookedbackinhistorytofindtheinspirationandguidance.Sachssaid,“Talkingabout

theUnitedStates,acountryatthezenithofitseconomicpower,facingcolossalchangesas

theemergingnationsofAsiaseektotaketheirturnontheworldstage.WhatmustAmerica

do?Howshoulditbehave?Ibelievethatwecanfindourway...solveeventhetoughestof

theseproblems.Practicalanswerstothechallengesofclimatechange,theconservationof

biologicaldiversity,extremepoverty,emergingepidemicdiseases,andfoodinsecurityare

allwithin reach.President JohnF.Kennedysummedup thispotentialwhenhedeclared

that‘Ourproblemsaremanmade-therefore,theycanbesolvedbyman.Andmancanbe

asbigashewants.Noproblemofhumandestinyisbeyondhumanbeings.Man’sreason

andspirithaveoftensolvedtheseeminglyunsolvable-andwebelievetheycandoitagain.’

AndofcourseKennedywasright.Westandtoday(in2007)onthe200thanniversaryofthe

endoftheslavetradeintheBritishEmpire,asteptowardshumanfreedomthatwaswon

throughanunrelentingcampaignof socialactivistsoverentrenchedeconomic interests.

Wearecelebratingthe60thanniversaryoftheindependenceofIndia,the50thanniversary

ofthebirthof independentGhana,thefirst independentcountryinpost-ColonialAfrica.

And of course we are at the 50th anniversary of the

European Community, now the EuropeanUnion. After

a millennium of warfare in Western Europe, the very

thought of conflict among Germany, France, the U.K.,

Italyandothersisutterlyunthinkable.AsKennedysaid,

‘Howeverfixedourlikesanddislikesmayseem,thetideoftimeandeventswilloftenbring

surprising changes in the relationsbetweennationsandneighbours.’ I havebeen laying

outmyviewofhowwecanbestaddressglobalproblems.Thestartingpoint,Ibelieve,is

asoundandscientificdiagnosisoftheproblemsweface,whetherofclimate,biodiversity,

water,orextremepoverty.Nextispublicawareness.Welive,fortunately,inanincreasingly

democraticage.Globalproblemscanonlybesolvedwithglobalpublicunderstanding.”

Global problems can only be solved with global publicunderstanding.

14

The Chairman of IOS, Dr Mohd

Manzoor Alam said, “Our focus has

been on human rights and minority

affairs. The theme for the IOS 25th

Year Celebrations was ‘Towards

Knowledge,Development andPeace.’

Weareengagedincreatingblueprints

for the future, drawing up the road

maps for development for the

minoritiesinparticular,andtheIndian

societyingeneral.IOShasbeenvision-inspiredtoprovideguidelinesforinclusivegrowth

andsuggestionsonhowacademic,religiousandintellectualendeavourscanbedovetailed

withnation-buildingexercises.”

“WeseeasynergybetweentheUNUniversalDeclarationofHumanRightsandtheIslamic

teachings embodied in the Shariat,”saidDrMohdManzoorAlam,explainingthatthegoals

ofIslam(ormaqasid al Shariat)arebasedontheconceptsofhumanwell-being(falah)and

thegoodlifewhicharebasedonjustice,equalityandbrotherhood.“It isforthisreason

whyIOSidentifiesitselfasachampionofhumanrightsandseeksjusticeandequalityforall

humanbeings,”hesaid,adding,“OurfocusinIndiahasbeenonminorityrights,fightingfor

therightsoftheMuslimsinparticularbecausetheyhappentobethemostdowntrodden

section in India’s society today. The discrimination faced by theMuslims in India today

goesagainsttheveryletterandspiritofnotjusttheConstitutionofIndiabutalsotheUN

UniversalDeclarationofHumanRights.”

WhileIOSisinconsultativestatus(Roster)withEconomicandSocialCouncil(ECOSOC)oftheUnitedNations,ithasbecomeatrendsetterinconceptualandinvestigativeresearchon the Qur’anic approach to human problems and the problems of Muslims andminoritiesinIndia.

INTRODUCT ION


Welivein,orintheshadowof,aworldmadebytheWesterner,wroteShamLal

in his review of OrientalismbyEdwardW.Said(RoutledgeandKeganPaul),in

The Times of India(February24,1979),titledMade in the West.

“He(theWesterner)createdtheAssemblyLine, theelectronicmedia, thePRtechnique,

theconsumersocietyandallthegadgetrywhichkeepsitgoing.Hebroughtupalltheisms

–nationalism,liberalism,democraticsocialism,communism,fascism–tooneoranother

ofwhichwe all subscribe.Hefixed the termsof our discourse and the contours of our

doubtsandperplexities.TheWesternerinfactinventedtheOrientaswellastheOrientals,

that isallofuswhohaveourhomesincountrieswhich lietotheeastofEurope.This is

themainburdenofEdwardSaid’snewbook…Itwillbewrongtoimaginethat‘theorient

isessentiallyan idea,orcreationwithnocorrespondingreality.’Therearemanynations

and cultures located in the east and ‘their lives, histories and customs have a brute reality

obviouslygreaterthananythingcouldbesaidabouttheminthewest.’Noraretheorientor

orientalism,whichSaidscrutinizessodiligently,tissuesofliesormyths.Theyareproductsof

westernpoliticaldominationandculturalhegemonyoverthecountriesoncecolonisedby

BritainandFranceandnowmanipulated,insomecasescontrolled,bytheUS,”commented

ShamLal.

Western Intellectual Traditions: Evenaquick readingof JacobBronowski’sThe Western

Intellectual Tradition reveals the roots of this proverbial tree of knowledge, reason and

rationality… and its numerous

branches of domination. “In

recent years, historians have

come to see the far-reaching

change which grew out of the

Renaissancewastheevolutionof

thescientificmethodofinquiry.

They have, therefore, given to

the period of growth in science

between 1500 and 1700 a new

name,theScientificRevolution.ProfButterfieldexpressestheviewofmanycontemporary

historians when he says of the Scientific Revolution that it ‘outshines everything since

the riseofChristianityand reduces theRenaissanceand theReformation to the rankof

mereepisodes.Thus,herecognizestheunfoldingofscientificthoughtbetween1500and

1700wascritical inthecreationofmoderncivilization.Thisrecognition,whichhasbeen

reached only recently, is itself the result of the powerful impact of science on the life of our

generation.Sciencehasmadetheworldoverinthetwentiethcentury,rootandbranch-

intellectuallyandphysically.Indoingso,ithastransformedourunderstandingofthepastas

Knowledge: ‘What’ and ‘How’ We Know

In recent years, historians have come toseethefar-reachingchangewhichgrew out of the Renaissance was the evolutionofthescientificmethodofinquiry.Theyhave,therefore,givento the period of growth in science between1500and1700anewname,theScientificRevolution.

16

radicallyasourexpectationofthefuture.Physically,weliveinanewandchangingworld.

Andintellectuallyweseetheworlddifferently,sothattheprocessesofnatureandevenof

historyhaveadifferentlogicforus.”

“In short, the Scientific Revolution between 1500 and 1700 was in the first place an

intellectualrevolution: ittaughtmentothinkdifferently.Only laterwasthisthoughtput

toanewpracticaluse,intheIndustrialRevolutionabout1800whichgaveourcivilization

itsoutwardcharacter,”wroteBronowski,alegendarythinker-mathematician-teacherofhis

timewhoseepictelevisionseriesThe Ascent of Man (producedbyBBC)remainsapath-

breakingworkofitskind.

Islam’s Contributions:Intheirintroduction

to Studies in Islamic Civilization, (The

International Institute of Islamic Thought,

USA), Ahmed Essa and Othman Ali,

providedacriticaloverviewastheywrote,

“The studies that have tackled Islamic

civilization to date fall into twomain categories. First, a trend inmodern-day academia

denies Islam’s outstanding and far-reaching role in its service to medieval civilization

and the subsequent development in theWest. Thesewriters try to succeedwhere the

medieval Church failed: by denying a respectable recognition of Islam and the positive

traitsofitscivilization.Instead,theirpresentationofIslamandIslamiccivilizationhasbeen

confrontationalandexclusivist.The recentcoinageby this trend inacademia is ‘clashof

civilizations’.However,thereisasecondtrendinWesternacademiathatrecognizesMuslim

contribution to the unfolding of both Islamic and Western civilizations. These scholars

haveperformedresourcefulandpainstakingfieldwork,aswellasdiscoveringandediting

hundredsofmanuscriptsfromlibrariesacrosstheworld.Asaresult,theyhaveuncovered

animmensenumberoftreasuresofmedievalIslam.GeorgeSarton,forexample,isaleading

authorityonthehistoryofscience.Hemaintainsthatuntilthefourteenthcentury,Muslim

civilizationwas“stillatthevanguardofhumanity.Therewasnowhereelseintheworld,in

thosedays,aphilosopherwhocouldatallcomparewithal-Ghazali,neitheranastronomer

likeal-Zarqali,neitheramathematicianlikeOmarKhayyam.”ThesesameWesternscholars

were clear that the Renaissance and modernWestern civilizations owe much more to

Islamiccivilizationthanhasbeenacknowledged.TheyhavenotedthatIslamiccivilization

wasneitherdogmaticnorexclusiveinitsdealingswithnon-Muslims.”

Consciousastheyareofafast-changingworld,EssaandAlisaid,“Nevertheless,owingto

thecontinuingconfrontationbetweenIslamicextremistsandtheWesternworldasaresult

ofthetragiceventsofSeptember11,2001intheUnitedStates,thediscourseofasegment

Atrendinmodern-dayacademiadenies Islam’s outstanding and far-reachingroleinitsservicetomedievalcivilizationandthesubsequentdevelopmentintheWest.

INTRODUCT ION : KNOWLEDGE


of politically-oriented Western scholars emphasizes

extremist views. This trend, with considerable

influence in political and academic circles, grossly

understates the openness and creativity of Islamic

civilization throughout history. This approach has

created an atmosphere in the West in which, as

journalist and historian Karen Armstrong has pointed

out, “Tolerance is not a virtue that many Western

people today would feel inclined to attribute to

Islam.” The current politically- oriented reading of

Islam, and its civilization contends that there is no

moderateIslam,andthatIslamichistoryandtradition

havenothingtoofferotherthanbigotry,violence,and

holywar.”

The Human Spirit: There are thinkers and activists, working towards enhancing and

enrichingourcivilizationalethos,realizinghowreasonandfaith;modernityandreligion;

culturesanddiversityareoftenbecoming‘traps’.Thereisalwaysthefearofbeingblinkered

byphilosophicalandhistoriographicalquibbles.ItisatthisjuncturethewordsofJonathan

Sacks,theChiefRabbiofLondon,areworthrecounting.

HewasdeliveringtheBBCReithLecturesinNovember1990,andhetitledthelectureasThe

Persistence of Faith,raisingimportantquestionsabouttheimpoverishmentofthehuman

spirit.Inmanyways,hewasspeakingasa‘humanist’andnotareligiousleader.

Rabbi Sacks said, “There aremomentswhen you can see thehuman landscape change

before your eyes, and1989wasoneof them. In retrospect itwill seemas significant a

turningpoint inhistoryas1789, theyearof theFrenchRevolutionand thebirthof the

secular state. Throughout Eastern Europe, communism appeared to crumble. The 20th

century had broken its greatest idols, the two versions of an absolute secular state: fascism,

defeatedin1945,andcommunismlastyear.Butwhat,inthisrevolutionofthehumanspirit,

liesahead?Inthemiddleofitall,theAmericanhistorianFrancisFukuyamawroteanarticle

entitledThe End of History.Inithedescribedtheglobalspreadofliberaldemocracynotas

thetriumphofanideal,butasthevictoryofconsumerculture.Intheend,colourtelevision

hadprovedamoreseductiveprospectthanThe Communist Manifesto.Politicshadmoved

beyondideology.AsEduardShevardnadze,theSovietforeignminister,putit,‘thestruggle

between two opposing systems’ had been superseded by the desire ‘to build up material

wealth at an accelerated rate’. Dialectical materialism was over; mail-order catalogue

There are thinkers andactivists,workingtowards enhancing and enriching our civilizationalethos,realizing how reason and faith; modernity and religion; cultures anddiversityareoftenbecoming‘traps’.

18

materialism had taken its place. Eastern Europe had

discoveredthediscreetcharmofthebourgeoisie.”

The Islamic Worldview: M Umer Chapra’s focus

on the Islamic worldview, and it may be read as an

alternative worldview, provided the fulcrum to his

pioneeringintellectualwork.Hesaid,“Islamenvisages

aneconomicsystemfundamentallydifferentfromthe

prevailingsystems.IthasitsrootsintheShari’ah(Islamic

teachings) fromwhich itderives itsworldviewaswell

asitsgoalsandstrategy.ThegoalsofIslam(maqasidal

Shari’ah),unlikethoseofthepredominantlysecularist

systems of the present-day world, are not primarily

materialist. Theyare ratherbasedon itsownconceptsofhumanwell-being (falah) and

good life (hayattayyibah) which give utmost importance to brotherhood and socio-

economicjusticeandrequireabalancedsatisfactionofboththematerialandthespiritual

needsofallhumanbeings.Thisisbecauseofthebeliefthatallhumanbeingsareequalin

being God’s vicegerents on earth and His dependents, and cannot feel inner happiness and

tranquilityuntiltherealwell-beingofallhasbeenattainedthroughthesatisfactionofboth

spiritualandmaterialneeds.”

“Themaqasid al-Shari’ah(referredtohereafterasthemaqasid)includeeverythingthatis

needed to realize falah and hayattayyibah within the constraints of the Shari’ah.AlGhazali

(Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali c. 1058–1111) incorporates in the

maqasid everything that is considered necessary to preserve and enrich faith, life, intellect,

posterityandwealth.Ghazaliwiselyputsfaithattheheadofthelistofmaqasidbecause,

withintheIslamicperspective,faithisthemostimportantingredientforhumanwell-being.

Itputshumanrelationsonaproper foundation,enablinghumanbeingsto interactwith

each other in a balanced andmutually caringmanner to help ensure thewell-being of

all.Italsoprovidesamoralfilterforallocationanddistributionofresourcesinaccordance

withthedictatesofbrotherhoodandsocio-economicjustice,andamotivatingsystemthat

gives biting power to the goals of need-fulfilment and equitable distribution of income

andwealth.Withoutinjectingthedimensionoffaithintoallhumandecisions,irrespective

of whether they take place in the household, the corporate boardroom, the market, or

the politburo, it may not be possible to realise efficiency and equity in the allocation

and distribution of resources, to minimize macro-economic imbalances and economic

instability,ortoovercomecrime,strife,tensionsandthedifferentsymptomsofanomie,”

saidMUmerChapra,withtheprecisionofwordsandthoughtsto linkthepastwiththe

presenteconomicchallenges.

Ghazali wisely puts faith at the head of the list of maqasid because, within the Islamic perspective,faithisthemostimportant ingredient for humanwell-being.Itputshumanrelationsonaproperfoundation,enablinghumanbeings to interact with each other in a balanced and mutuallycaringmanner.

INTRODUCT ION : KNOWLEDGE


One of the most intriguing and fascinating subjects in our modern world is

‘hegemony’. As the world advances through the 21st century, we cannot

understand the media without a deeper understanding of hegemony; the two

haveincreasinglybecomeintertwined.

Gramsci’s Pioneering Contribution: The widespread popularity of the concept of hegemony

is the1970sand1980sderived from theMarxist rehabilitationof thePrison Notebooks

of the Italian Communist leader, Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937), who died at the hands

of Mussolini’s Fascists, wrote Kenneth McLeish in Guide to Human Thought - Ideas that

shaped the World (1993,Bloomsbury).“DrawingontheworkofMachiavelliandtheelite

theorist Pareto, Gramsci used the concept of hegemony to describe the way in which he

believedthebourgeoisieestablishedandmaintainscontroleveninademocraticsystemin

whichworkersandpeasantsmightmakeupanelectoralmajority.Thedominanceofthe

bourgeoisie was not based on their control of the coercive power of the state, but rather

restedupontheirabilitytoexercisemoralandpoliticalleadership,andtowinconsentfor

theirvisionofwhatwaspossibleandworthwhile. In Gramsci’s thought, each successful

political systemrequires thecreationofan ‘historicbloc’,unifiedaroundan ‘hegemonic

project’, in which the dominant class builds alliances beyond itself, and wins consent for its

institutionsandideas,”saidMcLeish.

Challenging Thoughts: Prof Partha Chatterjee, one of modern India’s most renowned

political scientists, has consistently challenged the concepts of modernity, nationalism,

nation-state and underscored the hegemonicWestern social scientific thought inwhich

severalimportantconceptsseemtobetrapped.Inaseminalwork,National Thought and

the Colonial World,ProfChatterjeediscussedGramsci’s thought in thecontextof India’s

colonialhistory.Hewrote,“ItisAntonioGramsci’sconceptionofthestateas‘coercionplus

hegemony’andofthestruggleforpoweras‘dominationplusintellectual-moralleadership’

whichenablesIndiancriticstoexamineafreshtheso-calledrenaissanceinthe19thcentury

India intermsoftheaspirationsofanewclasstoassert its intellectual-moral leadership

overamodernizingIndiannationandtostakeitsclaimtopowerinoppositiontoitscolonial

masters...Gramscialsooutlinesanargumentaboutthe‘passiverevolutionofcapital’.”

ProfChatterjee, likemanyofhisgeneration,hasalwayswarnedthat ideasandconcepts

cannot be mechanically applied to different eras of history. “Gramsci’s ideas provide

onlyageneral,andsomewhatobscurelystated,formulationofthisproblem,”wroteProf

Chatterjee,adding,“Tosharpen it,onemustexamineseveralhistoricalcasesof ‘passive

revolution’intheireconomic,politicalandideologicalaspects.Onthefaceofit,theIndian

case seems a particularly good example, but the examination ofmodern Indian history

Hegemony:

The‘How’ofDomination

20

in terms of this problematic has only just

begun...outline an analytical framework

in which the ideological history of the

Indianstatecanbestudied.Theframework

attempts to locate, within a historical

contextof‘passiverevolution’theproblem

oftheautonomyofnationalistdiscourseas

adiscourseofpower.”

Hegemony and the Media:Formediahistoriansandpractitioners,hegemonyisamuch-

usedconceptwhichhelpsthemcomfortablycoverawideintellectualterrain.Hegemony

inthemediaorculturalhegemonyingeneral,aresubjectsonwhichbookshelvesoffine

reference material is available. In Globalization and Media Hegemony, Lee Artz and

YahyaKamalipourpresentedafreewheelingbutintensediscourseonculturalhegemony.

Theysaid,“ahomogenousmiddle-classculturehasgrownupinternationallyaroundpop

music, fast food, action movies, animated features, and other McDonald-ized, Disney-

fied,Hollywoodfare.However,globalcorporatemedia lead inmanyways–subsidiaries

throughdirectinvestment,jointventures,thepurchaseoflocalcorporations,andeventhe

promotionofalternativecultures.Moreimportantlythantheparticularform,atissuefor

globalizationofculturalhegemonyisthesocialuseofmedia.Themostrecentadjustment

bythehegemonicleadersofglobalcorporatemediahasbeentheexportofthe‘model’.

Game show formats, soap opera genre, reality television, and other models are now sold by

corporateownerstonationalandregionalmediaoperators,whoculturally‘dress-up’the

Westernmediaguest.ABC’sWho Wants To Be Millionairehassometwodozenvariations

around theworld.Globohasperfected theU.S. soapopera forexport;andcommercial

radioadvertising/musicformatsdominateinAfrica,LatinAmerica,andelsewhere.”

Ahomogenousmiddle-classculturehasgrownupinternationallyaroundpopmusic,fastfood,actionmovies, animated features, and otherMcDonald-ized,Disney-fied,Hollywoodfare.

INTRODUCT ION : HEGEMONY


Democracyisoneveryone’slips.

It seems to have become the universal ‘cry for freedom’, a raison d’etre for the

fightagainstinjusticesofallkindsragingacrossourworld.Howdoweunderstand

‘democracy’today?WhatdemocracymeansasapoliticalideologytotheWestmaynotbe

thesameforthepost-colonialindependentnationsofAsia,WestAsia.

DemocracyiscloselyidentifiedwiththegrowthofcapitalismintheWest:canweunderstand

democracyasthesoftware(touseITanalogy)whichrunsthehardwareofcapitalism?

This analogy can be taken further once we realize that the ‘code’ for the democracy

softwarewasdevelopedandwrittenwaybackinthe1780sinbothAmericaandEurope;

thesoftwarerunson‘equalrights,justiceforall,theruleoflaw,electedrepresentativesand

thepresenceoffreeandindependentmedia’.Itisnotthatthiscodehasbecome,orcan

become,theuniversalcodeapplicabletoallsocieties.

Democracy, as a political ideology adopted by the mainstream political parties in the

developedanddevelopingworld, remainsanunchallenged,unquestioned leaderamong

ideologies.Tousepopularmanagement jargon, ithasacquired iconic ‘brand leadership’

inthemarketeconomiesofthe20thand21stcentury.Thevaluesofdemocracyareheld

sacrosanct,understoodandexpectedtobeinternalizedbythepooresttriballivinginthe

forestsofcentralIndiaandalsotherichestSenatorholdingforthinCapitolHill,Washington.

Despitethisglobalexpanseofacceptanceandlegitimacy,democracy,especiallyinthelast

25 years, has been accused of not delivering on its promises; as a brand, it is seen to be

failingonitsdeliverables.

“History has demonstrated that there is no final triumphof reason,whether it goes by

thenameofChristianity,theEnlightenment,or,now,democracy,”wroteRobertD.Kaplan

inapropheticarticle inThe Atlantic,titledWas Democracy Just a Moment?Hesaid,“To

think that democracy as we know it will triumph—or is even here to stay—is itself a form

of determinism, driven by our own ethnocentricity. Indeed, thosewho quote Alexis de

Tocqueville in support of democracy’s inevitability should pay heed to his observation

thatAmericans,becauseoftheir(comparative)equality,exaggerate‘thescopeofhuman

perfectibility’. Despotism, Tocqueville went on, ‘is more particularly to be feared in

democraticages’,becauseitthrivesontheobsessionwithselfandone’sownsecuritywhich

equality fosters. I submit that thedemocracyweareencouraging inmanypoorpartsof

theworld isan integralpartofa transformation towardnew formsofauthoritarianism;

thatdemocracyintheUnitedStatesisatgreaterriskthaneverbefore,andfromobscure

sources...HitlerandMussolinieachcametopowerthroughdemocracy.Democraciesdonot

alwaysmakesocietiesmorecivil—buttheydoalwaysmercilesslyexposethehealthofthe

societiesinwhichtheyoperate.”

Democracy: ‘Where’ lies Freedom

22

In the last quarter of the 20th century, the cry for democracy and equal rights was heard

loudest in SouthAfrica.Under thebrutal apartheid regime,whenNelsonMandelawas

incarcerated for 27 years till his release from Robben Island prison in 1990, this cry

washeraldedasa triumphfor freedom, for thedemocraticrightsof theAfricanpeople

suppressedfordecades.Mandela’sreleasemarkedanepochalerafornotjustdemocracy

andtheabolitionofapartheidinSouthAfrica,butalsoforthemillionsofAfricanpeople

forwhomhewasareal-lifeicon,ahistoricalfigureheadunsubduedbythepowers-that-be.

AcrosstheAtlantic,andby2001,anothertowerofpower,GeorgeWBush,unleashedthe

‘WaragainstTerror’.Hespokeinalmost-Messianictone,withtheconvictionthathehad

allanswerstosecureandsafeguardthegreatAmericannation.His‘shockandawe’tactics

becamepartofpopularlexicon.Theanti-warprotestsinhundredsofcitiesofAmericaand

Europe marked an important chapter in the modern history of democracy, even though its

significancewasdimmedinthehorror-shrieksofwar.In2003,millionsofpeopleallover

theworlddemonstratedtheirangeragainstthepoliticalforceswagingwarinIraq.Sections

of the media hailed it as the ‘most spectacular display of public morality the world has

everseen’.ThemonthsleadinguptothewarsawprotestsacrosstheUnitedStates,the

largest of which, held on February 15, 2003 involved about 300,000 to 400,000 protesters

inNewYorkCity,withsmallernumbersprotestinginSeattle,SanFrancisco,Chicago,and

othercities.

By2011NewYork,theglamorousBigApplewastowitnessthe

‘OccupyWallStreet’protests.Itwasanothercryfordemocracy

fromdifferent voices, fromoutraged youngWhiteAmericans

whoseemedshockedthatperpetratorsofwhite-collarcrimes

intheworldofhigh-financeinWallStreetwerescot-freewhile

the US government was bending backwards to prop up the

privatebanksandfinancial institutions.EduardoGaleano,the

LatinAmericanjournalist-satiristoftenreferstothe“richestof

therichwhoappearintheporno-financialpagesofForbesand

Fortune, and the poorest of the poor who appear on the streets

andinthefields…”asquotedinJohnPilger,Tell Me No Lies.

Corruption in High Places: In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and

acrosstheSouthAsiancountriesinfact,therehavebeenwaves

of democratic protests, anti-war demonstrations, particularly

overthelasttwodecades.Theseprotestskeeprisingfromthe

seaofpost-colonialpolitics,topushthatanalogyfurther.Local

AcrosstheAtlantic,andby 2001, another tower of power, George W Bush, unleashed the ‘WaragainstTerror’.Hespokeinalmost-Messianic tone, with the convictionthathehadall answers to secure and safeguard the great Americannation.His‘shockandawe’tacticsbecame part of popular lexicon.

INTRODUCT ION : DEMOCRACY


and global media has been fast and

quick to report about these political,

social and often violent protests that

emergefromallquarters.

Through 2010-11, in New Delhi, the

capital city of India, an anti-corruption

movement led by Anna Hazare grew

fromstrengthtostrength.Anna,asocial

activistwhohadbeenorganizinggrass-

rootmovementsprimarily focussedonruraldevelopment,wentonan indefinitehunger

strike,onApril5,2011toexertpressureontheIndiangovernmenttoenactastringentanti-

corruptionlaw.Hishungerstrike,andthewidecoverageinthemedia,tookthegovernment

totallybysurpriseasthousandsreachedouttoAnnaHazare.ThesupportAnnareceived

from civil rights’ activists, students and young professionals was unprecedented. His

simplecryfordemocraticrights inthefaceofoutrageouscorruptionandmega-dealsby

cronycapitalistsresonatedthroughoutthecountry.Themedia,inrecenttimes,hadnever

coveredsuchasocialprotestandtheyutilizedtheir24x7mediacoveragetofantheprotest

beyondimagination.

While these pro-democracymovements have been raising heat and dust in SouthAsia,

surprisingthegovernmentsoftheday,itleavesthemediaaskingfarmorequestionsthan

itcananswerfortheirviewers.WhenAnnaHazare’sdramawasunfoldingacrosstheIndian

panorama,hoggingheadlinesintheprintmediaandwith24x7newscoverageofhungerfasts

andcelebrity-visitorswhowerethrongingatthevenues,mediacolumnistslikeChandrabhan

PrasadopinedthatHazare’santi-corruptionmovementrejectedrepresentativedemocracy

andallegedthatitwasanupper-casteuprising.Healsoclaimedthatcentralisingpowersin

Lokapal,whichwasanon-electedentity,wasanti-democratic.AnotherDalitactivistKancha

Ilaiahcommentedinasimilarfashion,that“TheAnnamovementisananti-socialjustice,

manuvadi (uppercaste)movement.TheDalits,tribals,OBCsandminoritieshavenothing

todowith it.Weoppose it.”ActivistAnoopKheri claimed that “The language, symbols

usedbythemovementclearlyreflectsitsuppercasteHindunature,averyright-wingHindu

patriotismisbeingusedtogettheentirecountryagainstcorruption.AndasaDalit,Ihavea

problemwithit.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Hazare

Crimes of Democracy:InLatinAmerica,waybackinthe1970s,itwasEduardoGaleanowho

setthetrendinexposing“thesystematicexploitationofthecontinentbyforeigncapital.

Indifficulttimesdemocracybecomesa crimeagainstnational security– that is, against

thesecurityofinternalprivilegeandforeigninvestment.”Galeano’sworks(The Open Veins

Whilethesepro-democracymovements have been raising heatanddustinSouthAsia,surprising the governments of the day, it leaves the media askingfarmorequestionsthanitcananswerfortheirviewers.

24

of Latin America and The Upside Down World)

haveforthrightlymadetheconnectionbetween

FirstWorldabundanceandThirdWorldpoverty.

He emphasized that poverty is neither a natural

state nor the collective responsibility of the

ordinarypeopleofLatinAmerica,buttheresultofpillage:firstbytheEuropeancolonial

powers,thenbytheUnitedStatesandtheelitesthatareitslocalagents.Thecontinent’s

veinsaregold,silver,cacaoandcotton,rubberandcoffee,fruitandforests.Everything,he

writes…hasbeentransmutedintoEuropean–andlaterUnitedStates–capital,andassuch

hasaccumulatedindistantcentersofpower.Everything:thesoil,itsfruitsanditsmineral-

rich depths, the people and their capacity to work and to consume, natural resources and

humanresources…Forthosewhoseehistoryascompetition,LatinAmerica’sbackwardness

andpovertyaremerelytheresultofitsfailure.Welost,otherswon…”Askedtoelaborateon

hisargument,hesaid,“whenunderdevelopedcountriesarecalled‘developing’countries,

it isawayofsaying theyare likechildren–growing,developing.And it’sa lie.Theyare

under-developed becausemore powerful countries are growing at their expense. Third

Worldunder-developmentisaconsequenceofFirstWorlddevelopment,andnotastage

towardsit.”

GaleanoquotestheBrazilianbishopHelderCamarawhofamouslysaid, “WhenIgivefood

tothepoor, theycallmeasaint.Andwhen Iaskwhytheyhavenofood, theycallmea

communist.”(Tell Me No Lies)IfthemodernhistoryofLatinAmericacouldbesummedup

inonequote,thiswouldbeit.

Long before the Iraq War began to hog the headlines and made ‘war crimes’ a highly

contentioussubject,whichtheUSand itsallieswereonlytooreadytosweepunderthe

carpet, itwas in Lebanon andPalestine that ‘crimes against humanity’were conducted,

reportedandoften‘eradicatedfrommemory’. “DuringtheIsraeli invasionofLebanonin

June1982…aterrible,murderousepisode…forcedmanyWestern journalists to recognise

the terror of Israel, although none was prepared to make moral and historical sense of the

factstheyhadwitnessed,exceptRobertFisk,”whomJohnPilgerratesasBritain’sgreatest

modern war correspondent, in Tell Me No Lies.

Democracy as Ideology: Democracy is perhaps the most powerful energising idea of the

20th century,saidProfAnthonyGiddensintheBBCReithLectures1999.Hesaid,“Thereare

fewstatesintheworldtodaythatdon’tcallthemselvesdemocratic.TheSovietUnionand

its East European dependencies called themselves ‘people’s democracies’, as communist

Chinacontinuestodo.”Attheendofthe20thcentury,theProfessorcouldhavetheluxury

“WhenIgivefoodtothepoor,theycallmeasaint.AndwhenIask why they have no food, they callmeacommunist.”

INTRODUCT ION : HEGEMONY


of lookingbackacrossviolentcenturiesandwarringcivilizations tounderscorehis ideas

and thesis.Heuseshis authority as a sociologistof global repute toquestion: “What is

democracy? The issue is a contentious one, and many different interpretations have

beenoffered. I shallmeanby it the following.Democracy isa system involvingeffective

competition between political parties for positions of power. In a democracy, there are

regularand fairelections, inwhichallmembersof thepopulationmay takepart.These

rightsofdemocraticparticipationgoalongwithcivilliberties-freedomofexpressionand

discussion, togetherwiththefreedomtoformand joinpoliticalgroupsorassociations…

Democracyisn’tanallornothingthing.Therecanbedifferentforms,aswellasdifferent

levels,ofdemocratisation.DemocracyinBritainandtheUnitedStates,forinstance,isn’t

allofapiece.ABritishtravellerintheUSonceenquiredofanAmericancompanion:‘how

canyoubeartobegovernedbypeopleyouwouldn’tdreamofinvitingtodinner?’towhich

the American replied, ‘how can you bear to be governed by people who wouldn’t dream

ofinvitingyoutodinner?’Moreorlesseveryoneisademocratnow,butitcertainlywasn’t

alwaysso.”

Islam and Democracy: Social scientists and intellectuals from theArabworld, or those

Muslim scholarswho areworking inWestern universities, have studied the democratic

traditionsinherentinIslamandQur’anicteachings.“Muslimsremainlargelyunawareofthe

importance and value of the Qur’anic principle of al-Shura(mutualconsultation)andthe

significantroleitcanplayintheadvancementandreformofMuslimsociety,”saidAhmad

Al-Raysuni in his work titledAl-Shura: The Qur’anic Principle of Consultation (IIIT, USA)

whereinheattempts to introduceandexaminekeymeaningsandpracticesofal-Shura,

tracesitshistoricalevolution,andexplorewaysinwhichtheprinciplecanbeintroduced,

institutionalizedandappliedinMuslimsocieties.

“Thereisnodoubtthatal-Shura has been sidelined throughout the Muslim world and the

reasonsforthisarebothhistoricallyandpoliticallycomplex.Althoughmuchhasbeenwritten

onthesubject,inrealityithasbeenatbestineffectivelyappliedandatworstheedlessly

ignored. Even today it is a hotly contested issue. As al-Shura is increasingly associated

withdemocraticparticipationinadecision-makingprocess,debatehasignitedwithcritics

challengingthenotionofequatingtheprinciplewithwesternnotionsofdemocracy,with

others claiming that the principle allows for a meaning that breaks the grip of centralized

power,”AhmadAl-Raysunicommented.Heisconvincedthatal-Shura should be adopted as

awayoflifeforallMuslimstoprotecttheirinterestsandasavitaltoolforreconstruction

andreform.Indoingsoheaddressesthesubjectfromsomeintriguingnewangles,giving

insightintoareashithertolittle,ifatall,examined.

26

Howdoweidentifywiththenationintheglobalizing21stcentury?

Isnation,ornationalism,ananachronisticconcept?

What is the significance of national symbols, icons, leaders, airlines and the

media today?

It’stimewe lookathownationalism, as apowerful concept, has governedour thinking

andourlives.Readinthecontextofhegemonyandhegemonicideas,nationalismbecomes

yetanotherimportantsubjectwhichisdebatedanddiscussedinthemedia.Mostpeople

areproudtobenationalists.Theyunderstandnationalismas‘thebelief,creedorpolitical

ideology thatmakes them identifywith his or her home country or nation.Nationalism

shouldbedistinguished from the related construct of patriotism,which is the extent to

whichanindividualofferssupportforhisorherhomecountryornation.

IntheirintroductiontotheOxford Reader on Nationalism,JohnHutchinsonandAnthonyD

Smithwrote,“Nationalismisoneofthemostpowerfulforcesinthemodernworld...asan

ideologyandmovement,nationalismexertedastronginfluenceintheAmericanandFrench

Revolutions. Todayaswestudynationalismwerealizethatthesubjectisvastandramified.

It spills over into any number of subjects: race and racism, fascism, language development,

politicalreligion,communalism,ethnicconflict,internationallaw,protectionism,minorities,

gender,immigration,genocide.Theformsthatnationalismtakeshavebeenkaleidoscopic:

religious, conservative, liberal, fascist, communist, cultural, political, protectionist,

integrationist,separatist,irredentist,diaspora,panetc.Thefluidityandvarietyofnational

sentiments, national aspirations and national cultural values create another obstacle to

research,asdothemanydifferencesinnationalidentities.”

What is a Nation: JosephStalininThe Nationprovidedananswertothequestion‘Whatisa

Nation’?“Anationisprimarilyacommunity,adefinitecommunityofpeople...ahistorically

constitutedcommunityofpeople...astablecommunityofpeople.Anationalcommunityof

people is inconceivable without a common language, while a state need not have a common

language.Thus, a common language isoneof the characteristic featuresof anation. A

nation is a historically constituted, stable community of people, formed on the basis of

a common language, territory, economic life andpsychologicalmake-upmanifested in a

commonculture...Itisonlywhenthesecharacteristicsarepresenttogetherthatwehave

anation.”

Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communitieshasgivenmodernwritersthe‘ideaofnations

andnationhood’. Inmanyways, his ideas and thoughts have influenced a generationof

historians, political scientists and intellectuals across the world. He wrote, “The slow,

unevendeclineoftheinterlinkedcertainties,firstinWesternEurope,laterelsewhere,under

Nations:For‘Whom’theyExist

INTRODUCT ION : NAT IONAL I SM


theimpactofeconomicchange,‘discoveries’(socialandscientific),andthedevelopmentof

increasinglyrapidcommunications,droveaharshwedgebetweencosmologyandhistory.

No surprise then that the search was on, so to speak, for a new way of linking fraternity,

powerandtimemeaningfullytogether.Nothingperhapsmoreprecipitatedthissearch,nor

made itmore fruitful, thanprint-capitalism,whichmade it possible for rapidly growing

numbers of people to think about themselves, and to relate themselves to others, in

profoundlynewways.”

28

If all theworkson the subjectsofglobalizationwereprinted,and laidoutend to

end,itwouldsurelycovertheglobemanytimesover!Itisasubjectonwhichthe

leadinguniversities,think-tanks,civilsocietyorganizations,thought-leaders,writers

andacademicianshavegiven theirperspective;eachoneunderscoring theirown

importantfacetwhichdefinesglobalization.

In their Program on the Geopolitical Implications of Globalization and Transnational

Security, theGenevaCentre for Security Policy (GCSP) prepared a comprehensive paper

on the Definitions of Globalization: A Comprehensive Overview and a Proposed Definition

(2006).Dr.NayefR.F.Al-Rodhan,seniorscholaringeo-strategyanddirectoroftheprogram

wrote, “This paper will attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing

definitionsofglobalizationandintroduceourproposeddefinition:‘Globalizationisaprocess

thatencompassesthecauses,course,andconsequencesoftransnationalandtranscultural

integrationofhumanandnon-humanactivities.’”

He further explained, “Globalization is not a single concept that can be defined and

encompassedwithinasettimeframe,norisitaprocessthatcanbedefinedclearlywitha

beginning and an end.Furthermore,itcannotbeexpoundeduponwithcertaintyandbe

applicabletoallpeopleand inallsituations.Globalizationinvolveseconomic integration;

the transfer of policies across borders; the transmission of knowledge; cultural stability;

the reproduction, relations, anddiscoursesofpower; it is aglobalprocess, a concept, a

revolution,and“anestablishmentof theglobalmarket free fromsocio-politicalcontrol.”

Globalization encompasses all of these things. It is a concept that has been defined

variouslyovertheyears,withsomeconnotationsreferringtoprogress,developmentand

stability, integrationandcooperation,andothersreferringtoregression,colonialism,and

destabilization. Despite these challenges, this term bringswith it amultitude of hidden

agendas.”Thehiddenagendascomeoutintheopenaseconomists,sociologists,historians

and political scientists from different parts of the world present their definitions and

underscoretheirappreciationortheirapprehensionsaboutglobalization.

Globalization and Islam:ItisProfAliAMazruiwhonowdrawsourattentionashetakesus

throughhistoricaltimeandgeographicalspacetounderstandthedynamicsofglobalization.

HisfocusisonIslamandtheimpactofglobalizationonIslamasareligionandinMuslim

societiesacrosstheworld.Inanarticletitled,Globalization, Islam, and the West : Between

Homogenization and Hegemonization, which he presented at the conference on Islamic

Paradigms of International Relations,sponsoredbytheSchoolofIslamicandSocialSciences

andtheCenterofPoliticalResearchandStudies,Cairo,Egypt,onDecember2,1997,Prof

Mazruisaid,“Letusbeginwiththechallengeofadefinition.Whatisglobalization?Itconsists

Globalization:‘What’istheDebate

INTRODUCT ION : GLOBAL I ZAT ION


of processes that lead toward

global interdependence and the

increasing rapidity of exchange

across vast distances. The word

globalizationisitselfquitenew,but

the actual processes toward global

interdependence and exchange

started centuries ago. Four forces

have been major engines of

globalization across time: religion,

technology,economy,andempire.Thesehavenotnecessarilyactedseparately,butoften

have reinforced each other. For example, the globalization of Christianity started with

theconversionofEmperorConstantineIofRomein313.Thereligiousconversionofan

emperorstartedtheprocessunderwhichChristianitybecamethedominantreligionnot

onlyofEuropebutalsoofmanyothersocietiesthousandsofmilesdistantfromwherethe

religionstarted.TheglobalizationofIslambegannotwithconvertingaready-madeempire,

butwithbuildinganempirealmostfromscratch.TheUmayyadsandAbbasidsputtogether

bitsofotherpeople’sempires(e.g.,formerByzantineEgyptandformerZoroastrianPersia)

andcreatedawholenewcivilization.”

ProfMazrui then introduced his thoughts on homogenization and hegemonization. He

said, “Thisbringsus to the twin conceptsofhomogenizationandhegemonization.One

of the consequences of globalization is that we are beginning to resemble each other

toamuchgreaterdegree thanweeverdid in thepast, regardlessofphysicaldistance.

Homogenization is increasing similarity. The second accompanying characteristic of

globalizationishegemonization,bywhichImeantheparadoxicalconcentrationofpower

inaparticularcountryorcivilization.Whilehomogenization is theprocessofexpanding

homogeneity,hegemonizationistheemergenceandconsolidationofahegemoniccenter.

Withglobalization,therehasarisenanincreasingsimilaritybetweenandamongdifferent

societies.However,thistrendhasbeenaccompaniedbyadisproportionateshareofglobal

poweramongafewcountries.”

“Oneoftheconsequencesofglobalizationisthatwearebeginning to resemble each other to a much greater degree than we ever did in the past, regardlessofphysicaldistance.Homogenizationisincreasingsimilarity.”

30

Thesepowerfulwords-drippinginsatire,sarcasmandirony-hadbeenpennedby

Eduardo Galeano, whose work The Upside-Down World may seem to be the perfect

starting point to understanding our world as it stumbles through the second

decadeofthetwenty-firstcentury.Hiswordscontinued,withtheirscathingforce,“Twin

totalitarianisms plague the world: the dictatorship of consumer society and obligatory

injustice,”Galeanoadded,“Throughthemassmediatheownersoftheworldinformusall

ofourobligationtolookatourselvesinasinglemirror...Whoeverdoesn’thave,isn’t.He

who has no car or doesn’t wear designer shoes or imported perfume is only pretending to

exist.Importereconomy,impostorculture:weareallobligedtotaketheconsumer’scruise

acrosstheswirlingwatersofthemarket.”

Time for Outrage:“Iwantyou,eachandeveryoneofyou,tohaveareasontobeoutraged,”

wroteStephanieHessel, a93-year-oldResistancefighter fromFrance.Hewaswriting in

The Nation inMarch 2011, and he titled his pieceTime for Outrage. (Itwas translated

byDamionSearls).His senseofoutrage,matchedwithhisunderstandingofhistoryand

participationinmajorhistoricalevents,makesHessel’swritingworthquotingverbatimas

histhoughtsandwordsresonatewithGaleano’s.Hesaid,“This(outrage)isprecious.When

something outrages you, as Nazism did to me that is when you become a militant, strong

andengaged.Youjointhemovementofhistory,andthegreatcurrentofhistorycontinues

toflowonlythankstoeachandeveryoneofus.History’sdirectionistowardmorejustice

andmorefreedom—thoughnottheunbridledfreedomofthefoxinahenhouse.Therights

setforthintheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRightsin1948areindeeduniversal.When

Our World: ‘Why’ this Inequality

“In the world as it is, the looking-glass world, the countries that guard the peace also

make and sell the most weapons.

The most prestigious banks launder the most drug money and harbour the most stolen

cash.

The most successful industries are the most poisonous for the planet.

And saving the environment is the brilliant endeavour of the very companies that profit

from annihilating it...the looking-glass world trains us to view our neighbour as a threat,

not a promise. It condemns us to solitude and consoles us with chemical drugs and

cybernetic friends.

We are sentenced to die of hunger, fear or boredom - that is, if a stray bullet doesn’t do

the job first. Is the freedom to choose among these unfortunate ends the only freedom

left to us?

The looking-glass world teaches us to suffer reality, not change it; forget the past, not

learn from it; to accept the future, and not invent it.”


you encounter someone who lacks those rights, have sympathy and help him or her to

achievethem...”Suchpowerfulwordsfromtheheartofadie-hardResistancemanwho

knowsandcherishesthevaluesthathe(andhisentiregeneration)foughtfor.Thereismuch

for us to learn from the wizened soldier who is able to join the dots and complete the

pictureofhisoutrage,whenmanyofhisgenerationarehappytositbackandsipthewine

ofsocialwelfarebenefits.

Manufacturing Consent:JustasthewritingsofGaleanoandHesselhavetheintensityand

powertothrowlightonourworld,itwasNoamChomsky’sManufacturing Consent which

reachedheightsofbrillianceandacquiredaniconicstatusinjournalism-mediaandcultural

studies.Chomskyremains,tilldate,acolourfullydefiantintellectual,acontroversialthinker-

writer-activistwhoseworksareaclarioncalltonation-states.Timeandagain,Chomskyhas

challengedtheUnitedStatesofAmerica’sdominationinforeignpolicy,economyandmass

media. InManufacturing Consent, he focussed on themassmedia, and all its affiliated

industries,whichhascreatedasmoke-screeninoursociety,polityandeconomy.Chomsky

termeditthepropagandamodelanddescribeditssalientfeatureswithaneruditionthat

hasstoodthetestoftime.

Intheintroduction,Chomskywrote,“Themassmediaserveasasystemforcommunicating

messagesandsymbols to thegeneralpopulace. It is their function toamuse,entertain,

and inform, and to inculcate individuals with the values, beliefs, and codes of behavior

thatwill integrate them into the institutional structuresof the larger society. Inaworld

of concentratedwealth andmajor conflicts of class interest, to fulfill this role requires

systematicpropaganda,”theauthors,inthefewestpossiblewordshighlightthegravityand

importanceoftheirstudy.“Incountrieswheretheleversofpowerareinthehandsofa

statebureaucracy,themonopolisticcontroloverthemedia,oftensupplementedbyofficial

censorship,makes itclearthatthemediaservetheendsofadominantelite. It ismuch

moredifficulttoseeapropagandasystematworkwherethemediaareprivateandformal

censorshipisabsent.Thisisespeciallytruewherethemediaactivelycompete,periodically

attack and expose corporate and governmental malfeasance, and aggressively portray

themselves as spokesmen for free speechand the general community interest.What is

notevident(andremainsundiscussedinthemedia)isthelimitednatureofsuchcritiques,

aswellasthehugeinequalityincommandofresources,anditseffectbothonaccesstoa

privatemediasystemandonitsbehaviourandperformance.”

Growing Inequality: Just asChinaoccupiesadominantposition inanyglobaleconomic

reportage, The Economist,asacrediblemagazine, isalwaystheperfectstartingpointto

understandnewtrends,thoughttrajectoriesoftheWesternworld. In itsSpecialReport,

32

published on October 13, 2012, the magazine stated, ‘Growing inequality is one of the

biggestsocialeconomicandpoliticalchallengesofourtime.Butitisnotinevitable.”

“Thedemocratizationoflivingstandardshasmaskedadramaticconcentrationofincomes

overthepast30yearsonascalethatmatches,orevenexceedsthefirstGildedAgeofthe

1880sintheUSandEurope.Includingcapitalgains,theshareofnationalincomegoingto

therichest1%ofAmericanshasdoubledfrom1980,from10%to20%,roughlywhereitwas

acenturyago.Evenmorestriking,thesharegoingtothetop0.01%-some16,000families

withanaverageincomeofUSD24m-hasquadrapeld,fromjustover1%toalmost5%.

Thatisabiggersliceofthenationalpiethanthetop0.01%received100yearsago.Thisis

anextraordinarydevelopment,anditisnotconfinedtoAmerica.Manycountries,including

Britain,Canada,China,IndiaandevenegalitarianSweden,haveseenariseintheshareof

nationalincometakenbythetop1%.Thenumbersoftheultra-wealthyhavesoaredaround

theglobe.AccordingtoForbes magazine rich list, America has some 421 billionaires, Russia

96,China95andIndia48.Theworld’srichestmanisaMexican(CarlosSlim,worthsome$

69billion).Theworld’slargestnewhousebelongstoanIndian.MukeshAmbani’s27-storey

skyscraperinMumbaioccupies400,000squarefeet,makingit1,300timesbiggerthanthe

averageshackintheslumsthatsurroundit.”

It’s about ruling the world, stupid! From Harper’s Magazine, we get to listen to Dick

Cheney’s Song of America.ThesearetheexcerptsfromDrafting a plan for global dominance

byDavidArmstrong,anessayontheDefensePlanningGuidanceforthe1994–1999Fiscal

Years(Draft),OfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,1992;DefensePlanningGuidanceforthe

1994–1999FiscalYears(RevisedDraft),OfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,1992;Defense

Strategyfarthe1990s,OfficeoftheSecretaryofDefense,1993;DefensePlanningGuidance

for the 2004–2009 Fiscal Years, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2002. It cannot get

moreofficialthanthat…“Fewwritersaremoreambitiousthanthewritersofgovernment

policypapers,andfewpolicypapersaremoreambitiousthanDickCheney’smasterwork,”

saidArmstrong,adding,“Ithastakenseveralformsoverthelastdecadeandisinfactthe

productofseveralghostwriters(notablyPaulWolfowitzandColinPowell),butCheneyhas

beenconsistentinhisdedicationtotheideasinthedocumentsthatbearhisname,andhe

hasmaintainedacloseassociationwiththeideologuesbehindthem.Letus,therefore,call

Cheneytheauthor,andthisseriesofdocumentsthePlan.”

“ThePlanisfortheUnitedStatestoruletheworld.Theovertthemeisunilateralism,butitis

ultimatelyastoryofdomination.ItcallsfortheUnitedStatestomaintainitsoverwhelming

military superiority and prevent new rivals from rising up tochallengeitontheworldstage.Itcallsfordominionoverfriendsandenemiesalike.ItsaysnotthattheUnitedStatesmust

OUR WORLD : ‘WHY ’ TH I S INEQUAL I TY


bemorepowerful,ormostpowerful,butthatitmustbeabsolutelypowerful.ThePlanis

disturbinginmanyways,andultimatelyunworkable.Yetitisbeingsoldnowasananswer

tothe‘newrealities’ofthepost–September11world,evenasitwassoldpreviouslyasthe

answertothenewrealitiesofthepost–ColdWarworld.ForCheney,thePlanhasalways

beentherightanswer,nomatterhowdifferentthequestions.”

USA wages war more often than just annually, wrote Yuri Skidanov in the Pravda. “The

United States, an example of public and social order for the countries of the ‘golden

billion’, has a unique history. In the 237 years of its existence, it has been either at war,

or preparing for a new attack, looking for victims. During the period from 1798 to 2012

Washington used military force abroad 240 times, more frequently than annually.

In the 20th century, the aggressive U.S. operations have become even more widespread.

Virtually the entire Central America and much of Latin America were under the U.S.

control. The United States and Russia were at war, albeit without much result, landing

their troops in Archangelsk and Vladivostok. Now not just the Mediterranean or Central

America, like it was in the nineteenth century, but the entire world is covered by the U.S.

military machine.

U.S. soldiers fought in China (1925), Korea (1950), again in China (1958), and Lebanon

(1958). The biggest defeat in the history of the United States was suffered in Vietnam,

where 60,000 people were killed and over 300,000 wounded. After the war, about

100,000 of its veterans committed suicide.

In parallel, Americans conducted armed operations in Latin America - Panama, Brazil

(overthrow of the legally elected President Joao Goulart in 1964) , Cuba, Bolivia, the

Dominican Republic, and Chile. Africa was not forgotten either, and in 1960, the U.S.

organized a coup during which dictator Mobutu came to power, and the legally elected

Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba was killed.”

(http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/23-10-2013/125975-usa_war-0/)

34

There are, undoubtedly, some events in the global theatre which have the power to

shape,mouldandimpacthumandestinylikenoneelse,andneverbefore.Giventhe

propensity of the media to report, analyze, hype, stereotype and categorize, many

oftheseeventsbecomeslottedasmega-eventsormeta-events,orgettermedashyper-

events.Attheheart,thesearehistoricalmoments,thosedefiningmomentswhenhistory

ismade, sometimeswith a force of violence and goremost unbecoming of humanity’s

humaneanddivinelegacies.Since2000,wecansafelylookatfoursuchhistoricalmoments

in this overview:

• September 11, 2001 attacksinNewYork

•UnleashingoftheUS ‘war on terror’ in Iraq and Afghanistan

• Wikileaks disclosures spilling global secrets on the internet and

•The Arab SpringuprisingsacrossNorthAfricaandWestAsia.

Thecontinuingimpactofthesefourhistoricaleventscanbefeltatseverallevelsacrossthe

socio-politicalspectruminourworld.(As the 24x7 TV news bulletins love to say: these are

Breaking News!)Theeffectontheglobalmedia,andhowthemediaitselfhasreactedto

theseevents,isafascinatingstudyofourglobalizingtimes.Dependingonwhichsideofthe

ideologicaldividewemaybe,theextensivemediacoverage,‘disturbinglive’images,post-

colonialmeaningsderivedfromthe imageryandthenewscoverage,hasaffectedallour

livesandshapedourthoughts.Nations,regionalalliances,communitiesandreligiousgroups

alike have been caught in this unending snowstorm of media coverage which, however

essential for freespeech,hasalsoblurred, smudgedandconfusedourunderstandingof

ourtimeandage.

Writing inayear-endSpecial IssueofNewsweek inDecember1999,FareedZakariasaid,

withtheenergyandgustothatissocharacteristicoftheliberalAmericanpen,“Ithasbeen

only10yearssincethefalloftheBerlinWall,butweareinanewage.In1986peoplewould

have seen their world of Reagan and Thatcher and Gorbachev as closely linked to the world

of1976or,forthatmatterof1966or1956or1946.Buttodayevents, just10yearsold,

aredimandquaintmemories-remembertheNicaraguancontras?Havingcrossedagreat

historicaldivide,eventsontheothersideofthatchasmarelikeancienthistory.Foralmost

halfacentury,theWesthasstruggledmightilytospreadcapitalismanddemocracyaround

theworld.Nowithasgottenwhatitwanted-unbridledmarketandpeoplepower-andthey

willprovehardertohandlethananyoneimagined.Capitalismanddemocracyarethetwo

dominantforcesofmodernhistory;theyunleashhumancreativityandenergylikenothing

else.Buttheyarealsoforcesofdestruction.Theydestroyoldorders,hierarchy,tradition,

communities, careers, stability andpeaceofmind itself.Unsentimental about theworld

asitexists,theysurgeforward,changingeverythingtheyencounter.Thechallengeofthe

The Global Media: What’s Happening Across Our World


West in thenextcenturywillbeto

findways to channel the sweeping

ofthesetwo-thelastsurvivingbig

ideas-astheyreorganizeallhuman

activity.Otherwise formuchof the

world,itmaybetoofastaride.”

Covering Islam: At a conference

on Covering Islam: Challenges &

Opportunities for Media in the

Global Village (organisedbyTheCentreforResearchonIslamicandMalayAffairs(RIMA)

andKonradAdenauerFoundation(KAF)inSingaporeonSeptember3-4,2005),MrStephen

Schwartz titled his keynote address as Four Years After September 11th: The Failure of

Western Media.Hesaid,“Wehavereachedthefourthanniversaryoftheterribleattacks

of September11,2001. I amsorry to say that, inmyview, theU.S. andWesternmedia

havecompletelyfailedtomeetthechallengeofreportingonIslaminthefouryearssince

then,orinreactiontotheatrocitiesthatfollowed,includingtheextremistviolenceinIraq

whichIwouldnotdignifywiththetitles“insurgency”or“resistance”;theMadridmetroand

London underground bombings, and the terror assaults in Indonesia, Morocco, Turkey and

elsewhere.OnSeptember12,2001,itwasasiftwocivilizations,theJudeo-Christianandthe

Islamic, which had shared the planet and had contacts with one another for 14 centuries,

sometimesviolently,sometimespeacefully,butnearlyalwaysfruitfully,becamecompletely

unknown,onetotheother.”

Claims & Reality:SyedFaridAlatas’spaper,titledIs Objective Reporting on Islam Possible?

Contextualizing the Demon,waspresentedattheSingaporeconference.Hehighlightedan

importantdichotomy:WhilemuchofthemediaintheWestclaimstobeimpartial,liberal,

free and objective, in reality it is biased, subjective, illiberal, insensitive and intolerant,

althoughoftennotpoliticallycontrolled.SyedAlatassaid,“Onesenseinwhichthemedia

isbiasedhastodowithOrientalistassumptionsunderlyingmediaimagesofIslam.Inthis

sense,themediainmanyMuslimandotherThirdWorldcountriesisalsobiased.Orientalist

stereotypes and misconceptions regarding Islam have often been internalized by non-

EuropeansandAmericans.”

“WhilemuchofthemediaintheWestclaimstobeimpartial,liberal,freeandobjective,in reality it is biased, subjective,illiberal,insensitiveandintolerant,althoughoftennotpoliticallycontrolled.”

36

WikiLeaks: On November 2010, WikiLeaks collaborated with major global media

organisationstoreleaseU.S.Statedepartmentdiplomatic‘cables’inredactedformat.On1

September2011,itbecamepublicthatanencryptedversionofWikiLeaks’hugearchiveof

unredactedU.S.StateDepartmentcableshadbeenavailableviaBitTorrentformonths,and

thatthedecryptionkey(similartoapassword)wasavailabletothosewhoknewwhereto

findit.WikiLeaksblamedthebreachonitsformerpublicationpartner,theUKnewspaper

The Guardian, and that newspaper’s journalist David Leigh, who revealed the key in a book

published in February 2011; The Guardian argued that WikiLeaks was to blame since they

gave the impression that thedecryptionkeywas temporary (somethingnotpossible for

afiledecryptionkey).TheGermanperiodicalDer Spiegelreportedamorecomplexstory

involving errors on both sides. The incident resulted inwidely expressed fears that the

informationreleasedcouldendangerinnocentlives.

The group had released a number of significant documents which have become front-

pagenewsitems.Earlyreleasesincludeddocumentationofequipmentexpendituresand

holdingsintheAfghanistanwarandcorruptioninKenya.InApril2010,WikiLeakspublished

gunsight footage fromthe12 July2007Baghdadairstrike inwhich Iraqi journalistswere

amongthosekilledbyanAH-64Apachehelicopter,knownastheCollateralMurdervideo.

InJulyofthesameyear,WikiLeaksreleasedAfghanWarDiary,acompilationofmorethan

76,900documentsabouttheWarinAfghanistannotpreviouslyavailabletothepublic.In

October 2010, the group released a set of almost 400,000 documents called the ‘Iraq War

Logs’incoordinationwithmajorcommercialmediaorganisations.Thisallowedthemapping

of109,032deaths in ‘significant’attacksby insurgents in Iraqthathadbeenreportedto

Multi-NationalForce–Iraq,includingabout15,000thathadnotbeenpreviouslypublished.

DuringApril2011,WikiLeaksbeganpublishing779secretfilesrelatingtoprisonersdetained

intheGuantanamoBaydetentioncamp.(Ref:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks)

Freedom of Speech: In an interview as part of the American television program The Colbert

Report,Assangediscussedthelimittothefreedomofspeech,saying,“[itis]notanultimate

freedom,howeverfreespeechiswhatregulatesgovernmentandregulateslaw.Thatiswhy

intheUSConstitutiontheBillofRightssaysthatCongressistomakenosuchlawabridging

thefreedomofthepress.Itistotaketherightsofthepressoutsidetherightsofthelaw

because those rights are superior to the lawbecause in fact they create the law. Every

constitution,everybitoflegislationisderivedfromtheflowofinformation.Similarlyevery

governmentiselectedasaresultofpeopleunderstandingthings”.

TheprojecthasbeencomparedtoDanielEllsberg’srevelationofthePentagonPapers(US

war-relatedsecrets) in1971. In theUnitedStates, the ‘leaking’ofsomedocumentsmay

be legallyprotected.TheU.S.SupremeCourthasruledthat theConstitutionguarantees

T H E G LO B A L M E D I A


anonymity, at least in the context of political discourse. Author and journalist Whitley

Strieber has spoken about the benefits of theWikiLeaks project, noting that ‘Leaking a

governmentdocumentcanmeanjail,butjailsentencesforthiscanbefairlyshort.However,

therearemanyplaceswhereitmeanslongincarcerationorevendeath,suchasChinaand

partsofAfricaandtheMiddleEast’.

The Arab Spring: Demand Change:TheseriesofprotestsanddemonstrationsacrossNorth

Africa andWest Asia that commenced in 2010 has become known as the ‘Arab Spring’,

andsometimesasthe‘ArabSpringandWinter’,‘ArabAwakening’or‘ArabUprisings’even

thoughnotalltheparticipantsintheprotestsareArab.

TheArabSpringisamediatermforthisrevolutionarywaveofdemonstrationsandprotests

(both non-violent and violent), riots, and civil wars witnessed in the Arab world since

December 18, 2010.Quick to adopt a new lexicon, the globalmedia uniformly referred

to these uprisings and demand for political change as the ‘Arab Spring’. These protests

have shared some techniques of civil resistance in sustained campaigns involving strikes,

demonstrations,marches,andrallies,aswellastheeffectiveuseofsocialmediatoorganize,

communicate,andraiseawarenessinthefaceofstateattemptsatrepressionandInternet

censorship.

Many Arab Spring demonstrationsmet with violent responses from authorities, as well

as from pro-government militias and counter-demonstrators. These attacks have been

answeredwithviolencefromprotestorsinsomecases.Amajorsloganofthedemonstrators

in the Arab world has been Ash-sha`byuridisqat an-nizam(“thepeoplewanttobringdown

theregime”).

Role of Social Media: The importance of the role of social media on the Arab uprisings has

beenlargelydebated.Somesaythatsocialmediawasthemaininstigatoroftheuprisings,

whileothersclaimthatitwasmerelyatool.Eitherway,theperceptionofsocialmediahas

changed;itsroleintheuprisingshasdemonstratedtotheworlditspower.Suchinformation

allowed theworld to stay updatedwith the protests and facilitated organizing protests.

Nineoutof tenEgyptiansandTunisians respondedtoapoll that theyusedFacebookto

organize protests and spread awareness. Furthermore, 28% of Egyptians and 29% of

TunisiansfromthesamepollsaidthatblockingFacebookgreatlyhinderedand/ordisrupted

communication.

38

It was a historic setting for the three-Day International Conference organized by

InstituteofObjectiveStudies,NewDelhi,fromOctober14-16,2011atTownHalland

Yuvanika, inBengaluru, India. “Theyear2011marks thecompletionof25yearsof

existenceofInstituteofObjectiveStudies(IOS),”saidProfZMKhan,GeneralSecretaryof

theInstitute,attheinauguralsessionoftheconferenceattheSirPuttannaChettyTownHall

inBengaluru.Thehallwaspackedwithleadingpoliticians,religiousleaders,academicians,

intellectuals,socialactivists,studentsandyoungprofessionals.

ProfKhanhighlightedthegenesisof IOSsince1986,andsaid,“TheInstitutehasworked

primarily as a research organization devoted to analyzing issues concerning human

understandingandwelfare.Thebasicobjectivehasbeentopromotepurposiveresearch,

using conceptual and applied aspects of scholarship of contemporary relevance to Indian

society,polity,economy,cultureandreligion.Thespheresofconcernandinterestofthe

Instituteextendtothemultiplebranchesofsocialsciences,humanitiesandlaw,including

interdisciplinarydomainsofstudyandresearch.Specialattentionisfocusedonobjective

study of relevant issues relating to understanding of Islam, issues of national concern

Muslims and other marginalised sections of Indian society. Other core areas include

development processes, community relations, social tensions and conflicts, status and

situationofwomenetc.”

Overtheyears,theInstitutehasemergedasarecognised,trend-settingthink-tanktofoster

Islamicworld-viewinapproachinghumanproblems.MinorityaffairsinIndia,establishment

of a peace paradigm and fostering of knowledge society and economy form the core its

activities. Ithasalsoevolved suitable strategies tomeet thechallengesof social justice,

equality,ruleoflaw,peaceandharmony.Thesevaluesandobjectiveshavekepttheinterest

of valuable sections of Indian society alivewith the Institute. These are pursuedwithin

aframeworkofmoralexcellenceinsituationsofpluralismandmulti-culturalismthrough

modernmethodsofresearchandsurvey.

These aspects are further popularised and

disseminatedthroughpublications,conferences,

seminars etc., which often elicit favourable

response from important quarters, including

policy planners. It is a matter of satisfaction

that the Institutehas acquiredprominence for

its concerns and activities within and outside

India.Itisinconsultativestatus(Roster)withthe

EconomicandSocialCouncil(ECOSOC)oftheUnitedNations.

Power of the Media in a Globalizing World

Over the years, the Institutehasemergedasarecognised,trend-settingthink-tanktofosterIslamicworld-viewinapproachinghumanproblems.


Upholding freedoms sanctioned by our Constitution: Governor H R Bhardwaj

His ExcellencyMr H. R. Bhardwaj, the Governor of Karnataka, delivered the address as

theChiefGuestoftheinauguralsession.AseasonedpoliticianandaveteranoftheIndian

NationalCongressparty,MrBhardwajdrewuponhisyearsasafreedomfightertohighlight

thechangingroleandresponsibilitiesofthemedia.“Wehaveamixedtypeofmediainour

country.Therealmediaisthatwhichlistenstoourvoicesandpublishesthesame.Ourvoice

isonewhichsaysthatourcountry,anditspeople,shouldstayunitedandprosperous.Ifthe

media writes about this, we are happy; but this is not happening and we are quite worried

aboutthis,”hesaid.

Time to question the media: Dr Mohd Manzoor Alam

In his address, Dr MohdManzoor Alam, Chairman of IOS, said, “It is my privilege and

pleasuretowelcomeyoutotheinternationalconferenceonthe‘PoweroftheMediaina

globalizingworld’.WearehereinthecityofBangalorethathasputIndiaonthemapofthe

world.Bangalore’ssuccessstoryiswiththeITindustry.Themediaisheavilydependenton

theITindustry.Today,theyhavebecometwinindustries.Thisiswhyour25thanniversary

celebrationshavebroughtus toBangalore, the rightplace for this conference.Asproud

Indians,wearehappytoacknowledgetheadvancesmadebytheglobalandIndianmedia.

Today,ournewspapers,televisionstations,radiostationsandwebsitesaretechnicallyonpar

withthebestintheworld.MediawatchershavebeenproclaimingIndia’smediarevolution

as ‘one of its kind’ in the world.Nowhere in the world is the media growingasfastandasdeepas in India.Thenewspapers inHindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada are showing enormousgrowth.”

“Iwanted togiveapointer inanotherdirection.Thisdirection isabout thecontentand

substanceofthemedia.Whatisthemediaportraying?Whataretheytalkingabout?We

alsoneedtoask:whomaretheytalkingabout.“I feeldisheartenedwhenIfindthatthe

Indianmainstreammediahaslittletimeorspaceforalmost70percentofourpopulation. Theseincludethelesser-privileged,theeconomicallyweakerandthereforethe‘voiceless’

Indians.Today,thevoicelesshavealsobecomefaceless,”saidDrAlam.

Let us focus on media ethics: Mr K Rahman Khan

Inhispresidentialaddress,MrKRahmanKhan,DeputyChairmanoftheRajyaSabha(Upper

HouseofIndia’sParliament)beganwithpraisesforIOS,andhedrewuponhislongyears

ofassociationwithDrManzoorAlam,whenhesaid,“TheIOSisdoinganexcellentjobfor

thefutureofthecountry.Weneedtocreateresearchworkwhichthecominggenerations

can rely on...that work the IOS is doing.” He congratulated the Institute for completing

40

25 years in service to the nation and said, “The other praise-worthy activity of the IOS

is bringing people together and telling them about the Constitution of Indiawhich is a

sovereigndocumentgiventoustoenjoyourdemocraticrightswhicheachoneofusshould

understand.”

Need to redefine and rethink issues: Prof Vinayshil Gautam

The guest of honour, at the inaugural session,was Prof (Dr) VinayshilGautam, founding

Director of IIM (Kozhikode) and Professor and First Head, Department of Management

StudiesIIT-Delhi.Inhisshortbutscintillatingaddress,ProfGautamsaid,“Igobackto1971

whenIwasintheUniversityofSussexandakeeperofthepapersofVirginiaWoolf.Through

thosepapersIbecamefamiliarwithherviewsthatnewswassimplyconveyingfacts.Today

news has become synonymous with commentary and commentary, in turn, has become a

majorboneofcontention.”

Hewasallpraises for theChiefGuest,GovernorHRBhardwaj’saddress, saying thathe

upholdstheNehruvianidealsinthe21stcentury.“Nehruvianphilosophytranscendsboth

time and space,” the Professor said.“My focus today is rethinking andredefiningissuesbecausetheworldhaschanged.A few quick facts

thatwillhelpusknowwhyweshouldredefineandrethinkissues:

1.Fiftypercentoftheworld’spopulationisbelow30yearsofagetoday.

2.Ninety-sixpercentoftheInternetusershavejoinedasocialnetwork(throughwhichthey

areconnectedtoworldnewsandlocalevents).Newspapersarepasse.Outofthe25major

newspapersintheworld,onlyoneisintheblack,therestareallsufferinglosses.

3.Radiotook38yearstoreachthemarkof50millionlisteners.

Televisiontook30yearstoreachthesamemark.Internettookfouryears.Facebookreached

2millionviewers/membersinlessthanayear.”

Struggles in Egypt inspired by India’s freedom movement: Mr Hisham Ahmad

MrHishamAhmad,fromtheMediaDevelopmentAssociationofEgypt,wastheguestof

honour who delivered his address during the inaugural session. The audience were all

earsfortheEgyptianmediapersonhavingarrivedinIndiawhenhisowncountrywasgoing

throughmomentousandhistoricchanges.Therecanbenodoubtthat2011-12hasmarked

a watershed in the history of Egypt and North African countries through the uprisings and

revoltswhichtheworldhashailedasthe‘ArabSpring’.

“IfeelhonouredandspecialtobehereinIndiatoday,”saidMrAhmadspeakinginArabic,

“theinvitationfromIOStoattendthisconferenceinBangalorehasaveryspecialmeaning

forme.IndiaoccupiesaspecialplaceformostEgyptiansaswegrewuphearingaboutPt

JawaharlalNehru,SuhartoofIndonesiaandGamalAbdelNassertogetherestablishingthe

IOS CONFERENCE : BENGALURU


Non-AlignedMovement(NAM)wherethefocuswastokeepalldictatorialregimesatbay.”

Inthe1970sand80’s,India-Egyptrelationsreceivedaboostthroughacademicandliterary

translationsofArabicandUrdutexts.“MajorworksinArabic,writtenbyEgyptianscholars

andacademicians,weretranslatedintoUrdu.Thisbroughtourtwocountriesclosertoeach

other,”MrAhmad said, adding “TheUlemaof India, especially from the famous Islamic

seminariesofnorthIndia,arefairlywell-knowninEgypt.Weareawareofthepioneering

worksofMaulanaSyedAbulHasanAliNadwi(popularlyknownasAliMiyan)andMaulana

Mokkim Khan, to name a few. Theirworks arewidely read and highly respected in our

country.”

42

Devotedtothesubjectof‘mediaandminorities’,thesecondbusinesssessionof

thedayliveduptothepromiseofbeingfullofsoundandfury.Theminoritiesin

India, especially the vast Muslim community, have had grouses and complaints

against the mainstream media: stereotyping of the community, bias in coverage and

prejudicedreportagearesomeofthelongstandinggrievances.

The convenor of the session was Mr Abdus Salam Puthige, Editor-in-Chief of Vartha

Bharthi, a Kannada daily. In his introductory words, Mr Puthige said, “This topic is a

double-edgedsword.Theminoritieshavesufferedatthehandsofthemedia;atthesame

time,theminoritiesmaynothavedoneenoughtounderstandthenatureofthemedianor

havetheydoneenoughtobuildtheirownmedianetworkstoo.”MrPuthige,managinga

mediaenterprise inKarnataka,knewhowdifficult itwastodevelopandsustainadaily

newspaper devoted to community news and issues. He hoped that the sessionwould

throwmorelightontheroadaheadfortheminorities.

MrRoyWadia,thechairpersonofthesession,wasaseniorcorrespondentwithCNNin

theUS and had covered theMiddle East for the international channel. Hailing from a

renownedParsi family ofMumbai,MrWadia expressedhis empathy for the problems

oftheminoritiesinIndiaandthemediacoveragewhichisscantyandsuperficialatbest

and scurrilous atworst. He said, “The educatedmiddle-classMuslims in India have to

encourage their children to become mediapersons; it is only then a slow change will

happen in the newsrooms and coverage of minority

problems would become more balanced.” He

gave the example of how the African-American

communityintheUShadfacedsimilarproblemsbut

it took a fewgenerationsbefore thewrongs could

besetright,atleastinthemediafindingaminority

perspectiveandgivinga ‘voice’tothosewhowere

earliernotheardatall.

We need to fight for our rights and freedoms:

Ms Wasim Rashid

The Editor of Chauthi Duniya–Urdu,publishedfrom

New Delhi, Ms Wasim Rashid began with a rousing

couplet which urged that neither the sword nor the

headgearcangetyoutherespectwhichbringingoutanewspapercan.Thoughthecouplet

was written in the pre-Independence era, and was directed at the harsh anti-colonial

policiesoftheBritishRaj,shesaid,“NothingseemstohavechangedtodayinIndia.We

needtohavethesamekindofspirittofightforourrightsandfreedom.”

Media and Minorities: Business Session II

“Theeducatedmiddle-class Muslims in India have to encourage their children to become mediapersons; it is only then a slow change will happen in the newsrooms and coverage of minority problems would become more balanced.”



Speaking in Urdu, Ms Rashid said, “I will be focussed on speaking about the Muslim

minorityinIndiaandhowthemediahasbeencoveringornotcoveringtheirproblems.I

dounderstandthatthetopicofdiscussionisabouttheminoritiesingeneral(andtheSikhs,

Jains,Christians,Parsis...areallminoritiesinIndiatoo)but,beingaMuslimandaworking

journalist,IfeelmoststronglyfortheMuslimminority.Letusbeclearthatwearetalking

about the ‘survival’ of the Muslim minority: never before in the history of India have the

Muslimmassesbeensoneglected,impoverishedandmarginalized.”

Online media is on the fringes of media-space: Mr Subhash Rai

TheOnlineEditor for EPW,Mr. SubhashRaihad interestinganddefinitive comments to

makeinhisshortspeech.Headmittedthatthe‘onlinemedia’todaywasstillonthefringe

ofthemedia-space,sotosay.“Whetheritisalargemediahousewhoseprintandtelevision

coverage is also being shared online or it’s a media company focussed singularly on the

digitalspace,theonlinemediaisgrowingandhasyettogrowintheyearstocome,”he

said,pointingoutthatinthenewonlinemedianotonlyisthenewsbeingconsumedbutit

isalsobeingcreated.HewasreferringtohowFacebookandTwitter,asglobalsocialmedia

networks, are being followed by media houses for comments by users who range from the

ordinarytothecelebrity-extraordinaire.WithThePresidentoftheUnitedStateshimself

beingacommittedtwitter,thereisnoendtothebytesandbitsofinformationwhichcanbe

gleanedfromthesesocialmediasites.AstheArabSpringdemonstrated,thesocialmedia

sitesplayedapivotalinthedisseminationofnewsandinformationbyordinarycitizensand

journalistsacrosstheArabworld.

Muslims in eastern India are the most backward: Mr Ahmad Hasan Imran

Mr.AhmadHasanImran,EditorofQalam WeeklyfromKolkata(WestBengal)spokeinUrdu,

and took the audience focus to eastern India: to not just West Bengal where he lives and

worksbutalsotoAssam,TripuraandManipurwhichhasoneofthehighestconcentration

ofMuslimsinIndia.Sadly,thishistorically-richareaofthecountryremainsoneofthemost

backwardandunder-developedinmodernIndia,despitemajorgovernmentalpoliciesand

initiatives.“AspertheSacharCommitteeReport,theMuslimsineasternIndiaarethemost

backward in India,” saidMr Imram,“Iwillnotgo through thedataandstatisticsbut let

meinformthisaudiencethat90percentoftheMuslimshereliveinruralareas.Theyare

laggingbehindonallparameters: farmorethantheScheduledCastes,ScheduledTribes

andtheOtherBackwardCastes(OBCs).”

“Iamafirmbelieverinthemedia’sroletopromotedemocracy.Themediahasanequally

importantroleinpromotingdevelopment;andhelpthedifferentarmsofthegovernment

to play a significant role towards the empowerment of disadvantaged groups like the

Muslims,”saidMrImran.

44

Muslim community cannot ignore the media: Mr Khurshid Alam

Mr Khurshid Alam, a senior journalist from New Delhi who has spent several years working

withleadingUrdunewspapers,said,“Asamediaperson,Ikeephearingonemajorcomplaint

by the Muslim community that the mainstream media in India has no space for Muslim

issuesortheMuslimpointofview.Itisasifthemediais‘ignoring’theMuslimcommunity

andtheproblemsitfaces.

“Let us examine how true or false this allegation is against themedia,” challengedMr

Alam.“Themediaisinterestedonlyin‘news’;itdoesnotbotheraboutwherethenewsis

originatingfrom,orwhetherthereareanymoralorreligiousdimensions.Theywanttobe

thefirstinthefieldtoprovidethenewstotheirreadersorviewers..Insuchasituation,I

wouldgofurthertostatethatthemediaisneitheranti-Islamnorisitanti-Muslim.”Hefelt

thattheMuslimcommunitymayhaveitsgrousesagainstthemedia,butitcannotaffordto

ignorethemediaintoday’stimeandage.



Thesessionon‘CommercialisationoftheMedia’promisedtobeveryinformative

and interesting; the convenor, Syed Tanveer Ahmad, Editor of the Karnataka

Muslims, set the tone for it as he started with a quote from Dr B R Ambedkar,

“JournalisminIndiawasonceaprofession,ithasnowbecomeatrade.Ithasnomoremoral

functionthanthemanufactureofsoap.”DrAmbedkar,aprolificwriter,thinkerandsocial

activisthimself,waskeenlyawareofhowIndiawaschangingandhowthesocial-cultural

eliteswerecontinuingtheirideologicaldominationinalargecaste-riddensociety.

SyedAhmadreferredtoareportpresentedbytheInternationalCommissionfortheStudy

of CommunicationProblem,UNESCO: “Theexclusionof thedisadvantaged groups from

normalcommunicationchannelsisamajorissue.Thecompositionmayvaryfromcountry

tocountry,theirproblemsmaybemoreorlesscrucial,buttheyexisteverywhereinthe

world. The poor, handicapped, geographically isolated, those subject to social, cultural

andeconomicdiscrimination,national,ethical,linguisticandreligiousminorities,women

and children: some of these groups in some places are denied such rudimentary rights to

communicateasthatofassemblyorexpressionofopinion.”

New age mediaperson has emerged: Mr Guha Thakurta

MrParanjoyGuhaThakurta,an independent journalist-filmmakerfromNewDelhi,said,

“Notsolongago,therewasanendearingimageofthejournalist:onewhowascommitted

tovalues,tohisprofession,todiggingoutthetruthandsometimesevendyingforit.This

imagewasreinforcedonthesilverscreeninHollywoodand,closerhome, inBollywood.

Many in the audience here would remember Orson Welles and Citizen Kane, the1940s

Hollywoodfilmwhichinmanywaysdefinedtheroadtoruthlesspower.Kane’scareerin

thepublishingworldisbornofidealisticsocialservice,butgraduallyitbecomesanendless

pursuitofpower.ContrastthiswithIndia,wherethejournalistwasportrayedonscreenas

someonesosincere,spartanandkeepingalivetheflameoftruthagainstallodds.Countless

Indianfilmscreatedandsustainedthisimagery;butsuddenly,overthelastdecadeorso,

thisimagehasslowlyfadedout.Thejournalisttodayisasavvymediaperson!Smartandin

syncwiththecorporateworld.InIndia,HindifilmslikePage 3 and Corporate have brought

alivethisnewagemediaperson.”

Commercialisation of Media: Business Session-III

46

Thesecondday’ssessionbeganwithProfZMKhan,SecretaryGeneralof IOS, in

thechair.Hesaid,“Mediaanditsglobalizationisarealitytoday.Itisthrowingup

challengesonallfronts:technology,content,freedomofspeechandexpression,

thereisnoissueuntouchedbytheall-roundgrowthofthemedia.Withthegrowthhascome

enormouspower;Ihopethespeakerswilltouchuponthesecontentiousissuesregarding

themediatoday.”TheconvenorofthesessionwasMrSNHRazvi,formerSecretaryofthe

KarnatakaStateMinoritiesCommission.

Talking about Thought Control: Mr H A Karim.

Mr.HameedAbdulKarim,aseniorjournalistfromSriLanka,said,“Mostpeopleassociate

mediawithTV,newspapersandradio.Butwhenwewerechildrenwewerenotexposedto

TVanddidn’thavemuchtodowithnewspapersexceptthesportspage.Wewere,however,

exposedtocomicbooksandwedevouredeveryoneofthemwecouldlayourhandson.

OurfavouriteonesweretheLoneRangerandTarzan.Wedidnotknowthenthatourminds

werebeing‘programmed’orthatwewerebeingsubjectedto‘ThoughtControl’asoneof

thegreatintellectualsofourtimesNoamChomskyputitinhisbookPirates and Emperors.

The Lone Ranger brainwashed us to believe that the White man was superior because we

foundhimridingawhitehorseandalwayssolvingtheproblemsoftheoppressed.Tonto,his

sidekick,was‘redIndian’andherodeabrownhorse–nowhitehorseforhim.Westarted

to believe the White man was superior and that the brown man was only good enough to

dohisbidding.ItwasaroundthistimethesupremeracistimperialistRudyardKiplingwrote

aboutthe‘WhiteMan’sBurden’.TarzanbrainwashedustobelievethattheWhitemanwas

superior in every aspect of life and that if something good had to be done it had to be done

bytheWhiteman.Wecouldn’timaginewhyTarzanhadtobeWhitemaninthethickofthe

BlackAfricanjungles.That’show‘ThoughtControl’operatedthenandcontinuestooperate

upuntiltodayinavarietyofways.Hightechtoyshavereplacedcomicbooks,buttheycarry

thesamemessage.

Women and minorities - how are they represented in the media: Ms Bhasha Singh.

Ms.BhashaSingh,theRovingEditorofNai DuniyainNewDelhi,said,“Politicalrightsand

political voicewithin themedia: Iwant to sharemy thoughtson this topic in the larger

contextofglobalization.Myreferencepointsarewomenandminoritiesandhowthemedia

isportrayingthem.”Shefeltthatwithoutapoliticalvoice,theexistenceofpoliticalrights

doesnothavemuchsignificance.“Whenwetalkaboutglobalization, thebasicnotion is

thatitcreatesaglobalvillage.ButhasthathappenedinIndia?Iwanttoraisethisquestion.

WhatIseehappeninginIndiaisthatnewsisbecomingmorelocalized.Whatisimportantin

onepartofthecountryhasnosignificanceinotherparts.Tothisextent,wehavebecome

‘islands’who are connectedwith eachother by themedia.” India, being amulti-lingual

Media and Globalization:Business Session-IV



multi-ethniccountry, thenewsreported inoneregional language is incomprehensible to

viewersinotherpartsofthecountry,eventhoughtheymaybeviewingthenews.Thisadds

anotherdimensionto‘isolation’.

We’ve been a globalized nation for long: Mr A Jairam

Mr.A Jairam, formerResidentEditorofThe Hindu in Bangalore, reminded the audience,

“We in Indiahavealways tried tobeglobal inour thoughtsandactions.Evenbeforewe

achieved independence fromBritish colonial rule, leaders like Pt JawaharlalNehruwere

demonstratingtheglobalreachoftheirthinking.NehruhostedaconferenceinDelhicalled

the Asian Relations Conference where he advocated independence for countries under

colonialruleinLatinAmerica,Africaandsouth-eastAsia.India’sindependencemovement

wasnotonlyforIndia,itwasforalloppressedpeopleandcountriesoftheworld.Thatwas

ourconceptandglobalizationisnotalientoourthoughts.

“TheBritishmadeusmembersoftheLeagueofNationsandourambassadorwasSirFiroz

KhanNoon,wholaterbecamethePrimeMinisterofPakistan.Criticsoftensaythat India

hasbeenmoreofa‘talkingpower’ratherthananeconomicgiant!Onecanreferhereto

thehistoryoftheNon-AlignedMovementwhichIndia ledasaglobalmovement.Onthe

economicfront,India’squesthasalwaysbeentobeself-reliant;Icanremindthisaudience

aboutleaderslikeSirMirzaIsmailandSirMVisveswarayaofMysorewhoevenespousedthe

causeof‘MadeinMysore’asadistinctidentity.”

Need to study impact of globalization on media: Mr Sharieff

Mr.IftekharSharieff,asenioreditorfromSalar newspaper in Bangalore, agreed with earlier

speakersthattheimpact,effectofglobalizationwastotalandoverwhelmingfortheIndian

media.“Therehasbeenadramaticchange.Today,themediahasassumedtheshapeofa

universalpackage:ithasimpactedthewaywegetthenewsandinformationaboutpolitics,

economy,society,religion.Earlierthemediawasoperatinginasmallerbandwidthbuttoday

itscoveragehasexpandedanditsboundarieshavegonebeyondnations.Thishasaffected

thewaythemediaoperatesandseesitselftoday,”hesaid.

Outliningthekeychangesinthemedia,hesaid,“Thecanvasofthemediahasgrownlarger

and larger. It coversnotonly theprint,electronic, radio-wavesbutalso thedigital space

whichistrulyrevolutionary.Iwanttolookattwoissuesconcerning‘globalizationofmedia’:

a)whathasbeenitsimpactonsocietyb)itsimpactonthebusinessofmedia.”

48

TheIOSSilverJubileeCelebrationsconcludedwiththe14thInternationalConference

on Minority Rights and Identities: Challenges and Prospects in an Unfolding Global

ScenarioinNewDelhifromApril13-15,2012.

At the concluding conference, Minority Rights, Civil Society and Media was an important

parallelsession.ItwaspresidedoverbytheDelhiHighCourtformerjudgeRSSodhi,andwas

addressedbythefollowing:seniormediapersonPranjoyGuhaThakurta,socialactivistand

journalistTeestaSetalvad,SarvodayaInternationalTrustDelhiChairmanDrAKMerchant,

journalistBhashaSingh,socialactivistSanjayRai,JamiaMilliaIslamiaacademicianArvind

KaurAnsari,Pune’seconomistDrMalikaMistry,DelhiUniversitypoliticalscientistDrAftab

Alam,AligarhMuslimUniversityacademiciansKomalJBSingh,DrAmanMohammedKhan

andTabassumRasul.

Make minority campaigns more inclusive: Mr Sanjay Rai

Mr Sanjay Rai, a civil rights activist, pointed out that minority rights and civil society

groups should include the gender, class and religious groups, to make their campaigns and

movementsmore inclusiveandcomprehensive. “Ihavebeen travellingacross theworld

and,eventhoughIamaHindu,Ihavebeenfacingracialprofilingatleadingairportsofthe

world.Thisisaseriousissue,andanyonewhoundergoesthistreatment,feelsextremely

humiliated and insulted. I can understand what the minorities must be facing when

travellingtoandfromtheUSAorEuropeancountries,”hesaid.

Media has fallen prey to the right-wing discourse on minorities: Ms Teesta Setalvad

MsTeestaSetalvad,acivilrightsactivistandjournalistwhohasbeendoggedlyfightingfor

justiceforthevictimsofGujarat’scommunalviolencein2002,said,“Ifweseetheevents

ofjustthelastthirtyyearsorso,wefindthatcommunalism(orfizaparasthi, as is said in

Hindustani)hasbeengrowingatafastpace.Ithasbroughtunderitsinfluencealargesection

ofthegovernmentalestablishments.Communalistshavealsobeenabletochangethevery

faceofourpoliticalideologies.Ibelievethatsomewherealongthewaythemediastopped

consideringtheminoritiesascitizensofIndiabutfellpreytotheright-wingdiscourse. The

right-wingdiscoursehaspitteddiversityagainstuniformity;ithaspitteduniformityagainst

nationalism.Themediahasnotbeenabletointrospectorstepbacktolookatthisturnof

politicaldiscourse.”

“AcaseinpointistheBabriMasjidissue.Withthelegalcasescarryingon,themediabegan

referringtotheBabriMasjidissueastheissueof‘thedisputedstructure’.Itwastheright-

wingdiscourse that theMasjidwasadisputedstructure. In thephaseof just tenyears,

theentirepublicdiscoursethroughthemediahasbecomeoneofthe‘disputedstructure’.

Similarly,ratherthanpresentingandportrayingtheminorityrightsastheConstitutionally-

IOS CONFERENCE : NEWDELH I

Minority Rights, Civil Society and Media: Parallel session


guaranteed right to equality, the right to education etc., it has become a question of

appeasement.Weneedtounderstandthisverycarefullybecause‘appeasement’isonce

againaworddiscoursedwidelybytheright-wingforcestoalienateanddemoniseasection

ofourminorities,”MsSetalvadexplained.

Minorities face a black-out in the media and news: Dr Manzoor Alam

Dr Mohd Manzoor Alam, Chairman of IOS, speaking during the session, shared his

experiencesofhowthemediahasbeen‘blackingout’newsandeventspertainingtothe

minorities,especiallytheMuslims.Hesaid,“In1997,duringthe50thIndependenceDay

celebrations,severalMuslimorganizationsundertheumbrellaofAllIndiaMilliCounciltook

out a Caravan-e-Azaadi.ThisdecisionwastakeninParliament,withthePrimeMinisterMr

I K Gujral giving his blessings to this movement to spread communal harmony and the

messageofpeace. Across50days, theCaravan covered the length and breadth of the

country;andwhenthepressconferencewasheldinNewDelhiatthefinale,therewasa

hugepresenceofthemedia.Ihaveneverseensuchalargepressconference;97journalists

cameforthemeet.Butnextmorning,whenwesearchedthenewspapers,therewasnota

word about the Caravanortheconference!Howdoesoneexplainthiscompleteblack-out?

TheonlycoveragewereceivedwasintheUrdupress.”

Minorities have only

themselves to blame for

their misfortunes:

Justice R S Sodhi

Justice R S Sodhi, a former

judgeoftheDelhiHighCourt,

who was presiding over the session on Minority Rights, Civil Society and Media, in his

remarkssaid,“Asfarasminorityrightsareconsidered,weareallinfavourthatweneedto

fightforthemandsupportthemintheirstruggle.Thecivilsociety,inmyopinion,hasbeen

byandlargelethargicanduninterested;themediaisirresponsibleandhasoftenplayeda

negativerolewhenrepresentingminorityaffairs.”HesaidthatIndiahasmanyminorities

andMuslimsaloneshouldnotbeconsideredasminorities:thereareSikhs,Jains,Parsis,

Christiansandotherreligiousandethnicminoritieswhichneedequalattention.“Intoday’s

timeandage,minoritygroupshavethepowerthroughtheballottotopplegovernments.

So,oneshouldnotfeelpowerlessatanystage.Yettheminoritiestodayaresuffering;they

arebeingmisledbytheirownleadershiporothervestedinterestswholeadthemastray.

Ifirmlybelievethatwedonothavetoblamethemajoritycommunityforthewoesofthe

minorities;theminoritieshavetoblamethemselves,theirlackofeducationandpolitical

will.Youchosetobeasbackwardasyouwanttobeandasyouare,”hesaidcategorically.

“Ifirmlybelievethatwedonothavetoblame the majority community for the woesoftheminorities;theminoritieshave to blame themselves, their lack of educationandpoliticalwill.”

50

Understanding India,and themedia revolution in the21stcentury, isnosimple

task. As a country, India defies easy definitions. It is a bundle of ancient

contradictions,wrappedinmoderndemocratictraditionsandtiedupinsecular

and spiritual knots that cutacrosshistoricaltimeandgeographical space. Its seemingly

contradictoryexperiencesandimageshaveensuredthatIndiagetseasilyunderstood,and

portrayed,throughstereotypesandcliches.Itmaynolongerbethelandofsnake-charmers

and Maharajahs but it has transformed into a land where the image of the ‘cell phone, the

sadhuandtheelephantonthestreet’getsbeamedacrosstheworld.

Foreignwriters,andveryoftenthejournalistsamongthem,alwaysthoughtthetruemotif

ofthecountrywastheTajMahal,thesublimemausoleumonthebanksoftheriverYamuna,

atimelesstributetoeverythingthatIndiawasproudof.Otherswereequallyquicktowrite

aboutthecrowdsandcowsonthestreetsofitsmetro-cities,thepatientpeasantbehindhis

plough,lookingupwithtiredeyesatacloudlesssky.Eventhemostperceptiveamongthe

writerswerefoxed,andflummoxed,onseeingthecrowds,themultitudes,thethrongsof

people,peopleeverywhere:atpoliticalmeetings,fairsandmelas,ontrainandbusstations,

andlater,atairportsandswankymalls.TrevorFishlockinCobraRoad(publishedin1999)

wrote about ‘oceansofmultitudes, teeming like spermatoza’. Numbersnumbed them.

Whetherforpoliticalscientistsorsociologists,thehugepopulaceofIndianscontinuedto

defycategorisationandclassification.Itwasrelativelyeasytojustputtheminmonolithic

blocks,castevote-banksandlumpedintovariousreligioussectariancommunities.

Imax view of India: When Edward Luce wrote In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of

Modern Indiain2007,itwasagainasimilarsagafromanexperiencedjournalistwhohad

reported from New Delhi for The Financial Times from2001to2005.Luce,wroteareviewer

in The New York Times(NYT),“offersanImaxviewofanationsoenormousthatitembraces

everypossiblecontradiction.Alwaysit(India)seemstobeteeteringontheedgeofeither

greatnessortheabyss.Rightnowthefuturelooksinviting.”

WovenintothesagaofmodernIndiaisthestoryoftheIndianmedia’sphenomenalgrowth.

ItwouldbeapttobeginwiththewordsofRobinJeffriesfromtheintroductioninIndia’s

Newspaper Revolution. He wrote, “There has never been a newspaper revolution like

India’s.Thespreadofcomputertechnologyandoffsetpressesfromthe1980’s,prodded

byawakeningcapitalism,hasmadetheprintingofnewspapersahotlycompetitive,mass-

market industry in ten different scripts and a dozen languages...the Indian-language

newspaperindustryismountingawell-wornglobaltreadmillofnewspaperdevelopment.

DailynewspapercirculationinIndia’s13majorlanguagesmorethandoubledinthe1990’s.

intermsofavailability(orpenetration),thismeantthatin2001,whenIndia’spopulation

The Indian Media: Grasping its Growth


was1,020millionpeople,therewereabout58dailynewspapersforevery1,000Indians,

morethanthreeandhalftimesthelevelof25yearsearlier.Infiveyears,between1996and

2001,penetrationgrewby35%...Theprocessoflimb-stretching,awakeningcapitalism,as

they work themselves out in the newspaper industries of Indian languages, is immensely

dynamic.”

Jeffries’ breathless narrativemerits attention as he rolled out the figures: “Newspaper

circulationinHindi,thenationallanguage,spokenbyabout40%ofthepopulation,more

than trebled in11years, from7.8millioncopiesaday in1990to25.6millionaday in

2000.Theydoubledbetween1994and1998,from12.3millionadayto24.3million.Other

languagesshowedevenmorespectacularincreases.CirculationinTeluguquadrupledand

inOriyaandPunjabitrebled.InAssamese,theymayhaveincreasedbyasmuchasseven

times.ThegrowthofIndian-languagenewspapers,whichhadbegunwellbeforethe1990’s,

signifiesthespreadofIndiancapitalismanditsorganizingprinciplesandvalues.Theneed

toshowlargeraudiencestonationaladvertisersdrivestheaggressiveexpansionofthese

newspapers.Theyneedrisingcirculationfigurestoretaintheiradvertisersinthefaceof

challengesfromtelevisionandothernewspapers,tocaptureadsfromrivalsandtoentice

newadvertisers intotheirregions.Theregistrarrecorded5,364dailynewspaperoffices

in2000,upnearly90%from2,856in1990.Inpart,newspaperownershadopenednew

officesandpushedtheirpapers intosmall

townsofruralIndiainordertosurvive.”

Powerful address: Quite befittingly it

was in a small town in Uttar Pradesh,

the northern Indian state, that the Vice

President of India, Mr M. Hamid Ansari

delivered a powerful address, mincing no

words as he castigated the Indianmedia.

Hebeganbysaying,“Wehaveeveryreason

to be proud of the strength and diversity

ofIndianmedia. However,andfromtime

to time, there have been media-related

developments that are disconcerting.

They raise questions about the media’s

objectivity and credibility.”MrAnsariwas

delivering theinaugural address at the

BiennialSessionofNationalUnionofJournalists(NUJ)inHathrasinJune2013.Hesaid,

“Thesedevelopmentsrelateto:(i)cross-mediaownership;(ii)thephenomenonof‘paid

“Thesedevelopmentsrelateto:(i)cross-mediaownership;(ii)thephenomenonof‘paidnews’; (iii)mediaethicsandtheneedforeffectiveandviableself-regulatory mechanisms;(iv)thedecliningroleofeditors and their editorial freedom; (v)theneedtoimproveworkingconditionsofmediapersonnel, their safety and security.”

52

news’;(iii)mediaethicsandtheneedforeffectiveandviableself-regulatorymechanisms;

(iv) the declining role of editors and their editorial freedom; (v) the need to improve

workingconditionsofmediapersonnel,theirsafetyandsecurity.”

MrAnsari said that in considering thesequestions, “Wenowhave thebenefitof three

weightyand relevantdocuments. Thefirst is a2009 reportby theAdministrativeStaff

CollegeofIndia(ASCI)attheinstanceoftheMinistryofInformationandBroadcastingon

‘CrossMediaOwnershipinIndia’.ThesecondisaFebruary2013ConsultationPaperbythe

TelecomRegulatoryAuthorityofIndia(TRAI)onmediaownershipquestion.Thethirdisa

reporton‘PaidNews’madeonMay6,2013bytheParliament’sStandingCommitteeon

InformationTechnology.”Heexpressedhisconcernthat,together,theirfindingspresenta

disturbingpicture.

It canbe termedas the Indianmedia’s ‘darkesthour’.Alternatively, it canbe seenasa

logical corollary of the ongoing commercialization of media where every asset, every

operation isbeingmonetised.Withoutdoubt, themarketingpractiseof ‘paidnews’has

puttheIndiamediaunderadarkcloud;thegloriousstoryofIndia’smediarevolutionpales

whenitisreadas‘howcorruptionintheIndianmediaisunderminingdemocracy’.

T H E I N D I A N M E D I A


One of the most important values which democratic nations have enshrined in

theirconstitutions,andembodiedintheirmassculture,istherighttofreedomof

speechandexpression.Thisrightisavaluethatdistinguishesanationconsidered

democraticfromothernationswhichhaveautocraticandrepressiveformsofgovernance.

Itiscommonlyunderstoodthatcurbingthisparticularfreedomepitomisestherestriction

ofallormostpersonalfreedomsanyindividualcitizenhastherightto,regardlessofthe

country she or he may live in, which is why it is considered a sacrosanct fundamental right

indemocraticideology.TherefrainofapopularAmericansongofthelate-1960swritten

byKrisKristoffersonandpopularisedby,amongothers,JanisJoplin(1943-70)-Freedom’s

justanotherwordfornothing leftto lose...- isprobably thebestanalogyexpressingthis

fundamentalrightmostofuswantandwishtotakeforgranted.

Insourcinginformationwhilepresentingnews,journalistshavetoreportongendercrimes;

exploitation of the under-privileged; indulgence of the affluent; arrogance of those in

positionsofpowerandauthority;naturalcalamitiesandman-madeaccidents;communal

tensions and riots; conflicts and wars; acts of terrorism – the list is long and merely

illustrative.Whilereportingnews,explainingfacts,analyzinginformationandplacingthese

intheirhistorical,social,economicandpoliticalcontexts,thejournalisthastobeawareof

herorhisaudience(readers,listenersandviewers)andaccordinglyusethelanguageand

toneconsideredappropriate,properandrelevant.

Whereas the independence and autonomy of the mass media constitute important

barometersoftherighttofreeexpressionandanindependentmassmediaisoneofthe

importantfoundationsofademocraticsociety,mediapersonnelingeneralandjournalists

(orcontentproviders)inparticularareconsideredbymanytobesociety’s‘watchdogs’,not

‘lapdogs’ofelitesandestablishmentscomprisingthoseinpositionsofpowerandauthority.

To stretch the canine analogy further, besides playing the watchdog role of adversary or

antagonist, a journalist can be compared to a guide-dog for the visually challenged (or

underprivilegedsectionsofsociety)orevenasnifferdogwhofindsoutifcontrabanddrugs

orexplosivesarehiddeninapileofluggagetopre-emptanuntowardsituation.Themass

medianotonlyprovideinformationofinterestandusetothepublicbutalsohelpensure

thatthoseinimportantandinfluentialpositionsofremaintransparentandaccountablefor

theiractions.Independentjournalismseekstoexposecorruptionandupholdsdemocratic

rights,includingtherighttofreeexpression.

Mediaethics is a complex, sticky, andoften controversial subject. Journalists arebound

to uphold certain accepted modes and codes of conduct to ensure the veracity and

authenticityoftheirwork.Thesemodesandcodesofconductcomprisewhatarebroadly

Media Ethics and Freedom of Expression inDevelopingCountries:AnOverview

54

understood as media ethics. While media

professionals on occasion claim that certain

facts are in the ‘public interest’ to disclose and

need wide dissemination for that purpose,

journalistsareoftenaccusedofsensationalizing

information,distortingreality,trivializingevents,

transgressing individual privacy, and worse:

lying, cheating anddeceiving. Even as the role

of the media in exposing corruption in high

placeswasacknowledgedandhailedindifferent

countries,viewswereoftenexpressedthatthemediawenttoofaronoccasions,crossing

thethinandsubtledividing-linethatdistinguishestheappropriatenessofthepublic’sright

toknowandtheindividual’srighttoprivacyaswellastheobligationofthegovernmentto

protectnationalsecurity.Themediawasalsocriticizedforitsexcessiveemphasison‘bad

news’;sentenceslike‘ifitbleeds,itleads’begantobecommonlyused.

Over the years, media ethics as a topic of discussion and study has received relatively

greater attention in theUnited States of America and countries of the developedWest

and Japan in comparison tootherpartsof theworld.This volumeseeks toaddress this

gap.Excludingwestern,north-westernandeasternEurope,theMediterraneancountries,

NorthandCentralAmerica,theWestIndies,Australia,NewZealand,someislandnations

and India, this book tries to cover as many countries from around the globe as it can with

specificfocusontherighttofreedomofspeechandexpressionand,byextension,thestate

ofmediainthesenations,andthereforethestateofdemocracyinthosecountries.Todo

this,wehavehadtoexamineeachcountry’sgeo-politicalplace,itshistory–lessgeneraland

morepolitical–aswellinmanycases,apin-holeviewofitsethniccultureandenvironment.

Allthesefacetscontributetoandmakeupthebasisforthisparticularfreedomasprevalent

ineachnationatthetimeofwritinginlate-2013.

We have gathered and collated information from a host of reputed agencies and their

websites thathavemadeall such informationfreelyavailable tothe interestedpublic.A

listoftheseorganizationsisgivenintheannexurewithbriefdescriptionsaboutthem.The

informationhasspecificandtopicalrelevancetothemediaineachnation,andbydefault,

theprevailingstatusoffreedomofspeechandexpressionmaybegleanedfromwhathas

beencollated.Additional informationhasbeencompiled fromotheronline resources.A

separate list in the annexureprovideshyperlinks to thesewebsites.Many references to

quotations,statisticsetc.,aregiveninthemaintextasfootnotesorwithinsquarebrackets.

Media ethics as a topic of discussion and study has received relativelygreaterattentionintheUnitedStatesofAmericaandcountries of the developed West andJapanincomparisontootherpartsoftheworld.Thisvolumeseekstoaddressthisgap.

MED IA ETH ICS


In noway can this section be described as a comprehensive exposition of the state of

freedomofspeechandexpression ineachof thenationsdealtwith.Thatwouldneeda

tomeofencyclopaedicproportions.However,thisbookattemptstobeaworkofreference

that brings to the reader selectively compiled information from different developing

countries that should hopefully be of interest to not just students of the media and media

practitionersbutothersinterestedinthepoliticaleconomyandsociologyofmediaethics

and freedom of expression from the perspective of developing nations. The material

provided in the book may open doorways and indicate signposts for further research and

detailedreading.

Here is how the material has been divided according to geographical regions:

SOUTH ASIA: This section covers awide geographical area between Afghanistan in the

westandIndonesia intheeast.Countriescoveredare:Afghanistan,Bangladesh,Bhutan,

Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan,

Singapore,SriLanka,andThailand.ReliableandadequateinformationfromBrunei,Fijiand

thesmallerislandnationsofthisregioniscurrentlyunderreview.

FAR EAST:Thissectiondealswiththegeographicalareaeastoftheaboveregion,consisting

ofNorthandSouthKorea,Vietnam,JapanandTaiwan.ThePeople’sRepublicofChinaon

themainlandisincludedhere.

CENTRAL ASIA:Thegeographicalareacoveredinthissectionisbroadlynorthandwestof

thenationsnamedaboveaswellasIndia.Countriescoveredhereare:Armenia,Georgia,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with Russia taking up the

firstpartofthissection.

WEST ASIA: The geographical area in this section takes into consideration the countries

boundedbytheArabianSeaandthePersianGulfinitssouthandsoutheast,Afghanistan

andPakistantoitsnortheast,andTurkey,theSuezCanalandMediterraneantoitsnorth

andwest respectively.Countriescoveredhereare: Iran, Iraq, Israel,Kuwait,Qatar,Saudi

Arabia,Syria,UnitedArabEmirates,andYemen.

AFRICA:Inthislargeandancientcontinent,thepresumedprogenitorofthehumanrace,

there are 54 nation-states that are recognised by the African Union and/or the United

Nations.Thissectionlooksatthefollowingcountries:DemocraticRepublicofCongo,Egypt,

Ethiopia,Libya,Namibia,Nigeria,Rwanda,Somalia,Somaliland,SouthAfrica,andZambia.

SOUTH or LATIN AMERICA: Another large and ancient continent, replete with many

troubledhistories.Countriesincludedare:Argentina,Bolivia,Brazil,Chile,Colombia,Peru

andVenezuela.

CENTRAL AMERICA: The geographical area between the Americas is a place of tumult but

alsoofhopeandpossibilities.Thecountriescoveredhereare:Belize,CostaRica,Cuba,El

Salvador,Guatemala,Honduras,Mexico,Nicaragua,PanamaandPuertoRico.

56

In�OurGlobalizing

World

Media

INSTITUTE OF OBJECTIVE STUDIES INDIA

“A must-read book for all those who want to have an insight into the nature and structure of the media…it marks the beginning of critical thinking and enquiry into the media's role in our globalized world.”

- Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Professor of Journalism and

Public Relations, Western Illinois University, USA

“Whether in the European Union or in UK, media coverage seems to be superficial and stereotypical rather than being well-researched and of considerable depth.”

- Dr Ahmad Totonji, Emeritus Director, International Institute of

Islamic Thought, USA

“Mainstream media has turned from pro-people to pro-market and pro-business. Instead of standing up for the poor and downtrodden, it is acting as agent of neo-liberalism.”

- Santosh Bhartiya, Chief Editor, ChauthiDuniya

Institute of Objective Studies 162 Joga Bai Main Road,

Jamia Nagar,New Delhi-110025,INDIA.Tel: +91 011-26981187, 26987467, 26989253

Fax: 91-11-26981104E-Mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Website: www.iosworld.org

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