Naga Scholars Association (NSA)
Bhupendra Chaubey, Executive Editor, CNN News18 with members of Naga Scholars' Association (NSA) and others during a special talk on ‘Media and Professionalism in the 21st Century' held at School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi on September 7.
NSA organises talk on ‘Media and Professionalism in the 21st Century'
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 8 (MExN): The current media dynamics in India is unsound, considering the unpleasant changes in the political, social and economic environment of the country.
This was stated by Bhupendra Chaubey, Executive Editor, CNN News18, during a special talk on ‘Media and Professionalism in the 21st Century,’ organized by the Naga Scholars' Association (NSA) at the School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi on September 7.
Chaubey remarked that there has been a fundamental shift in the media landscape of India. Unlike in the past, where there was possibility for media to be critical and navigate the complex discourses that concerns the country, the present ‘ecosystem’ is not conducive to such critical thinking and that, there is a failure to represent plurality of opinions, he said.
He further asserted that the fundamental challenge of the 21st century is to curb the weaning space for an open discourse. “The debate of media’s role in legitimizing or delegitimizing the narrow agendas of political power class will be a continuous actuality. So, it is healthier to move beyond media whipping and create more platforms where one can engage in meaningful discourse as an agent of political change,” Chaubey added.
Mainstream media’s neglect of NE
In the context of North East India, he acknowledged the neglect of the mainstream media, which leads to a failure to understand the narratives of the people. As such, he emphasized upon the importance of bridging this gap. A way of bridging gaps within the multiplicity of India is economic development, which is a common denominator for all Indians.
However, he stressed that this should not happen at the cost of the diversity of India.
To a few questions on problems of media outreach and media sensationalism, he acknowledged the failure of media to reach out to remote areas and the involvement of media in sensationalizing news because of the role of money in media production. Chaubey noted that for a credible media, it has to move beyond advertisement dependency and that, consumers’ willingness to pay for media can enable a meaningful journalism.
The session was chaired by Dr. Sushmita Dasgupta, Chief Economist, JPC and also sociologist and social activist. The rapporteurs were Chibenthung Yanthan and Pamyo Chamroy, Ph. D. Scholars, JNU. The session started with a welcome address by Dr. Zuchamo Yanthan, President of NSA.
