President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, while attending an event in Bengaluru recently asked the traditional media to introspect on its role in society in the face of the new media, driven by the internet and social media, to again earn the full trust of the people. The president has made a pertinent point which needs to be seriously taken by the media professionals. Today in India, media, especially the so-called national media, have completely lost the trust of the people. Their credibility has been really hit hard. The media are either seen as pro-establishment or anti-establishment. The era of neutral media seems to be over. Large sections of media, especially the electronic media, are seen as being pro-government.
They are operating at the behest of the ruling BJP and work as their propaganda machines. Another section, a minority, is seen as anti-government by their supporters. This division of media has damaged their credibility. It is next to impossible for them to regain the trust of the people. With the advancement of the digital media, the mainstream media is facing bigger challenges. The digital media is doing a much better job in the present time. India has a large young population that mostly use smartphones and have access to the internet. With the credibility of the mainstream media at an all-time low, the digital media is wooing the young, burgeoning population. The onus lies on the traditional media to win back the trust of the people by reporting only the truth. They should stop becoming propaganda machineries of political parties.