BARKHAGATE: When news manufacturers become news

Run, rabbit run
Dig that hole, forget the sun
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down
It's time to dig another one

- Breathe, Pink Floyd

It is telling that much of the shock and awe surrounding the so called "Radia Tapes" aka "barkhagate" involves the news industry and some of its most revered icons. This should really have been a sideshow, the real story is the massive scams and systematic loot of the country and the wholesale destruction of institutions by the ruling UPA dispensation. However, cutting Indian mainstream media down to size was also necessary and somewhat inevitable.

Consider the following:

• This year alone, NSUI and "Youth" Congress activists indulged in dozens of acts of vandalism. How many did you see on the TV ticker?
• In the past couple of years, dangerous riots occurred in Miraj, Bareilly, Farakka, Deganga and many more places. How many do you recall?
• Based on the coverage of politics, why does it feel that BJP and not the Congress party is running the Government?
• It has been revealed that the Karnataka CM (BJP) used his "discretionary" quota to grant lands to his kids. Subsequently we learn the practice has been around for decades. Why do we learn about this now?
• Should media give equal emphasis to scams worth tens of billions of dollar and those worth a few million?

Rasheeda Bhagat writes:

Readers of the print media and television viewers are strange creatures. Most of them are generous in heaping encomiums on their favourite reporters, columnists or anchors. Despite growing cynicism and scepticism about the media, unfortunately, most people in India tend to take the written or broadcast word as gospel truth. So, any journalist with good articulation skills, flamboyance and a dash of glamour — oh yes, glamour is important in the electronic media, ask the plain Janes and they'll tell you horror stories on this aspect — can catch the fancy or admiration of thousands of followers. (emphasis added)

In our view, that is the real scandal of Indian media and journalism.

Much of it comes from the explosive growth and extreme visibility of news anchors. They keep getting industry and national awards. They also become part of international junkets and foreign think tanks which wield great influence on policy. They also seem to be raking in crores. As a result, in our aspirational society, where chances of escaping "darkness" without resorting to "white tiger" type tactics is rather thin, they start to seem like demigods. The way the urban white collar middle class teens fawn over these media icons is astonishing, you could strike some of these awestruck specimens down with a rose petal.

Indian journalists exploited this factor to the hilt by building loose fan networks by pretending to be accessible. In a society where connections and plugs go their distance, they also managed to coopt so called independent media - a plug for profuse praises for a show or an article. Thus their influence far exceeded the reach of television both in terms of coverage and influence.

The gory details in the tapes reveal they might have also exploited their proximity to businesses and politicians to their full advantage, bartering favorable coverage for favors ranging from the trivial to the substantial to the much more serious - possible insider trading tips.

Possible effect on Indian Media

The "barkhagate" tapes initially had a deer in the headlights type of effect on MSM - when the young and still idealistic Open Magazine broke ranks and went ahead with the story. The OutLook magazine soon followed suit. The impact on the Indian netizens was instantaneous and devastating. Various related topics started trending on social networking sites and continues to trend till this day. After an initial period of blackout, various news channels have started covering the incident - but metering it carefully. Some channels like NDTV, whose star journo Barkha Dutt was among those "stung", continues the blackout.

Let's take a step back and look at the media situation in other countries: in the US for instance, journalism commands very poor respect from the public. A recent Rasmussen poll reveals that Americans regard journalism as one of the least respected professions, after their lawmakers and CEOs. In this regard, American public has been pretty consistent over the years. This merely shows the maturity and pragmatism of the electorate, which, needless to say has been a crucial factor in the country's destiny.

The second important factor about the US news industry is the dramatic shift of power from organized media towards crowd sourced media. Today, at least half of all Americans consume news from what they consider more trustworthy sources of news - news aggregates, blogs, alt websites and social networks. High traffic websites on both sides of the political aisle not only thrive but increasingly referred to by the MSM itself. Alternate news sites have come up in many countries including Japan, South Korea etc. and act as governors which keeps the MSM honest.

The self-evident fact that BarkhaGate must have been powered by not just political detractors but a large portion of Indian netizens, including former fans of Ms Barkha Dutt, gives us hope that at least in the the credibility department, we are seeing a course correction in the right direction. Now every time you read a story or see a TV report, you can not but wonder about the phone calls that might have preceded it. As a matter of fact, this has been an ongoing process - Indian MSM has been slowly losing credibility over the years as this blog post shows - India's trust in media down by 7%.

As far as alternate sources of news is concerned, it will have to be seen - we fear that various Congress party affiliated outfits or NGOs might hijack this most opportune moment. This is a battle that must be fought till the bitter end. Beware of lifelong Congress supporters or connected people suddenly claiming to be "disgusted" by the "system" and launching a website - inviting you to be a part of the change etc. Remember, even Tehelka started out as a "free and fearless" website. Look what happened - sample this (if pressed for time, search for "Tarun") and ponder.

Next Up: What's up with Barkha Dutt?