should be run in not for profit spirit
Nand Kishore Tiwari
Let me pose a question what really happens when a profession begins to decay in to a business enterprise? why I call journey from profession to business as decay? This can be understood by noticing basic difference in role and attitude of a person as professional and as businessman, which in turn can be understood by his respective choices of commitment in spirals of needs and wants, how they vary according to his role and attitude. Professional commits oneself to fulfil needs and help in maintaining an activity/enterprise to retain it as a profession. Need based service is the priority of a person in his role as a professional. While, glorifying wants and finding the ways to fulfil them with profit motive as 'the driving force' makes one businessman. However, both the roles are there to serve humanity through institutional mechanisms (and at times same person is also found shouldering both the responsibilities. For burning example we can name wikileaks'Zulian Asanze,also inter press service.) Yet, there is a subtle difference between the nature of their serving.
Former acts/works to fulfil a demand generated due to necessity, and, her/his delivery is need based. One may ask whose necessity? And whose need? Necessity most often than not, revolves around essentials in any given context. And need of the ones who yearn for basic minimum requirement, which will qualify institution and people to live in dignified life conditions in society, at any particular point of time or in a given context, for that matter. Spiral of wants should begin when needs are fulfilled.
We are living in a time where decay in human values is rampant. Leadership is always essentailly moral. As soon as we compromise on priorities we then and there loose the right to lead, but alas! driven by selfish motives or inefficiency priorities are being compromised and hence confusion is ensuing in every field of life. Confusion delays decisions. FDI in retail is the case in point.This is vicious selffueling spiral. If the leadership is not sure of outcome of any particular policy decision, then open debate and clarity through consensus is the only democratic way to come out of it, else it will keep on hindering our progress as individuals,as a nation and finally as earthlings in the literal sense.
Just for example, take the case of mass media in our country, where, compromise on sense of proportion (that how much space should be given to rural India) is clearly visible, as barring a few exceptions, no big newspaper or television channel is giving due attention to rural reporting, case of urban poor is not much different either. It is because neither rural nor urban poor are having purchasing power to indulge in buying new goodies and hence enhance the market reach. Most of them even cannot afford to buy second newspaper; ironically reach of TV is making bit of headway though. Proprietors of newspapers or channels do not bother to look beyond the interests of advertising class, and as interests of the later lay in expansion of conspicuous consumer class, therefore, newspaper or television channel have no choice but to churn out content that glorifies conspicuous consumption. That brings us to the question. What is wrong in it? Especially, when looking at human beings as ‘discerning consumers’ is the rising trend world over, and ‘conspicuous consumer’ is the identity of new man. Why should we lag behind in this race? More so, as long as consumers do not complain, why should your or my blood boil?
We are living in a time where decay in human values is rampant. Leadership is always essentailly moral. As soon as we compromise on priorities we then and there loose the right to lead, but alas! driven by selfish motives or inefficiency priorities are being compromised and hence confusion is ensuing in every field of life. Confusion delays decisions. FDI in retail is the case in point.This is vicious selffueling spiral. If the leadership is not sure of outcome of any particular policy decision, then open debate and clarity through consensus is the only democratic way to come out of it, else it will keep on hindering our progress as individuals,as a nation and finally as earthlings in the literal sense.
Just for example, take the case of mass media in our country, where, compromise on sense of proportion (that how much space should be given to rural India) is clearly visible, as barring a few exceptions, no big newspaper or television channel is giving due attention to rural reporting, case of urban poor is not much different either. It is because neither rural nor urban poor are having purchasing power to indulge in buying new goodies and hence enhance the market reach. Most of them even cannot afford to buy second newspaper; ironically reach of TV is making bit of headway though. Proprietors of newspapers or channels do not bother to look beyond the interests of advertising class, and as interests of the later lay in expansion of conspicuous consumer class, therefore, newspaper or television channel have no choice but to churn out content that glorifies conspicuous consumption. That brings us to the question. What is wrong in it? Especially, when looking at human beings as ‘discerning consumers’ is the rising trend world over, and ‘conspicuous consumer’ is the identity of new man. Why should we lag behind in this race? More so, as long as consumers do not complain, why should your or my blood boil?
Answer is very simple. Anticipation was that competition would bring out best in the profession, but it is not happening that way, because there is a subtle difference between other consumer products and media, as it has the power to influences peoples decision to buy other products in many more direct and indirect (surreptitious) ways, this power sets media apart from all other consumer products. To make it more clear, borrowing a simile from quantum physics, we can say distingushed from other consumer products media has wave-particle nature. For example, a story is published on page 3 which hints that the party at so and so’s house last night was very successful most of the important bureaucrats and politicos and scribes were there and that such and such attire was the mandated dress code there and next party will be held at place x where the dress code will be y. Now, want has been created among the aspirants who wish to be part of party at x.
Moreover, it is a fact that most visible common minimum denominator across all the big media houses is money coming from advertisers. I am quoting only a visibly recognisable fact. There are a plethora of hidden benefits and sources of income, which however are recognisable only by the after effects. Thus driven by profit motive focus of media ventures have shifted entirely in the opposite direction. It is called fourth pillar of democracy,because the anticipation was that it will take care of all, but. alas! it has also has carved out a class called conspicuous consumer class and started pandering to it. Political parties can hardly look beyond victories and defeats in the elections and they have confined themselves (at best) to votes.Judiciary has its own limitations as,first of all, not all approach it and neither it has wherewithal to reach on time to all. Delay in delivering justice is writ large on its face. Bureaucracy, more or less keep dumping its 'will to serve', under the double speak of legislative as executives. When, it should use the laws and rules to further progress, unfortunately it utilises them for scuttling the progress, as common man, most of us are having enough first hand experience of it evryday.
Moreover, it is a fact that most visible common minimum denominator across all the big media houses is money coming from advertisers. I am quoting only a visibly recognisable fact. There are a plethora of hidden benefits and sources of income, which however are recognisable only by the after effects. Thus driven by profit motive focus of media ventures have shifted entirely in the opposite direction. It is called fourth pillar of democracy,because the anticipation was that it will take care of all, but. alas! it has also has carved out a class called conspicuous consumer class and started pandering to it. Political parties can hardly look beyond victories and defeats in the elections and they have confined themselves (at best) to votes.Judiciary has its own limitations as,first of all, not all approach it and neither it has wherewithal to reach on time to all. Delay in delivering justice is writ large on its face. Bureaucracy, more or less keep dumping its 'will to serve', under the double speak of legislative as executives. When, it should use the laws and rules to further progress, unfortunately it utilises them for scuttling the progress, as common man, most of us are having enough first hand experience of it evryday.
So where to look for light? where from that flickering hope manifest? what, if common man finds alienated ? So what if mass media swears to keep the conscience of nation? So, what If this reduces citizen to consumer? So what if media claims to be voice of the voiceless and thrive on the basis of credibility grabbed in the name of donning aforesaid responsibility? So what, if vast majority of our population doesn’t possess as much purchasing power that could enable them to maintain a decent and dignified existence as families and individuals? So what if nobody knows this (and so many other such bitter truths) better than media professionals? The sad fact is that apart from suggesting the solution they also know power of media and role of media in influencing the policy decisions and mood of the electorate both. But delivering fair comment and unbiased news is not possible without being a courageous professional. Guts to carry ones responsibility in a transparent manner with accountability is all that is needed .I singled out media as an example because media is the only profession which, if decides to stay as a profession, have the potential to change the face of the nation for good, which in fact should be it’s rightful mission. Else, it is business in the garb of a profession.
Mass media is a powerful tool, which, due to its sheer reach and instant delivery have capacity to keep the conscience of humanity. But, unfortunately it itself is struggling for its survival as a profession. Mass media has become a business, yet being camouflaged as profession, as ‘cover’ of being profession gives it immense credibility. This is cheating. What can you do?
You write something not because you can read ‘collective consciousness’ and you know it well in advance that a want has been created for such and such reading material which if be based on such and such idea, and such and such thoughts imaginatively woven and beautifully decorated with words, will surely turn out an eyeball grabber stuff or a best seller! No, you write because you feel/know that something needs to be conveyed and shared through words as part of your duty/love/care/service/help towards humanity, lest humanity’s direction and orientation may take wrong turn. While businessman works to create a want and most often than not he camouflage it as need so as to coerce him/her to buy it without guilt. (As common people in our country are conscientious so much so that buying something which was not to address the need but to fuel the luxury, still induces a feeling of guilt in them, and they are not wrong either, as some of our countrymen still sleep hungry, most amongst them being women and children.) By creating either confusion or misdirected desire in human mind via ever increasing means of communication (e.g. by encouraging and infusing value in a ‘want’ based life style and products through movies/serial and advertisement etc) with incessant and clever manner that he or she can not differentiate between essential and superfluous or if he or she somehow clings to wisdom which is very rare then also (as said above) demands of duality/social etiquette will do him/her in. Idea of absolute freedom is a farce. Mind you, freedom is always shared. Do you still buy the idea that you are free to buy?
Problem lies at this very point wherein businessman wants professional to produce things for which want (artificial need) has been created and be partner in further fuelling the demand for wants of diverse nature. While professional should prefer to remain well within limits of needs based delivery but is that happening that way? For example once a writer attains brand value in the market, he or she instead of maintaining the sense to write only need-based stuff, starts dishing out want-oriented fare in the market. And to keep his/her conscience clear says, people are free to buy or not to buy. While in his/her heart he or she knows that any work, which is not essential, is not worth doing. Now, taking advantage of ‘credibility’ (which can be hard earned or purchased through advertising/image building PR companies) posing a want as a need before the ones who trust you is not right. Is that essential for you?
Theory of spiral of needs and wants hold good in every field. In delivering a service or product, professionals take (they ought to also) decisions in accordance with priorities that are self-evident due to essentially being based on the pyramid of basic needs, keeping in mind dynamics of all-inclusive progress. Spirit of harmonious progress is the key. Here decision-making and discretion to execute a decision both are of crucial importance, as widening the horizon for individual potential and social progress depends on it. Creation of scope is the responsibility of the ones who have discretion. Accountability is essentially felt in the inner domain of morality. Nobody knows it better whether one is corrupt or a man of character than the individual him/herself. Most of the fallings/failings or risings occur in the confines of secluded space of human heart. To the outer world (say ‘other’) you may prove a wrong appearing to be ‘not wrong’ and vice-versa. As, at times appearances may be deceptive. Doing this to oneself may cost you your soul. Forget ‘other’, your own appearance may become deceptive to you. Quality of capability in discerning chaff from the grain widens scope of discretion; efficacy in executing decisions paves way for becoming deserving for more and more discretion. I am saying here discretion and not ‘discretionary power’, and saying so and not saying so is a deliberate decision. Whether you want to be a professional or businessman or middleman in the garb of a media man, think again. Medium is the message; therefore, imbibing in character, enthusiasm to handle responsibility, efficiency to practise transparency, and courage to accept accountability is crucial for being a credible media person.
Despite value addition of diverse nature, despite Wikileaks, sting operations, sensational news stories, catchy headlines and colourful photographs, etc etc. Despite, applying all the cosmetics available in the stylebook to bring the point home on any public interest issue,yet its impact remains short lived. Why? Because, there is no alternative to hard earned credibility! On this count have most of newspapers and channels already gone beyond the point of no return?Sooner or later media people will have to decide whether media, that once had hallowed aura of being a mission, is now struggling for its own identity, as it is struggling between being classified as a profession and reducing to a business. Mirror needs to identify/name its own image.
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