THE Role of Media in Society

Media plays a significant role in our society todav. It is all around us, from the films we watch on television, the music we listen to on the radio, to the books and magazines we read every day. Television achieves a myriad of different goals, ranging from entertainment to education. Various forms of education and entertainment are depicted on television. Without the media, people in a society would be isolated not only from the rest of the world, but from the Government, lawmakers, and neighbouring towns and cities. Media has always played a huge role in our society.

For a long time, media has been one of the methods of controlling people and leisure. The media, both print and broadcast, is expected to inform the mass audience, educate them, entertain the people and to mobilise them towards a desired goal. In the old days, people received information through mediums such as town criers with beating drums and other special noise-producing instruments. The flow of information is important for the development of communities and the media facilitates this. Without a wide array of information, people’s opinions and views would be limited, and their impressions and conclusions of the world around them stunted: Historically, the most common form of the distribution of information was by word of mouth, with the news often beginning with the words, “Did you know ?” Indeed, word of mouth is still one of the most powerful tools in the sharing of information, but technology has allowed tot this exchange to take place in an instant, paving the way for bigger and better media houses with instant access to information, with instant gratification factor.

The media in India is one of the freest in the world in terms of legal constraints. The Freedom of Expression guaranteed under the Fundamental Rights in our Constitution in Article 19(l)(a) remains an important facilitator for widespread engagement within a democratic atmosphere. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru beautifully remarked, “I would rather have a completely free press, with all the dangers involved in the wrong use of that freedom, than a suppressed or regulated press.” To realise the vision of Mr. Nehru, the media has been provided with many freedoms and immunities so that this fourth pillar of democracy stands tall and strong. However, what Lord Atkin relates with power is also well placed with the notion of liberty. Liberty does corrupt into licence and is prone  to be abused. Every institution is liable to be abused, and every liberty, if left unbridled, has the tendency to become a licence which would lead to disorder and anarchy. Therefore, it has to be remembered that freedom of expression is not absolute, unlimited or unfettered.