Media and Social Change
MUMBAI July 15, 2015 — The Asia Society India Center in partnership with the Yes Foundation was proud to host a heated panel discussion on the role of media in influencing social change with Sidharth Bhatia, the Founder Editor of thewire.in, Anant Goenka, the Head of New Media at the Indian Express Group, Dylan Gray, best known for of a critically acclaimed documentary called Fire and the Blood, Namita Vikas, Senior President, Yes Bank, and Santosh Desai, MD and CEO of Future Brands.
Prerana Langa, the CEO of Yes Foundation, opened the evening with an introduction to the mission behind her organization—to encourage responsible youth citizenship, and provide an innovative response to India’s challenges. After a short video on their Yes I am the Change initiative, the panelists delved straight into the matter at hand, each expressing their diverse views on the function of media in inspiring social change. Bhatia argued that media is a platform that serves as both an opinion leader but also an opinion follower. Expecting media to play a pioneering role in social change involved putting the burden of responsibility on the industry. Goenka countered this by pointing out that most journalists love the responsibility to change the world. Both Vikas and Desai expressed skepticism about the ability of the media to initiate change. Desai did not dispel the notion that the media is the driver of change; instead he argued that specific campaigns run by the media that do not cause change, but rather the media in its totality promotes change. Vikas added to this by characterizing the media as a “loud-speaker rather than an initiator” and as “means to an end”.
On the other hand, Gray claimed that starting conversations, spreading awareness, telling stories, and setting societal standards are the key roles of media. The conversation took a nostalgic turn as the panelists compared the traditional role of media to its newly defined position. “The media used to be a mirror. It sought to reflect. Now, it is a trumpeter of reality. It’s like looking into a mirror with a vested interest,” Desai very eloquently stated. Bhatia raised the issue of the loss of control due to the rise of social media that journalists are battling. The panelists agreed that although it is disconcerting to lose control of the news being reported, it is an essential aspect of freedom of speech. But Gray quickly made us question whether we are truly free after all by bringing up the issue of censorship and our terrifying indifference to it. “Fight for your rights or they will disappear,” he warned the audience. As the entertaining discussion came to a close, the audience was left trying to decide which of the five panelists’ insightful views they agreed with.
Video: Watch the complete programme (1 hr. 28 min.)
Reported by Mallika Iyer, Programme Assistant Intern, Asia Society India Centre
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