Much before the odious pandemic threw everything upside down, traditional media personnel and owners had begun the countdown to the hitherto unimaginable. Plummeting readership in tandem with growing advertiser disinterest pointed to a form of extinction. Online was the new vogue that was rapidly drawing readers and viewers away. It was fertile and cheaper territory for advertisers.
The scramble to retain relevance began anew. So secure had media moguls felt by incrementalism in creative content that they were left bereft of ideas. Some of the most respected and well known publications shut down, others were merged with bigger companies.
State supported organizations such as the BBC and Voice of America jettisoned some of their foreign language radio broadcasts, again in favour of online broadcasts. Trotting on the scene was social media further captivating imagination and exposing the shortcomings of television.
For those interested in the here and now the latest was being filmed and at times reported on, however rustically, by enthusiasts present at incidents. It left broadcasters in the unenviable position of vying for second-first with, at times, obtuse analysis. Studio anchors left to depend on specialists and “experts” were left as exposed.
On the other side of the equation is the now open one-sidedness. Al Jazeera will go to painstaking lengths to expose wrongs provided it has nothing to do with Qatar.
The BBC and CNN remind us of the special credentials of the individuals of their broadcast anchors. Their special programming targeted at Africa picks up examples of progress and successes without talking of the muddy roads, poverty, or corruption. They create a make-believe environment ostensibly to attract viewers through the positives while covertly supportive of their governments' Africa ventures.
It took 15 rounds of voting before Kevin McCarthy could become Speaker of Congress. There were thin lines of “concessions” he had to make to win over the doubters. There was no analysis of what those doubters represent and what the concessions were. Those that will trumpet the joys of democracy may well reconsider how impartial the new Speaker will actually be.
In a few months, an assigned tributary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to present a new constitution for the country. It is likely to be one that resonates with the groups that were opposed to India's partition, dedicated to recreating “Akhand Bharat” (Unified India) and committed to establishing a Hindu country. Objective journalism suggests there should be analysis before it happens. So much for the arguments that culture rather than religion should define a state.
A growing intolerance to independent journalism by the Indian government has contributed to media houses closing down. The last straw has been the surrender of Prannoy Roy's trailblazing TV and online broadcasting channel, NDTV. It was a legitimate business take-over except that the new owners are staunch BJP supporters.
Compare that with The Hindu, arguably the best daily publication in India, still holding true to the policy it stated in its inaugural edition of 1878 of eschewing harmony and union and a secular editorial policy whereby content and editorials would never be counter influential.
There was underlying dismay among cartoonists at the self-censorship imposed by leading newspapers when they dared to step “where angels fear to tread.” What they did achieve though, was to bring to the cold light of day the fact that when it comes to nationalism, religion, and espionage, some matters are off-limits.
And yet Jim Davis never had any such problems till he retired, taking the beloved “Snoopy” with him. Nor did that fabulously creative Laxman with all his satire that fuelled the belief that we could and should be able to laugh at ourselves.
The BBC has produced some outstanding documentaries over the years, including insight into the workings of the United Kingdom's two major political parties that didn't inspire confidence. Its serialized dissection of Muammar Gaddafi's rule of Libya covered all the shady and dark corners. It didn't focus on the remarkable benefits enjoyed by Libyans and foreigners employed there.
Perhaps it is an admission of sorts when they bring back their World Affairs Editor, the 78 year-old John Simpson, for a new program named “Unspun!”
Mahmudur Rahman is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, and communications specialist.