ROLE OF MEDIA IN PROPAGATING WELFARE SCHEMES

ROLE OF MEDIA IN PROPAGATING WELFARE SCHEMES

Media has always been pro-active about disseminating information. But it is no longer limiting itself to information. The concept of infotainment and sensationalism has taken over. Whether it is news channels or entertainment channels, all believe in the concept of garnering number one slots. The concept of ??media has evolved over a period of time. Unlike before, it is not limited to newspapers, radio and pamphlets. Recently, an upcoming Kannada singer committed suicide as he was not allowed to participate in one of the reality shows. This is a clear example to show the importance and the kind of recognition one gives to this medium. This research paper tries to understand the role of media in propagating welfare schemes. Various committees are formed across the country to provide a fair chance for the common man to access better facilities and fruits of development. If information about the same development or welfare schemes is not disseminated widely, how can one try to bring better standards of living? Running behind scams or 24 hours news coverage does not guarantee high quality news. The media is no longer a mediator between the government and public, but more of a commercial entity. Freedom to design program content has meant that the private TV channels, especially 24x7 news channels, do not have any special interest in propagating information about social welfare schemes. Government-owned broadcast media entities, on the other hand, follow government guidelines on media content, with specialized content to meet social development objectives. However, government-owned broadcast media is far behind in terms of catching up with latest technology and following best practices, when compared to private channels. Bureaucracy, red-tapism and lack of agility have meant that the government-owned channels have lost out to the private channels in presentation and holding the attention of viewers.

Rudrappa Shilpa

Media Studies