Q. Are There Inherent Biases Embedded in Media Systems? Discuss With Reference To Reporting On Human Rights Violations and The Indian Media

Q. Are there inherent biases embedded in media systems?
Discuss with
reference to reporting on Human Rights violations and the Indian Media.
In social structure, media has distinct place to form image about significant
political and social issues. Media coverage has major impact on public when it
characterises the whole event and provide reliable information about numerous
issues such as environment, technology and risk. Media is considered as a potent
source of information and opinion for readers through newspapers, magazines,
television, radio and the internet. Various studies have exposed that the public
increases their knowledge base about science from the mass media. Therefore, it is
important to scrutinise the injustice and misrepresentation of media coverage of
serious issues
Inherent Bias
The phrase “inherent bias” refers to the effect of underlying factors or

assumptions that skew viewpoints of a subject under discussion. There are multiple
formal definitions of “inherent bias” which depend on the particular field of study.
There are inherit biases embedded in Indian media systems. When we talk about
media bias, it’s perceived bias of journalist and news production houses on how
they select the events and stories that are reported and how they are covered.
A bias, moreover, can be the foundation for investigative journalism. It may

prompt the news organization to right a wrong and take up an unpopular cause.
Thus, the job of journalists is not to stamp out bias. Rather, the journalist should
learn how to manage it. And to do that, the journalist needs to become conscious of
the biases at play in a given story and decide when they are appropriate and may be
useful, and when they are inappropriate.
Practical limitations to media neutrality include the inability of journalists to report

all available stories and facts, and the requirement that selected facts be linked into
a coherent narrative.
There are many factors contributing to the biases apart from the reporter’s personal
background and ideologies. The government influence, overt and covert
censorship, biases the media in some countries. The influence of the Market forces.
Market forces that result in a biased presentation include the ownership of the news
source, concentration of media ownership, the selection of staff, the preferences of
an intended audience, and pressure from advertisers.
Human Rights
There are six fundamental rights in India. They are Right to Equality, Right to

Freedom, Right against Exploitation, Right to Freedom of Religion, Cultural and
Educational Rights, and Right to Constitutional Remedies.
According to Section 2(1) (d) of Protection of Human Rights Act 1993, means

the rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed
by the constitution or embodied in the International Covenants and enforceable by
Courts of India.
Kashmir
Indian media, specifically the electronic medium, is tirelessly busy in colouring the
entire population of Kashmir as traitors, terrorists, anti-nationals and a breed that
should be damned and doomed. They invariably run news shows and debates that
aim at maligning and distorting the very image of a Kashmiri resident. And the role
of this half-true, Manichean manifestation of situation in Kashmir is the cause of
hatred and extreme dislike towards them outside the state. Not mentioning the
evolution of ‘siege mentality’ syndrome, that prevents the Kashmiris, even to roam
freely in the other parts of the Indian republic.
Evidently, the conflict areas prove to be a fertile land for the propaganda war
machine. Since the State, in order to crush the voice and dissent of a common man,
openly directs its proprietary media outlets to criminalise and project him as an
enemy of the state. The other private media outlets, mostly owned by people with
commercial marketing mentalities, join the state in the race.
The Indian media network, in spite of rganizat the basic and grave issues the
country faces — unprecedented inflation, malnutrition, starvation, corruption,
farmer suicides, human resource development — pull their brains out on issues
which in no way concern the interest of the masses. Subjects such as cinema and
cricket dominate the broadcasting hours of the media channel. Where Kashmir
situation finds scarce attention, hours of prime time is dedicated to ‘inform’ people
about the new animals adopted by celebrities, new developments in saas-bahu
serials, and much more trash. And this strategy is intentionally used to blur the
truth and confuse the public.
The DD Kashmir channel, financed by the Ministry of Information and

Broadcasting, Government of India, is also a fine example of propaganda tool.
Since decades, its owners have rigorously advocated for programmes that have
largely not only influenced but changed the mental attitude of the Kashmiris.
Rather than reporting the ground situation of Kashmir, it has faithfully been active
in launching a psychological war against the neighbouring State.
On the one hand these media channels have never conducted debates on issues like
Kunan Poshpora, nor have they talked about the facts related to Tufail
Matoo’s brutal murder by the Indian forces. These channels emotionalise the news
of killings of armed forces, but remain dead silent when an innocent youth is
mutilated by the CRPF jawans. The mourning of the dead armed personnel is
exclusively broadcasted on their channels whereas no information is shown related
to the college graduate, Matoo, who was blinded and later succumbed to the pellet
injuries.
From sedition charges against separatists to the rganizations of stone-pelters,

everything is taken up on these shows. However, grave violation of human rights,
fake encounters, custodial killings that haunt the minds of the inhabitants of
valley have never been given an iota of space by these channels.
Journalists working in Kashmir claim that the Indian government has severely
curbed their ability to report. Media rganizations do not trust their local reporters
so they send non-local journalists who come in helicopters and government planes.
“They are also called ‘chopper reporters’ in local language. They have all the
privileges from the government and get free access to any part of the valley, when
local journalists are not allowed to step out of their offices,”. Journalists working
for local newspapers and TV channels have also been at the receiving end of police
violence.
Kashmiris have had enough negative publicity and people from the Valley of
Saints and Reshis (or “Rishis” in the Indian mainland) are challenging their
negative portrayal in the national, New Delhi-centric media.
This projection of Kashmir through a jaundiced prism is being questioned. The

national media consistently plays to a negative stereotype where Kashmir is
concerned. They make even a small stir in the Valley look like an alarming event
threatening national security.
However, the same media ignores any positive developments in Kashmir.
Anmol Bains
301
BA (Hons) Journalism, Third Year

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Q. Are there inherent biases embedded in media systems?

The phrase “inherent bias” refers to the effect of underlying factors or

A bias, moreover, can be the foundation for investigative journalism. It may

Practical limitations to media neutrality include the inability of journalists to report

There are six fundamental rights in India. They are Right to Equality, Right to

According to Section 2(1) (d) of Protection of Human Rights Act 1993, means

The DD Kashmir channel, financed by the Ministry of Information and

From sedition charges against separatists to the rganizations of stone-pelters,

This projection of Kashmir through a jaundiced prism is being questioned. The

However, the same media ignores any positive developments in Kashmir.

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