Media issues in india Essay Example for Free

Media issues in india Essay The Indian media display certain defects. These should ideally be addressed and corrected in a democratic manner. But if the media prove incorrigible, harsh measures may be called for. The time has come when some introspection by the Indian media is required. Many people, not only those in authority but even ordinary people, have started saying that the media have become irresponsible and wayward, and need to be reined in. Only a couple of days back I read in the newspapers that the Union government has issued some regulations regarding licences for news channels, to which there was a lot of reaction. Under the Constitution of India, freedom of the media is part of the freedom of speech guaranteed by Article 19 (1) (a). However, no freedom can be absolute, and reasonable restrictions can be placed on it. One of the basic tasks of the media is to provide truthful and objective information to the people that will enable them to form rational opinions, which is a sine qua non in a democracy. But are the Indian media performing this role properly? I may only mention certain defects in the functioning of the India media today. Twisting facts One of the defects is that the media often twist facts. I would like to give an example. One day, a leading English newspaper published on its front page a photograph of Justice Gyan Sudha Misra of the Supreme Court with the caption: â€Å"Supreme Court Judge says that her daughters are liabilities.† This was a distorted and fallacious item of news, published on the front page. Supreme Court Judges have to disclose their assets and liabilities. Against the liabilities column, Justice Misra had written: â€Å"two daughters to be  married.† Strictly speaking, it was not necessary to mention this because liabilities mean legal liabilities, for example, housing loan, car loan, and so on. Justice Misras intention was obviously to say that she would have to spend on her daughters future marriage. She has three daughters (no son), only one of whom has been married. Justice Misra never said, nor intended to say, that her daughters were liabilities. The news was false and defamatory, with the obvious intention of creating a sensation. Paid news A second defect concerns the issue of paid news that has become prominent of late. In the 2009 elections, it was a scandal. How this vicious practice could be stopped needs to be discussed. Incidentally, in compliance with an order of the Chief Information Commissioner dated September 19, 2011, we have placed the 71-page report of the Committee consisting of Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Sreenivas Reddy on our website, www.presscouncil.nic.in with the disclaimer that the Press Council had rejected this report at its meeting held on April 26, 2010. Non-issues as real issues A third defect is that the media often portray non-issues as real issues, while the real issues are sidelined. The real issues in India are economic, that is, the terrible economic conditions in which 80 per cent of our people are living, the poverty, unemployment, lack of housing and medical care and so on. Instead of addressing these real issues, the media often try to divert the attention of people to non-issues. Such as that the wife of a film actor has become pregnant, whether she will give birth to a single child or to twins, and so on. Are these the real issues facing the nation? At a Lakme India Fashion Week event, there were 512 accredited journalists covering the event in which models were displaying cotton garments, while the men and women who grew that cotton were killing themselves at a distance of an hours flight from Nagpur, in the Vidharbha region. Nobody told that story, except one or two journalists, locally. Is this a responsible way for the Indian media to function? Should the media turn a Nelsons eye to the harsh economic realities facing over 75 per cent of our people, and concentrate on some ‘Potemkin villages where all is glamour and show biz? Are not the Indian media behaving much like Queen Marie Antoinette, who said that if the people had no bread, they should eat cake? No doubt, sometimes the media mention farmers suicides, the rise in the price of essential commodities, and so on, but such coverage is at most 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the total. The bulk of the coverage goes to showing the life of film stars, pop music, fashion parades, cricket and astrology. Tendency to brand Here is a fourth defect. Bomb blasts have taken place near the Delhi High Court, in Mumbai, Bangalore and so on. Within a few hours of such a bomb blast, many TV channels started showing news items that said that the Indian Mujahideen or the Jaish-e-Mohammed or the Harkatul-Jihad-e-Islam had sent e-mails or text messages claiming responsibility. The names of such alleged organisations will always be Muslim ones. Now, an e-mail can be sent by any mischievous person, but by showing this on TV channels and the next day in the newspapers, the tendency is to brand all Muslims as terrorists and bomb-throwers. The truth is that 99 per cent of the people of all communities, whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Sikh, and of whatever caste or region, are good. But the manner in which such news is shown on TV screens and published in newspapers tends to create the impression that all Muslims are terrorists, and evil — which is totally false. The person who sends such e-mails or text messages obviously wants to create hatred between Hindus and Muslims, which is the old British divide-and-rule policy continuing even today. Should the media, wittingly or unwittingly, become part of this policy of divide-and-rule? No doubt there are defects not only in the media but in other institutions also, for example, the judiciary, the bureaucracy, and so on. There are two ways to remove these defects in the media. One is the democratic way, that is, through discussions, consultations and persuasion — which is the method I prefer. The other way is by using harsh measures against the media, for example, by imposing heavy fines on defaulters, stopping government advertisements to them, suspending their licences, and so on. In a democracy we should first try the first method to rectify the defects through the democratic method. For this purpose, I have decided to have regular get-togethers with the media, including the electronic media, so that we can all introspect and ourselves find out ways and means to rectify the defects in the media, rather than this being done by some government authority or external agency. I propose to have such get-togethers once every two or three months, at which we will discuss issues relating to the media and try to think of how we can improve the performance of the media so that it may win the respect and confidence of the people. If the media prove incorrigible, harsh measures may be required. But in my opinion, that should be done only as a last resort and in extreme situations. Ordinarily, we should first try to resolve issues through discussion, consultation and self-regulation. That is the approach which should be first tried in a democracy. I, therefore, request the Union government to defer the implementation of its recent decision regarding news channel licences, so that we can ourselves discuss the issue thoroughly, and ourselves take corrective measures. Till now the function of the Press Council was only adjudication. I intend to make the Press Council an instrument of mediation in addition, which is in my opinion the democratic approach. For this purpose, I need help,  cooperation and advice from the media. India is passing through a transitional period in its history, from a feudal agricultural society to a modern industrial society. This is a very painful and agonising period. The media must help society in going through this transitional period as quickly as possible, and by reducing the pain involved. This they can do by attacking feudal ideas, for example, casteism and communalism, and promoting modern scientific ideas.

The Absence of Knowledge :: Essays Papers

The Absence of Knowledge â€Å"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into a long night†¦ never shall I forget that smoke†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Night doesn’t always represent the absence of light, but is a symbol for the absence of knowledge. Elie Wiesel’s book Night is a true account of what the Holocaust did, not only to many Jews but to humanity as well. The night was dark, flooded with death and decay, in the silent gray sky, secreting all that happened in Germany at that time. Crematories filled the night sky with the horrific odor of burning flesh, searing your nostrils. In this night, a concealed operation was occurring. Millions of Jews, including Elie’s family suffered horrible deaths of incineration, being shot to death, lack of food, and terrible death marches. This book was titled Night because of the worlds ignorance towards the slaughtering in Germany by the Nazis. Elie and his family were transported by train; cramped, starved, and fearful of death. These massive trains carried thousands of women, children and men to an unknown destination, leaving them in the dark, without windows or fresh air they were living in an everlasting night. Many Jews went crazy and tore their hair out from living in a cramped space. They were not given food or water for many days so they became dehydrated and desperate for just a bite of hard bread. There was no sanitation in the boxcars. Not having bathrooms and sinks made the train cars reek of waste. Many people went crazy like the woman in Elie’s car who had images of smoke and fire, screaming and yelling till she got knocked out. Because the train cars were so dark and dim it gave everyone within them a long night, full of fear. Gleiwitz concentration camp was one of the nastiest camps he had been to. Elie Wiesel worked endless nights, trying to stay alive, and keep his father alive. Many Jews were worked to death by hard labor and no food. His father was getting weak, so Elie gave him extra rations of food to keep him living.

Automobile Pollution Essay

Automobiles can cause many different kinds of pollution in the environment. Air, health and groundwater pollution are of the most common. The reasons for these problems can be contributed to exhaust systems and light switches that are standard equipment on most cars today. Older and newer cars alike are equipped with a catalytic converter system. Which are supposed to convert hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides into harmless materials emitted from the automobiles engine. According to Robert Harley, when nitrogen oxide from the engines exhaust is â€Å"over- reduced,† a complex chemical reaction ensues. Ammonia gas (NH3) forms in the catalytic converter, which is then emitted from the vehicles tailpipe and released into the air. These ammonia gasses are the cause of haze and may also cause serious health problems. The catalytic converter not only hurts but also helps the environment. Automobiles that have this system on them produce close to 50% less hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and other gasses. (Converters 1) Which in the long run helps the ozone from depleting even more than it has already. Another problem we face is having vehicles with mercury light switches in the trunk and hood. Mercury is a fluid metallic element that is toxic and can cause various health problems, air and groundwater pollution also. Ford is one of the automobile companies that still use mercury in light switches and certain antilock brake components. The mercury becomes a problem only after vehicles containing it are taken to a junkyard and destroyed. When these vehicles are destroyed the mercury seeps out into the environment and is absorbed into the ground eventually to make its way in to our water supplies. While in the water it can contaminate the fish that in turn we end up eating. Another way the mercury makes it way into the environment is during the process of melting the vehicles in steel furnaces where the mercury vaporizes into the air. (Mercury 1) These particles then can act as a contribution to global warming. Ford has been urged to remove these mercury switches and replace them with a ball bearing switch that costs about 38 cents in all vehicles that are brought in for service, repair, or recall. As of right now Ford has no plans of removing these mercury switches in any of its serviced vehicles. But Ford is currently working with the Alliance of Automobile Manufactures and the Association of International Automobile Manufactures and waste-management directors to eliminate and replace the switches containing mercury in their upcoming vehicles. (Mercury 2) If Ford and other car companies that use mercury switches decide to do this it can eliminate up to 2. 5 tons of mercury from our environment. The problems of automobile pollution mentioned above are only a small portion of the pollution problems we face from automobiles. Many people wonder how these and many other problems that automobiles cause can be fixed, and many have come up with possible solutions. But only a few of the solutions are actually practical. I think we should abolish gas burning engines and start using electrical vehicles. This would eliminate all of the pollution problems. Electric vehicles were once thought to only be a futuristic fantasy, but recently have become a reality. These vehicles are a very environmentally friendly replacement for older gas burning automobiles. Electric vehicles do not require tune-ups or oil changes. These vehicles also don’t emit any ozone depleting gasses and or fumes. Making them a perfect remedy for the already hurting environment. As of right now the idea of an electric car is still in it works and the common gas burning automobile will be around for many more years to come. All we can do is hope that one day that someone will come with a vehicle that is environmentally safe and can help eliminate these problems that automobiles cause today.

Tax Year End Process SPD Case Free Essay Example, 2250 words

The clear-down process is where all of the payroll figures for the year are accumulated, and then tabulated to provide the data for the end of year payroll report. At this stage of the proceedings, payroll personnel needs to ensure that the final payment for the year has been processed and deemed accurate and that the year-to-date figures tally with the sum of the monthly figures previously recorded. There are a number of different items that need to be cleared off for the financial year including; Gross pay to date Gross PAYE to date Gross SSP to date Gross Deductions to date Gross Allowances to dateThe Inland Revenue Department also requires that each company complete an End of Year Summary form (P14) for each employee (current and historic) that has been paid by the company during the relevant financial year. Student Declaration forms (P38[S]) for students who may have been employed during holiday periods and Employee Supplementary Returns (P38A) also need to be completed for any employee that was paid during the financial year but for whom a P14 was not completed. Other returns that must also be completed during the end of year reporting process include an Employees Annual Return (P35), an Employee s Certificate of Pay, Income Tax and NICs (P60) an Expenses Payments and Income from which tax cannot be deducted for the financial year (P9) and/or an Expenses and Benefits Form (P11D). Finally if applicable a form (P11D[b]) Return of Class 1A National Insurance Contributions, Return of Expenses and Benefits: Employer s declaration must also be completed if the company is liable to return any expense payments or benefits. Because the closedown period is a complex and busy time of the year, it is advisable that a trial run of the close off is completed two weeks before the end of the year date. Although the year to date figures will not be complete (because of two pay periods still to process) this trial run will allow accounting staff to run a check on f igures generated by the payroll software program to ensure that the program is working accurately and that all of the information required for end of year processing is available through generated payroll reports. We will write a custom essay sample on Tax Year End Process: SPD Case or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now