Author: Rohit
Publication: Retributions.nationalinterest.in
Date: April 1, 2008
URL:   http://retributions.nationalinterest.in/blogging-and-mainstream-media/

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A War of Ideas

The Indian media’s reaction to blogging has been marked by two divergent trends. On one hand, almost all major Indian media houses-especially television channels-have embraced blogging by hosting blogs on their site while many top journalists utilize popular blogging platform like Blogspot and WordPress. No doubt, some of the blogs are merely a place holder for columns-nevertheless, a few of them, at least, carry genuinely interesting articles.

Despite this reluctant embrace, the mainstream media remains unapologetically hostile to blogging as an independent concept. Columnists in the Times of India and Outlook have dismissed blogging as a passing fad; a giant talking shop for people who have little knowledge about real India and who seem perpetually on the offensive. Leading media luminaries as Barkha Dutt have made sweeping generalizations about bloggers as if they are monolithic voice with no disagreements or divergence of views. While bloggers would be the first to accept the importance and relevance of mainstream media (MSM), it would be hard to find an Indian journalist who would praise-even in the passing-bloggers.

Prima facie, the MSM’s unwarranted hostility to blogging is surprising. The number of serious Indian bloggers can be counted in thousands and those who comment on current affairs- MSM’s bread and butter-constitute a minuscule minority. Bloggers remain dependent on MSM for hard news and no serious blogger talks about replacing the MSM-rather, they see blogging as complementary to newspapers and television channels. Yet, it appears as if the MSM thinks that blogging is a serious threat to its future especially by a certain class of bloggers who have the temerity to comment on current affairs. MSM has many times featured personal bloggers or technology specialists, but I am yet to come across an instance when a blogger was quoted on politics, strategic affairs or economic development. An entire one hour episode of ‘‘We the People” in NDTV featured only bloggers who write about personal experiences-mainly sex– as if that is what the blogosphere is restricted to! Why?

India has been a proud democracy since its independence in 1947. Yet, it is only in the last two decades that true democratization of Indian society has taken place. Economic reforms have expanded exponentially the number of Indians able to live above subsistence level.  Old power structures have crumbled-in politics, sports, and business-replaced by those whose achievements are a nod to their hard work and ambition and not family names.

Knowledge in this globalizing, modernizing India-more than at any point in her history-is power. The rapidly increasing reach of internet has challenged the traditional limits and controls placed on acquisition of knowledge. Future generations may remember Wikipedia-despite its flaws-as the largest and most successful democratic experiment in the history of mankind. Information is no longer the monopoly of the privileged or solely a function of geographic location.

The MSM however has retained its monopoly in influencing and shaping opinions-the real source of its power and privilege. It may or may not influence electoral performance but it definitely affects public mood. Bloggers have challenged this intellectual hegemony by relentlessly questioning, probing, and critiquing journalists and columnists. In many cases, they have offered alternative stories and policy formulations. The intellectual dinosaurs who continue to cling to a set of archaic beliefs find it extremely unpalatable to be challenged by a group of passionate upstarts.

In the high stake medium of MSM, it would be rare to find a columnist who directly challenges the ideas of a fellow journalist. In this cosy world, The Hindu can sell it self a liberal voice while furiously editorializing in support of the brutal and repressive Chinese regime. It is hard to imagine a Barkha Dutt or Rajdeep Sardesai or even the self-proclaimed classical liberal newspaper calling its bluff; they have plenty of skeletons of their own. Bloggers have no such inhibitions; N. Ram is not likely to be too pleased with Nitin Pai’s brilliant exposure of his intellectual dishonesty. That many such bloggers might be specialists in their own field as opposed to journalists who -at least in India-tend to be generalists simply adds to the discomfiture. It is hard to pretend to be all knowing when arguing with someone who may have years of experience in a particular field. Granted that many such critiques are over the top and the language employed may be too colorful-a fact which the MSM has cleverly exploited to dismiss the dissenters as dysfunctional ranters. Yet, the stridency of the tone cannot subtract from the message. Bloggers may not have won this battle of ideas-that has never anyway been the intention-but there is little doubt that they have mounted a serious challenge.