Muscle-flexing the media – the Modi way
BY RK MISRA
Critics are like
eunuchs in a harem: they know how it’s done, they’ve seen it done everyday but only they’re unable to do it themselves. Journalists
too are now in such a situation, thanks to the Modi era in Indian politics.
This scenario has never been so acute as it is today, moreso in the country’s
capital. Delhi’s boastfully bloated population of know-all ,cats whiskers who possessed the
legendary reputation of worming their
way into prized woodworks and spilling out
the gore and the goey along with the gut, find themselves having been
barred access from all sides. The invisible’ hit-laxmanrekha’ lines carefully
etched by Prime Minister Modi is holding
firm, keeping the ‘creepy crawlies’ out. Like it or not, that’s how most in the
political power structure look at journalists-an unavoidable nuisance.
As in politics, so
in the media. Delhi has for long carried the reputation of being a mercenary, no-holds barred news arena
where countless principal combatants meet their waterloo, ground to dust past
their fading bylines and jading careers every other day.
Like the
god-fearing jain, political descendents of
previous orders went around
sprinkling info sugar-dust at anthills, hoping to keep themselves out of harm’s way, while friends
and foes alike bore the brunt of
the news stings. Modi’s advent on the scene as Prime Minister has marked a
surgical departure in the manner of government news coverage. In the past
whenever governments changed at the centre, including the BJP- led NDA government headed by Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, there were at best some recalibrations. If the BJP came to
power, veterans of the beat were moved to centrestage, while the specialists of
the outgoing coverage were shifted to the sidelines. Modi, however, has ensured
a tectonic shift. It is not media which is deciding how the government is to be
covered. It is Modi who is laying down
the ground rules as to how it(media) shall cover the government.
Ample proof of this was available when news publications and
television channels from across the country, and even those down South began
scouring for scribes in Gujarat to cover
the PMO and related power corridors in Delhi. They bemoaned that their present
guys were unable to breakthrough. They are still at it, looking for the right
ones. The established visual networks proved smarter as they immediately
post-elections elevated and shifted
their Gujarat bureau heads to the country’s capital. Even today It is not
uncommon to find the editorial top brass of national dailies in Delhi pestering,
even bullying, their lowly Gujarat reporters for getting confirmation of delhi- based stories which they themselves
have abysmally failed to do.
For journalists in
Gujarat, who covered Modi’s governance as chief minister for over 12 years and
endured the sanctimonius, sniggering of their Delhi based bosses, it is time to
sitback and enjoy their squirming
discomfort. For most of them(in Gujarat), it is like a re-run of the
same film being made on a grander scale and
a larger national screen.
Contrary to
expectations, Modi has succeeded much
more in taming the media in Delhi than he did in Gujarat. True, he
turned the news pyramid upside down in his home state. Like everywhere else, so
in Gujarat, the most important beat covered by the veterans is the state Secretariat
while crime and courts are generally left to the young scribes. By the time Modi left Gujarat,
the secretariat had almost become a ‘redundant beat’ as no bureaucrat or
minister would speak a word other than what was ordained. The weekly chief
minister’s Wednesday media meet was done away with, and ditto was the approach
of the cabinet ministers- spokespersons- who came instead, always in pairs, rarely
singly and never ever exceeded their
brief.
News leaks whether by bureaucrats, ministers
or party leaders led to a trackdown with serious consequences. Seasoned
bureaucrats avoided being seen talking to reporters and a minister, faced with
a grim situation, lost control of his bladder movement, that too in a cabinet
meeting.
During the 2002
communal riots that followed the Godhra train carnage, Modi had found
considerable support from the vernacular media while the English media found
itself labeled as the villain of the piece. Soon after, the Gujarati papers
also fell out of Modi’s favour. In the meantime, Modi embarked on his statewide Gaurav Yatra with a one- point agenda of
establishing a direct rapport with the majority community, mindless of the
disconnect it would cause with the
minority(in any case they would not vote him).The strategy paid off and Modi
won the 2002 Assembly elections with a massive majority. He never looked back
thereafter, though the tiger changed his stripes in the interregnum to become
the king of the jungle responsible for the welfare of all his subjects.
Modi’s Gaurav Yatra
and the stunning results achieved in the 2002 Assembly polls were crucial in framing his future
media strategy. He realized that
the best way was to reach out straight
to the masses, by-passing the established media. It’s peaked hostility had also
failed to dent the 2002 results. On the contrary, the results proved the media’s virtual irrelevance. Modi
realized early in his official career that the more you wallop it, the more it
follows you!
It was in pursuit
of his ‘direct rapport with the masses’
policy that he set up an audio-visual
unit within the government which produced regular CDs of the CMs programmes
that were shown by local cable networks of the time in rural areas, towns and
cities once in the afternoon-time when
womenfolk get free in the villages and once in the evening. A local
sub-inspector was all that was required for compliance. The seven PM news bulletin in local TV channels was
preceded by a 15 minute spot of government news which had been brought over. High
profile government functions were held with full page, nationwide advertising. The
State, for all the twelve years under Modi, projected only one face across the
media.
Thus it is, that
Delhi is just an immensely improved, vastly more resourceful, more
compliant replay of Gujarat. Modi is
sharpening the powerful tools of mass reach-out that are at his beck and
call-the Doordarshan and All India Radio. Trust him to transform both, to
deliver exactly what he wants. His
ministers and his bureaucrats have been forcefed the golden value of silence
and most have learned it better than those of their ilk did in Mrs. Indira
Gandhi’s time. Like in Gujarat, so in Delhi, only one name rises head and
shoulders above the rest.
Watch any news channel, read any newspaper
including the economic and financial dailies , it is the same story. What
Gujarat did yesterday, Delhi wants to do today and tomorrow. And the best of them all keep coming
back for inspiration to Modiland regularly!
Simply gr8 sir, what an analysis, I always admire ur control over the language, word play n of course powerful content.our new generation journos have lots of techniques to learn from you...kudos.
ReplyDeleteWith such a vast experience of Gujarat's socio- political living life experience, we expect a powerful book from u for future generation journos n of course "mango people"
ReplyDeleteThe important thing is he has been successful immensely by his strategy and by taming and bypassing the media !
ReplyDeleteNice article. Mr. Modi is making the media run for its money. No more easy news,no more globe trotting for free.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJournalism is an art of getting news out of Nothing. Getting news from "briefing" either from Ministers or from bureaucrats is Not journalism, that's Only called Reporting, M I right sir? This is exactly the reason that Gujarati and Gujarat based REPORTERS were always against Mr. Modi. And now it's Delhi's turn. One more point... during the "other" regimes i.e. other than Mr. Modi's - REPORTERS would easily Roam-around in the corridors of power, would meet Ministers or bureaucrats any time without formal appointments, would even "recommend" appointment or transfer of some near and dear ones... But during Modi's tenure all such "friendly" activities stopped and that Angered the esteemed REPORTERS.
ReplyDeleteI do not say Mr. Modi is or was 100% right, but my point is we should think that why Modi shunted the doors for REPORTERS? I think REPORTERS need to be mature and become JOURNALISTS...