The Hindu : Caution against fake solutions to social problems

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 19, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Caution against fake solutions to social problems

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, JAN. 18. The noted writer and editor of the Desabhimani weekly and Padhom journal, M.N. Vijayan, has cautioned progressive forces against the attempts by certain quarters to propagate fake solutions to acute social and economic problems.

Inaugurating a seminar on `Challenges to freedom of the media', organised here by the Federal Bank Employees Union on Saturday, Prof. Vijayan said, "contrary to what Marx had said, efforts are now being made to create a notion that the acute problems of daily life, which stem from the contradictions in the social order, can be resolved through music concerts, breathing exercises, specially designed foods or through tablets.''

"Breathing exercise may help resolve problems in the families. Even though sometimes we call the problems in the economic sector as depression, it should not be understood as psychological problem which can resolved through breathing exercises and music concerts."

Alleging that journalism was also sometimes being used as an instrument to propagate such fake solutions to acute social problems, he said media do not actually report, they wait and watch to see who all emerge successful to join that bandwagon of the `successful people'.

They thus reinforce the notion that `nothing succeeds like success' and since they lack an independent will, they follow the successful leaders. For this they exaggerate the successes and undermine those who had lost out at that particular point of time.

Prof. Vijayan said the credibility of the media will take a severe beating when news becomes a commodity to be sold and when journalists and publishers become unconcerned about what happens after the `sale'.

Pointing out that there was always a risk in exposing the reality, Prof. Vijayan said risk was an integral part of journalism. Risk-free journalism is no journalism.

V. V. Raghavan, MP, also spoke on the occasion.

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