You know, sometimes when I watch the news, it feels like they’re not really asking the questions we want answers to. Maybe journalism schools have changed? Maybe deadlines are tighter than ever? Who knows. But what I do know is that good journalism is about more than just reporting.

It’s about asking the questions that make us think critically, and that give us a well-rounded picture of what’s going on. It’s about holding those in power accountable. This is what we were taught in school, remember?

I had a chat with my uncle, who’s been a journalist for over 20 years (he’s retired now), and he shared some insights that got me thinking.

He said, “Back in my day, we told the whole story – who, what, why, when, where, and how! These days, I don’t even know if they’re asking questions anymore! It’s like they’re missing the point of their job.”

My uncle has a point. Sometimes, it feels like news stories are press releases all dressed up. We get the basic facts, but there’s no follow-up, no challenging perspectives. It’s like watching a tennis match where one player just lobs the ball over the net, and the other lets it plop without a fight.

In countries like India and the USA, where big elections can change everything, the news plays a huge role. But lately, it feels like the media cares more about getting high ratings and making money than telling us what’s really going on. And I don’t think I’m the only one noticing this, you must’ve too.

I’ve noticed this trend for a while now, and it’s made me lose trust in a lot of news channels. I’ve even stopped tuning in to news channels for about three years now. I just don’t feel like I can trust them anymore, especially with all the political drama going on. Instead of just taking their word for it, I find myself checking multiple sources to make sure I’m getting the full picture.

I know not all of them are like that, some are genuine too. It’s just they’re losing the trust they had once.

But the question is –

Why’s all this happening?

Well, one reason could be that big companies own most of the media outlets these days. They care more about profits than real journalism, so they might avoid talking about controversial stuff or only show one side of the story. As a result, there’s pressure to prioritize stories that attract viewership or readership, often at the expense of substantive journalism.

And then there’s social media, which has made everything even more confusing. Fake news spreads like wildfire online, making it hard to know who or what to believe. Social media algorithms prioritize engagement over accuracy. In such an environment, distinguishing fact from fiction becomes increasingly challenging.

There might also be cultural shifts and changing patterns of news consumption, particularly among younger generations. They’re more interested towards senseless, more visual and entertainment-oriented formats.

News is constantly evolving, and there’s a demand for instantaneous updates. This pressure to churn out content quickly can lead to superficial reporting and a focus on sensationalism rather than depth and analysis. Clickbait headlines and provocative soundbites are favored over nuanced exploration of complex issues.

The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black

Is There a Political Influence on Mainstream Media?

And let’s not forget the dangers of political influence on mainstream media. As the world becomes more polarized, media outlets might also be increasingly aligning themselves with either left or right-wing ideologies.

In some cases, media organizations may be directly owned or controlled by political figures or corporations with vested interests.

But perhaps the most alarming consequence of media manipulation is the threat to democracy itself. History is filled with examples of nations descending into dictatorship when the media fails to serve as a check on government power.

However, we all must agree that there are still plenty of journalists out there who are holding powerful people accountable. We can also be more critical viewers. If an interview feels soft, we can always do our own research to get a more complete picture.

So, here’s to the journalists out there who are still out there asking the tough ones! And to the rest, let’s remember the golden rule of a good story: who, what, why, when, where, and HOW? Because honestly, how can we expect to understand the world around us if we don’t get the whole story?

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Everything that started for a reason later turned into something else (like evil) or sometimes completely disappeared. So, is the same happening with democracy too? Is democracy really dying?

As time flows things never remain the same, a new generation, a new representative of the public, a new government, new perspectives, and new laws (some are beneficial for the public but some are just a threat to the democracy) makes everything worse to worsen. The term Democracy is itself changing rapidly. I will try to illuminate how?

Before we go any further let us have a look at the meaning and brief History of Democracy.

What Is Democracy?

Democracy is a form of government in which peoples have the power to choose the legislature and their representative, people choose their government by using their voting rights in which only eligible voters (above 18 years old) can vote.

In a democratic country, people can exercise their power to choose their representative or ruling Government directly or indirectly through a system involving periodic free elections. It is a democratic system of government.

India and United States are known to be the two largest democratic countries in the World.

And, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand, and Finland are the top 5 Full Democracies nations according to the Democracy Index by country 2019 (source:-Wikipedia)

Why Democratic Country Needs a Constitution?

The constitution helps in making rules and regulations and principles of a country. In a Democracy, every citizen enjoys the basic right, so on that grounds, the constitution helps citizens to use fundamental rights like freedom, expression, speech, etc. The constitution helps in setting values that should be followed by its law-abiding citizens.

Democracy is further classified on the basis of political freedom or mixed monarchies and dictatorship. This include –

1. Full Democracies
2. Flawed Democracies
3. Hybrid Regimes
4. Authoritarian Regimes

A Brief History of Democracy

Democracy has a vast history but we will not go in-depth, the term Democracy originated from ancient Greek political and philosophical thought in the city-state of Athens during classical antiquity. In the word Democracy, ‘demos’ mean common people and ‘Kratos’ strength.

Cleisthenes, also known as the Father of democracy, was an ancient Greece that came into power with the support of the Athenian people. Athenians established what is generally held as the first democracy in 508-507 BC.

Different Types of Democracy

There are two major types of Democracy –

• Direct Democracy:- It is a form of Democracy where people govern directly. It requires the wide participation of citizens in politics. It also is known as pure democracy. These nations seem to have only limited problems in their democratic functioning.
• Representative Democracy:- It is an indirect democracy where Sovereignty is held by the people’s representatives. Electoral Democracy, Dominant party System, parliamentary Democracy (popular in India), Presidential Democracy, and Jacksonian Democracy (a variant of presidential democracy popular in the USA) are the types of Representative Democracy.

As of now, there are two major Democracies one is considered to be the superpower and another one is the largest Democracy in the world. The USA is considered the superpower nation of the world and can exert influence or project power on a global scale.

Whereas, India or Hindustan, or Bharat is known for its walk with everyone’s motto and secular country. If the USA has the largest economy then India has the largest variety of cultures, and rituals are among the most diversified countries in the world, and of course known for its population and colorful history.

But in-ground reality where do both these countries stand in terms of the level of democracy?

Every democratic country needs a strong constitution that clearly defines the fundamental rights, freedom, legitimized rights, liberties, and security of their citizen so that no dominant group can exercise its power against less powerful groups. As I said above the meaning and perspective of democracy are changing rapidly. This new generation is more into politics. They know when their rights are overruled by these giants or greedy politicians.

I recently noticed some grounds where I think that the basic concept of democracy is dying and its constitution is really counting its last breath. I also agree that many of you will not agree with my perspectives and why I said and think that democracy or freedom to express one’s thoughts is soon going to be overruled. For me, this is what is going on in my country and perhaps yours too.

Here are the 5 grounds Where Democracy is Dying

1. Elections
2. Security
3. Media
4. Equality
5. Healthcare

Elections

Elections are the most awaited time for delegates and citizens. If the United States has to wait every 4 years so India has to wait for 5 years. Every citizen has a hope that this time will be different and newcomers will make a good change. An election is a process through which a citizen can exercise their power of the vote to select a favorable candidate. but wait! Here’s the biggest twist.

There is presidential democracy in the United States where two major parties (Democratic & Republic) have their candidate for presidential posts and there is a long process behind that, but if there is democracy so why the citizens cannot elect their representatives? Why do the representatives make the choice or prefer only that community where there is a chance of vote? Why did only powerful and rich men get a chance for a presidential post?

Same as in India there are plenty of parties but the major ones are Indian National Congress (INC), and the Ruling Bhartiya Janta party (BJP). If we go through the background of the politicians, the majority have a criminal record, are millionaires, and are uneducated. So where is the Democracy?

Why don’t we have the power to choose the right candidate? Why the common people have become just a voting machine for them?

Security

We all have the right to live and freedom of speech as per the constitution, and the law is there to protect us from threats and injustice that happens to us, but that security is only in the books of the constitution or perhaps we didn’t understand this concept completely.

A report suggests that there are less than 20% of people today can say that they trust their government.

There are 106 rape occurs in India and in every 15 minutes one woman becomes a victim of a rapist, and a majority of the cases don’t even report.

Whereas in the USA, having a license for a gun is easier than having a green card. By the end of 2019, there were 417 mass shootings happened in the United States.

CBS News wrote:- “There were more mass shootings than days in 2019”

In the Year 2020 graph of ‘shooting a person’ declined, just because of the coronavirus lockdown. So where is the right of citizens to live freely?

Media

This is the fourth pillar of democracy and the most important part of democracy, the whole country trusts the media more than the government. Media works or I can say ‘had worked’ to present the reality and true picture of what is going on in the country.

But now it is all just a TRP game. They become business-minded, but anyway they are corporates too. For me, the media is losing the trust we had in them. Now we have to search for each and every piece of news from different sources for its authenticity.

We are bound to do this, we can’t just stick to a particular source for trust reasons. Now you can see why people get teed off at the media. Media plays an important role in political influence in the country and the fact is they are really enjoying that.

Instead of loving people and using money, people often love money and use people

Wayne Gerard Trotman

The above quote is appropriate for the Indian media that greed has stirred truth and has far removed citizens from their rights. Once Rusty Eric said “as long as Greed is stronger than compassion, there will always be suffering” and exactly the citizens are suffering.

The media never shows what is true. They are too busy telecasting useless debates and inappropriate news and competing in their industry.

Whose fault is this? The government? Media? Or us? who still watching and trusting them.

Equality

When we talk about equality there can be a lot to discuss but in the very short term, equality means, equal rights for all. There is no discrimination on the basis of caste, race, gender, or religion. The constitution is built to protect equal rights.

However, no one could ever imagine that political influence can even amend these constitutions accordingly which makes it easy for their own rules and capital. Everything will be forgotten after winning the elections whether it is George Floyd in America or Casteism in India.

Healthcare

The true picture of Healthcare facilities has been shown during the coronavirus period. If one country has the most expensive healthcare system so another one expends only 1% of GDP on healthcare facilities.

Of course, India ranks 145 among 195 countries in terms of healthcare facilities. And with the most expensive healthcare, the USA ranks 7 among the 195 countries.

Despite the largest economy and the largest democracy, we don’t have equality in terms of health benefits, so don’t you think democracy is dying? In India, patients lack basic needs like ambulances, stretchers, emergency wards, and medicine, and in the USA if these things are available then because of the expensive healthcare systems, it is unaffordable for middle and lower-class people despite paying huge taxes.

Salaries of Americans have risen but net pay remains the same due to increasing charges of health insurance. Why the healthcare expenditure in the United States?

Democracy was incorporated so that we could elect the right Representative for the country but we have just become slaves to powerful people’s business model.

As I said above everything that started for a reason later turned into something evil. For instance, the Feminist movement that has started to protect and provide equal rights to women and empower them by giving them equal opportunities as a man has too turned into something else. How? You can read it here.

So, what do you think Is democracy really dying the silent death?

P.S:- I am just trying to express my opinion about the flaws in Democracy and it is my personal view. If anyone wants a healthy discussion to improve me on this topic feel free to express your views in the comment section. I would love to read them all.

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