Media has the ability to influence society and
this power lies in the hands of those who create media content. When the media
is dominated by a group of privileged people, the stories and opinions of the minorities
are dissolved or never heard. Mainstream media is often seen to marginalise
minority communities based on caste, gender, race and, class. Indian newsrooms
are seen to be flooded with the privileged upper-class Hindu men in positions
of power. But why is this dangerous?
These majoritarian privileged groups will
reflect only their interests in the media and the opinions and voices of the
marginalised, continue to be suppressed. The news stories which come out of such
homogenous media spaces are likely to be void of news that impacts marginalised
communities. In mainstream Indian media, close to 90% of key media personnel
belong to upper caste communities, who represent just 25% of the Indian
population. Whereas, the Dalit community which comprises of approximately 17%
has a media representation in key positions of less than 1%. [1]
In 2019, when the Dalit land reclaiming
movement which started in 1940 by B. R. Ambedkar reached its peak, with 92,000
Dalit citizens from across 13 states participating in the battle to reclaim
their land, an extensive report was published by a prominent media house.[2] However,
this report received little coverage from the media and ever since, there have
barely been any follow-ups on this movement, despite being a huge citizen’s
movement. The struggles that the community faces are related to deep-rooted inequalities
in our society are endless. Most Dalit citizens still face harsh discrimination
on a day to day basis. In villages, many are still are employed in manual
scavenging and their children are shoved into this generational employment cycle
and are denied education in schools, where the “upper caste” children study.
This sort of discrimination is not less prominent in urban areas, where it is
still very difficult for a Dalit family to get housing, despite being on the
top of the class spectrum. Within media houses which are dominated by Upper caste
Hindus, Dalit journalists do not feel safe to risk “coming out” as Dalit in
fear of humiliation and discrimination. This is visible in Sudipto Mondal’s
article for Aljazeera in which he writes, “After searching the country for more than 10 years, I
have been able to find eight Dalit journalists in the English media. Only two
of them have risked "coming out”.[3]
I strongly believe that
the increase of Dalit journalists in mainstream media is the only way forward,
to include a caste lens in media. Only through a caste lens will media be able
to bring about the oppression and discrimination faced by Dalits. The reporting
of the 1968 Kilvenmani massacre in which 40 Dalits were burnt to death by upper
caste Hindus is one such incident, where the lack of a caste lens is visible.
The massacre was reported under the headline “Clashes between Farmers” by the
Dinamani newspaper. The media widely reported this incident as a class issue
when it was a clear-cut case of caste-based oppression and brutality.
Mainstream media failed big time, to see this as a case of human rights
violations. It was many decades later when Dalit communities redefined it as a
case of caste oppression.[4]
The Dalit community is one
among the numerous other marginalised communities, who have been restricted
from newsrooms for decades. Their voices have not been heard, their stories
will remain unknown, till we bring diversity in our media houses.
[1] Oxfam India. Who Tells Our Stories Matters:
Representation of Marginalised Caste Groups in Indian Newsrooms. NewDelhi:
Oxfam India, 2019
[2] Gokhale, Nihar. “Dalit Battles For Promised Lands
Rage Across India |.” India Spend, 21 Oct. 2019
[3] Mondal, Sudipto. “Indian Media Wants
Dalit News but Not Dalit Reporters.” India
| Al Jazeera, Al
Jazeera, 2017
[4] Balasubramanian, J. "Dalits and a Lack of
Diversity in the Newsroom." Economic and Political Weekly 46,
no. 11 (2011): 21-23.
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