New York, NY USA August 20, 2008 10:10 am
I had put aside the contents of a discussion that I had wished to have earlier. I now have it with me in some moderation. Incidents and names have been deleted. References too have been omitted. If challenged, I shall oblige. Till then, this -
After having read many comments from those that subscribe to my blog and after having spent a studied couple of hours on presentations made by dedicated observers and analysts, there is now the time to throw open a debate or discussion to the audience on the matter of the media, which I had said earlier I had wished to do.
Some of the issues brought forward are as follows –
Why does the media have an agenda against a particular group, family or individual.
What prompts them to deny and deride any achievement that any member of the group, family, individual accomplishes.
What is the strategy behind the negative stories that start appearing, weeks before any event of importance is about to unfold in the life of the family group or individual.
Is this an attempt to preempt or diffuse any semblance of glory or achievement that could possibly be emanating in their direction.
Is the ideology of playing down or in most cases completely ignoring a success and highlighting even the slightest error to mammoth proportions a deliberate ploy.
Why does this not apply to others.
Is there something basically wrong with this group, family, individual.
Are they in need of professionals to handle this issue.
Do they in today’s time and place need to employ or deploy agents, which manage public relations.
Is it that they need to befriend a few journals or to keep journalists on a payroll. Does this practice actually exist.
Does the factor of financing such operations work to benefit.
It requires great integrity, unbiased complexions, honest decimation of information, reportage of facts, non alliance with any principal on matters of disclosure, great values and non corruptible character, for any media conglomerate or individual to be able to that.
Do such people exist in today’s world.
Is there corruption only in politics, film, government, and life and not in journalism.
Can personalized relationships exist between subject and media.
If they do, to what extent is either willing to go.
Would information of a personal nature because of relationship, prompt media or journalist to keep it personal and not make it public. Or would they succumb to the dictates of their profession and disclose, because it enhanced their story and thereby their profile.
Does media have the wherewithal and the power to change Governments, leaders of a country, stars from their glory.
Are the journalists and the media as clean as they would profess their subjects to be.
Do not the deeds and actions and behaviors of all humans have similarity, or is the media and the journalist devoid of such attributes.
Is there then a group a community a race of humans that are different from all other homo sapiens.
Are they then above all.
Are they then above all fault and disclosure.
Are not the media and its journalists vulnerable to human weaknesses and if so how do they psychologically live and exist with their conscience when they report similar vulnerable human weaknesses of others.
Are they aware of the damage caused when they indulge in willful misinformation.
Are they themselves pure in character and deed.
Purely for argument, when they gleefully report illicit relationships, are they comfortable doing so even though they themselves resort to similar activity. One has knowledge and proof of many such escapades. Would they be equally comfortable with that exposure, as they would expect their victims to be.
The information that I have involves some pretty senior and serious journalists and some of somewhat lesser qualification.
Does the fraternity of the media or individuals from it succumb to deliberate, planted, misleading stories, manufactured within their pristine and squeaky-clean portals.
And does it entertain similar execution from individuals with vested interests – rivalry, ego, position – being the motive.
I have spent far too much wordage. And I have some more. But I shall wait to entertain your thoughts on this debate and then have room for my comments to counter the questions that will arrive.
I prepare to leave for London tonight. Leaving the US of A after a most glorious stay. Most of us will be missing it dearly. I will admit that this feeling has been demonstrated by most of the cast and crew and family and I shall also admit that this is perhaps the first time that it is encompassing me, even though I did spend a great deal of thought earlier, on the importance and the desire of being ‘home’.
In closing today, I do feel good about the recording yesterday and wish to continue doing more of it. The technology and the facilities that prevail today towards this are simply amazing. I am told that a small but effective unit could be set up in my own home, where I could tinker around with my voice and music by myself, without any assistance. This is fascinating. I shall initiate this. I think I may have found my ‘rocking chair’ !!
The server still does not give me help in designing the comment reply format and I patiently wait, as must I beg you to do too.
My love for you, as always –
Amitabh Bachchan
Namaste Mr. Bachchan!
Interesting subject to discussion. Media are very strong source informations.
Every people have TV and radio or buy newspapers. Media are everywhere around us. Someday someon say: “News and knowledge are power and strong. You have this, You have everything” Media know this and use information to manipulate people. In this time text and thru in information isn’t important. For media important are scandal,accident, disiaster and sensation. Media can destroy whose life or carier for glory.You can be good person but they do everthing run you down. Media aren’t interested that hurt or destroy somebody.
I am quite impressed by you dedicated thinking process on the whole media circus
I am personally quite skeptical if you can really find any logic in this madness! Good luck to you on that.
Apart from that yes, Have a great trip of Europe and I do pray that you gain greater success there.
PS: I think I now realize why you think you would not like to go back to politics any more! Yes, not a place where likes of you can excel .. reason .. you think too much, you care too much. Well, it indeed points to the goodness in you. Yes, I do not think politicians have ‘goodness’ in them including your close friends even.
This is your last day in my city … NOOOOOOOOOOOOO …. I will wait all evening today for your autograph and hopefully a picture with you … and I am coming now in the lunch break .. to meet you … and I know I will … I will be wearing Kings XI Punjab: Preity Zinta’s T-shirt …
When we will meet I just want to tell you that your blog on your mother is the best piece of writing I have ever read …
One thing that you can ask “server” guys to do easily in your blog is ALLOW SUBSCRIPTION. I have that enabled in my blog and this technology has been in place for long!!
Hello Sir
Dhruv Says:congrts for the success of ur tour, actually i want to know ur reaction about the success of indian boxer especially about Vijender who hav made into semnifinals of olympics. this is the team for which Abhishek came to India.
Reminds me of “Man Azad Hoon” … what a movie!! One of your finest. I don’t know why it is not so talked about movie or why it didn’t do well at box office. But the movie essentially shows the state of Indian Media. There are always some dishonest people in any profession … in media too, who further their own interest in the name of journalism. They form opinions based on their own personal interactions and then work on it, whether it is morally right or wrong! But then, where aren’t they? Power corrupts and it corrupts to a great degree, in India.
I HAVE SOME PICS OF YOUR CHICAGO CONCERT - IS THERE A WAY I CAN SHARE THEM WITH YOU???? I DO NOT KNOW !!