Monday, 26 August 2013

ROLE OF MEDIA IN ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS


The role of news media is very important in shaping public awareness about global climate change and associated actions. When we discuss about role of media, we focus on three key issues. to inform, to educate and to entertain. 
  BBC says, Our mission. To enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain. ‘To inform, educate, and entertain.’ Thus John Reith defined the task of the BBC. Ofcom’s defines public service broadcasting by four purposes and some characteristics. Its purposes are summarised as Informing our understanding of the world and Stimulating knowledge and learning etc.

Public service broadcater of India Doordarshan has a three tier programme service – National, Regional and Local. The emphasis in the National programmes  of Doordarshan is on events and issues of interest to the entire nation. These programmes include news and current affairs, magazine programmes and documentaries on science, art and culture, environment, social issues, serials, music, dance, drama and feature films.
All India Radio (AIR), official radio of India has been serving to inform, educate and entertain the masses since it's inception, truly living up to its motto – ‘Bahujan Hitaya: Bahujan Sukhaya’.
Objectives of All India Radio are, To provide information, education and entertainment, for promoting the welfare and happiness of the masses (Bahujana Hitaya Bahujana Sukhaya), All India Radio strives to :-a) Uphold the unity of the country and the democratic values enshrined in the constitution. b) Present a fair and balanced flow of information of national, regional, local and international interest, including contrasting views, without advocating any opinion or ideology of its own.
Some of Educational institutions  offering a new graduate program, Strategic Environmental Communication and Media. The new program  has unit "focus" in which students will learn to use media to communicate effectively and strategically around environmental issues including developing more compelling environmental stories.

The media  has to play an instrumental role in modern societies. Regarding environmental policy, media have a key role to play,  especially in promoting environmental awareness and education. In fact, the various media, such as newspapers, radio, TV and the internet, have a two-pronged role. On the one hand, they help to explain the environmental policies, regulations and plans to the public and on the other they reflect the concerns of the public regarding different environmental problems and thus pressure the decision makers to solve a specific environmental issue.

BIG DANGERS
Each generation inherited the next generation is by quite a bit. This is knowledge, science, inherited wealth and natural resources, i.e. natural resources. But nowadays we exploit natural resources which are increasingly the big question that we will be giving to coming generations. The big danger could be to the coming generations not to drink water, will have less to eat grains, not even air for breathing. As the burden of population is increasing on Earth, air, water, land availability is low. Nature of all kinds of resources that continue to exploit. The world is grappling with the crisis. The mountains are melting constantly. Forests are being cut.
The water in the rivers has been reduced. Not getting enough water to the fields. Every year thousands of people are languishing in the absence of water. The speed at whichdiesel and gasoline is going to be used on vehicles with the pair would not get the oiltoo. There are many dangers to be aware of the role of the media in May. People constantly aware we can create a beautiful world.

CRISIS WE ARE FACING
CLEAN AIR  - To take breaths
WATER - FOR DRINKING, FOR IRRIGATION
OIL – FOR TRANSPORTATION
FOOD – PRODUCTION OF GRAIN IS LIMITED
Awareness campaign
society looks toward journalists with big respect . He asks questions and keepshopes of a solution. Journalists working for media ask questions for everyone. To raise questions on the work of everyone. A media person has its own ethics. Ethics involves what is right, equitable, fair, just, dutiful and responsible. Ethical practice is as important in media as it is in any other walk of life with high levels of public impact. It’s especially important to emphasize ethics when studying media law, since what is legal is sometimes not what is ethical. A good media personnel's work raises questions not only to solve the questions mustalso find its role.
These are just a few examples of the kinds of ethical complexities people in the media face.  So it’s important to understand professional ethical codes that might help deal with these issues.  But it’s also important to understand some of the ethical principles that are the  foundation of these professional codes. All professionals have specific ethical codes based on long  tradition. Probably the best known is the Hippocratic Oath in which a physician vows “to abstain from doing harm”  (more commonly  phrased as “first, do no harm.”)

JOURNALIST FOR JUST WORLD
-    ALWAYS TRY TO CREATE AWARENESS AMONGST PEOPLE WITH YOUR WRITINGS.

-    WHILE WORKING IN PRINT MEDIA SELECT POSITIVE NEWS FOR PUBLICATION

-    WHILE WORKING IN TV OR RADIO GIVE SPACE TO ENVIRONMENT RELATED NEWS, RESEARCH.

-    NOT ONLY JOURNALIST TRY TO BE ACTIVIST TO SAVE EARTH

-    USE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO CREATE AWARENSS


START FROM HOME 
Now the question arises that how their role should determine a journalist. Save theEarth and people to stand in front of journalists in many ways Nazir role might be.
First role will be private or individual  I.e. getting out of the House and coming back home to save electricity, to warn of the dangers of global warming and greening to remain engaged in trying to keep saving.
EXAMPLE OF SEJ -  The Society of Environmental Journalists is the only North-American membership association of professional journalists dedicated to more and better coverage of environment-related issues. SEJ's mission is to strengthen coverage of environment, energy, health, and climate news, by supporting the journalists who report that news. The benefits of joining include: access to grants for environmental reporting; mentoring by experienced journalists. (http://www.sej.org/)


ROLE OF PRINT MEDIA
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Print media, which is still dominant and most influential compared to electronic media can play a big role in environmental protection.  Environmental reporting can contribute a lot for awareness. The concept of environmental protection is a reality pertaining to livelihoods.  A few print and broadcast media had offered columns and feature programs on the environment. But the overall coverage is quite primitive and limited.
Environmental reporting  is a focused subject now. A media person can give general knowledge about waste disposal or anniversary activities concerning the environment. “China Environment News”, China’s first newspaper on the environment, was published in 1983, and the first publishing house on environmental science was set up in 1980. 

Dainik Bhaskar campaign- Daink Bhaskar a leading hindi news paper of India started Jal Bachao Abhiyan among its readers  in different states ant it has great impact on readers.
JAL SATYAGRAH' initiative is being organised for a decade; in the month of April & May by Dainik Bhaskar as a special drive in summers. The objective of the campaign is to create awareness and invoke individuals to 'Save Water'. The campaign encourages people to take a pledge; inducing them to save 15% water in their daily usage.
The initiative received "Award of Honor" from Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Cabinet, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources. To promote this cause the group, undertook various activities & organised a conference with experts from UNICEF, UNESCO and international commission for irrigation & drainage. The initiative reaches out to individuals via ads, full page editorial content on ways to save water, Videos on water conservation played in school.
HOW IT WORKED
3.3+ lakh students from 503 schools across 9 states and lakhs of individuals joined in campaign & took the pledge to save water.
•          Jal Satyagrah Campaign led to the cleaning of Bhopal lake by people from all walks of life.
•          2 states Mandated rain water harvesting in the construction of new buildings
Special content on water conservation, recycling, harvesting and various related informations was published for 5 days under the theme of 'Jal Hai to Kal Hai'. In year 2010.
In the next stage of Jal Satyagraha Campaign a detailed coverage was carried out in all editions under a central plan, in which awareness on scarcity of water and solution to it were covered. It included coverage on demand and supply of water at city level, need of long term planning to meet the water demand, condition of water network in cities need of its maintenance and cleaning and maintenence of ponds, wells and baories.
Neha Mawani associated with this Campaign says, Water is precious and nature has been more than bountiful on India.But today conditions are different.Most of the lakes, rivers, wells and old baories are drying. We have used this most precious gift of nature recklessly by not giving a thought on recharge and maintainence of water resourses.
TILAK HOLI  in 2009 -  The Festival of Holi will be celebrated in India by people throwing colors and spraying colored water on each other. But is it really necessary? Just imagine the water wastage in both playing Holi and then in bathing to remove the colors. A leading Hindi daily, Dainik Bhaskar has launched a campaign called “Tilak Holi” requesting Indians to celebrate Holi wisely by just applying a “tilak” on each other.

ROLE OF NEW MEDIA
There is a growing population of youngs  that are ardent users of new media platforms. With Facebook or Twitter, youths today are very connected with each other and other global/local issues through the internet. Traditional communication channels such as televisions and radios. Although not limited to youths only, social media platforms are also utilized by industry and
government agencies as a preferred tool of communication with the general public.
India Water Portal is a website that shares knowledge and builds communities around water and related issues in India. Managed by Arghyam, the Portal has become a valuable archive of resources, working papers, reports, data, articles, news, events, opportunities and discussions on water.
Water is a very local topic. Surely you have had a personal experience with water, whether positive or negative at some point. India Water Portal is a platform that empowers you to share experiences and solutions, talk to experts, join conversations and learn about the work that others are doing to conserve our fast depleting water resources.
India Water Portal works primarily through partnerships with non-profit organisations, CSR divisions of multinational corporations and the media.

 SOME EFFORTS BY MEDIA

-    ROLE OF PRINT MEDIA– SAVE WATER CAMPAIGN BY DAINIK BHASKAR
-    ROLE OF TV MEDIA - NDTV Toyota Green campaign

-    NATION WIDE CHETNA YATRA BY CABLE OPRETORS ASSOCIATION

-    ROLE OF NEW MEDIA - WATER PORTAL TO SAVE WATER AND OTHER WEBSITES INFROMING PEOPLE ABOUT CRISIS

DOWN TO EARTH
In May 1992, the Society for Environmental Communications started India’s only science and environment fortnightly, Down To Earth (DTE). Over the years the magazine has informed and inspired people about environmental threats facing India and the world -- a dimension underplayed in mainstream media.Circulation figures are not a true indicator of the wide reach of the magazine: DTE has become a reading habit in 400 out of about 500 districts of the country -- more than any other Indian newspaper or magazine. DTE’s sphere of influence is not just limited to India. Numerous readers across the world rely on the magazine for a comprehensive view from the South on the most critical issues of human existence.The online version of DTE is an effort to reach more people and to use all the interactive elements that the new medium has to offer.
ROLE OF RADIO
Hello Sirsa ( in Haryana, India)  is our interview based call-in show in which a dignitary, expert, specialist is invited to discuss on his area of specialization.


SOME FACTS  ABOUT WATER
75 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water.
97.5 per cent of that is salt water
only 2.5 per cent is freshwater. Icecaps and glaciers hold 74 per cent of the world’s freshwater.
Almost all the rest is deep underground, or locked in soils as moisture or permafrost.
 Only 0.3 per cent of the world’s freshwater is found in rivers or lakes.
Within 25 years, half the world’s population could have trouble finding enough freshwater for drinking and irrigation

ROLE OF TV MEDIA
The nation's leading tv channel group NDTV has launched a unique campaign in April 2008 NDTV Toyota green campaign. This constant 24-hour program has been stars and celebrities participated in this program. It was a effort for people's conscious about environmental issues. The campaign was with Nobel Prize winner Dr. R.k. Pachauri, then Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and many film stars.  After a huge success of the NDTV-Toyota environment campaign Greenathon I & II, NDTV in partnership with Toyota announced the Green Awards to encourage, acknowledge and award the Champions of the Earth for environmental leadership (globally) contributing most towards protecting our environment.
A first-of-its-kind award in India, Green Awards aim to recognise excellence in all sections of the society- Rural, Urban, Corporate, Domestic, Educational Institutions & Resident Welfare Associations.

ROLE OF CABEL OPRATERORS ASSOCIATION

EVERY STEP IS A GREEN STEP  - Chetna Yatra organized by since its inception in the year 2005 by Dr AK Rastogi, chairman All India Aaviskar Dish antenna Sangh,  is covering year after year every hook and corner of this country reaching to the millions of people from all walks of life with a message of “Go Green Go Digital” campaign and every year it covers 450 cities and travels 30,000 kilometers in around 60 days. This initiative is supported every year by our media partner “ABP NEWS” a leading hindi news channel.
This journey started with a single step and slowly with the support of millions of people and the industry, it has become a nationwide campaign for the conservation of environment & raising awareness on global warming among the masses, school & college students, local shopkeepers, NGOs, corporate, MNC’s, broadcasting & CATV industry comprising MSOs, Broadcasters, CATV operators, Hardware & Software companies and other stakeholders etc.

CONCLUSION 
 
We will have to see that no non-essential computer and Internet use. In consistent with our long Internet it is necessary to align it with nature. This would make every person in support. The lifetime of a computer - production, use, and disposal - makes it closely tied to the environment. Its production involves trace metals and other substances that pose health hazards in the handling toxics in production and end-of-life processes.  We have to work on Electronic Waste Management.

VIDYUT PRAKASH MAURYA
Contact - vidyutp@gmail.com

REFRENCE -
1.     About the BBC-www.bbc.co.uk/corporate2/insidethebbc/whoweare/mission_and_values
2 About DD-  http://www.ddindia.gov.in/AboutDD/pages/Default.aspx 
3 http://allindiaradio.gov.in/Profile/Mission/Pages/default.aspx
6.www.afaqs.com/news/company_briefs/index.html?id=45377_Jal+Satyagraha+an+effort+to+save+water

( This Paper Presented in National Seminar on 23 MARCH 2012 at Tecnia Institute of Advance Studies, New DELHI, IP University. ) 



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