The Influence of Media in Elections 2014

This short snippet was recorded for the “Listening Post” feature on Al Jazeera titled, “Indian media: Choosing sides?”  I was responding to the specific question, “..what influence do you think Indian mainstream media outlets have during these elections?” I am at 09:50.

In the video, I question how much influence (mainstream) media would have on these elections (except for Hindi and other native language news-papers). I cite three reasons for my assertion:

1. Wide perception of MSM as being biased. More than a third of news channels are owned by politicians or politico-affiliated builders. An estimated 60 per cent of cable distribution systems are owned by local politicians (source).
2. The widely reported incidences of paid news (see here and here)
3. Emergence of social media as a serious and powerful contender for an alternative narrative (a report by IAMAI on “Social Media and Lok Sabha Elections” estimated that “At a very conservative estimate, the fortunes of contestants seeking election to the next Lok Sabha from not less than 150 constituencies will be determined by Facebook users making them the newest Vote Bank with the power to shape Indian politics”). This article in IE (May ’14)  mentions another IAMAI estimate, according to which social media might result in a swing of 3%-4% in these elections.

Here is the video snippet.

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Related: Although trust in Indian media has gone up* in recent years, the trust is actually lower among general public than among people who are well informed! (See slide 7 here).  This is supported by anecdotal evidence, as reported int this story in The Economist from Jun 2013:

The biggest surprise may be that so many Chennaites say the channels do not even sway voters. Canny Tamils are happy to watch their favourite soap operas on the political stations, clicking the remote control when the biased news comes on. An independent news station launched in 2011 is proving far more popular. “People are way too smart,” says one film producer. “I don’t think the channels have influence at all.”

* Part of the reason why Trust has increased is diversification of options (i.e. social and non-traditional media) + coverage of scandals (Slide 18).