Media Tides on Kerala Coast by Dr Iris, published by Media House, Delhi, is based on a Univrsity Grants Commission funded research project on the impact of the media on a coastal community near Thiruvananthapuram. Reproduced below is the Foreword of the book.
Kerala is a State with a high degree
of media penetration. High levels of literacy, reading habit and purchasing
capacity enabled newspapers in Malayalam to forge ahead of those in other
Indian languages in the last century and achieve much higher circulations than
them. The radio and the television which made their appearance later also
registered remarkable growth.
Media institutions have championed
many causes from time to time and they routinely make claims about the impact
they are making. Often these claims are based on some action initiated by the
authorities in response to their reports. Neither the print media nor the
electronic media has any reliable mechanism for properly assessing their impact
on the society. There are also no organizations to monitor the performance of
the media as a whole or of individual media institutions from the standpoint of
the communities they are seeking to serve. Against this background, Dr. Iris
Koileo’s study of the representation and impact of the media in the coastal
area of Thiruvananathapuram under a minor research project funded by the
University Grants Commission is a path-breaking one.
Kerala’s social indices compare
favourably with those of the advanced countries of the world. It is now a
comparatively affluent State, accounting for the highest per capita income as
well as expenditure in the country. However, there is wide social and economic
disparity within the State. The traditional fishing communities living on the
western coast, along with the Adivasis inhabiting the hills in the east and the
Dalits scattered all across the plains constitute a highly disadvantaged group.
The study looks at the extent to which the media has been able to do justice to
this highly vulnerable section of the population.
While all forms of media – print,
radio, television –have penetrated the coastal belt, the problems of the people
of the region do not receive adequate attention. On the basis of her findings,
Dr. Koileo has recommended some measures to remedy the situation. They include
creation of awareness in the marginalized community on the ways of the media
and bringing about changes in the media’s policy towards representation of the
community. This pioneering effort clearly points to the need for more academic
studies of wider scope which will help both the media and the society.
May 9, 2015
B.R.P. Bhaskar
Publishers:
Media House,
375-A, Pocket 2,
Mayur Vihar Phase I,
Delhi 110 091
www.mediahouseonline.in
Price: Rs 150. US $10.
