Understanding Media Representation of Violence in Assam
3.2. Theoretical Understanding
3.2.4 Representation in Media
news story. The regional print media houses are seen violating norms of violence representation of violence with direct on site images and portraying sufferings and victims blatantly (see Image 28). These undoubtedly may be said to be portrayal of violence for attracting onlookers’ attention and gaining readership in the process.
Story: 14% respondents (Figure 3.4) say that according to them media correspondence to an issue is ‘media representation’. It is the story or the content being referred to as the story idea, media projection, story angle, news story. 50% of these media practitioners (eight of the 16 respondents) emphasise on content, to be the significant feature of the media story being represented. As per the Article 19 report (2003) “the inclusion or exclusion of contextual information, the emphasis of one element of a situation over another and the selection of sources all determine the angle taken on a particular story and ultimately, the impression it makes on the reader or viewer”; the decisive choices lie with the reporters and editors on creating a story out of any given subject matter. Similarly according to respondents, what and how media perceives regarding an issue or event and eventually through representation makes viewer perceive builds the story in media. Apparently according to respondents a story should provide complete information and equal exposure to all sections.
Presentation: 5% respondents (Figure 3.4) point at presenting a piece of information through media implying representation in media. As pointed out earlier by respondents presentation being one of the strategies employed to attract media consumers to the media product (section 3.2.1), in regard to representation in media, media makers apply the programming strategy of presentation to communicate through media. As reflected in the earlier responses presentation of a particular story would include the information, texts, visuals, audio, graphics, human presenter, programme design- everything that culminates into the intended message to be transmitted to the prospective media consumers.
According to Senior Copy Editor of a regional newspaper organisation:
Representation means the way of projecting or presenting a character/photo, incident or event, in the news story/article or the manner of giving an angle to the entire story itself.
Media portrayal: 25% respondents (Figure 3.4) interviewed refer to media portrayal as representation in media. Media portrayal, opined respondents, implies characterisations or personification of real life incidents, situations, people or places.
According to News coordinator of a regional television news channel:
It implies the portrayal of an issue by the media, presentation, line of thought, words and images used, the various points highlighted of that particular issue.
According to Producer (Hindi News) of a regional television Channel:
It is how media/ media house characterises/portrays an issue considering its requirement, priorities, inclination (political etc) and incorporating the elements supplementing its motive.
According to Copy Editor of an English language Newspaper:
Representation in media is the ways in which the media portrays particular groups, communities, experiences, ideas, or topics from a particular ideological or value perspective.
Marketing an issue: 2% respondents (Figure 3.4) interviewed, said that representation in media refers to marketing of an issue by the media, which implies imitating the market behaviour of any other consumer product and accordingly supplying goods and services to the consumers and also preparing the target group to accept certain kind of goods and services. Apparently media makers produce homogeneous media content to attract audiences (viewers/readers) and further commercial gains. In the process the media practitioners intend to communicate to the masses real life situations, events, people and region in most acceptable and desired manner.
Duplication of the original: 8% respondents (Figure 3.4) point at representation in media as mere duplication of the real world happenings.
According to News Producer (English news) at a regional television news channel:
For me representation means duplication of the original. Here comes the question of how we want to represent a particular item or news item. In media representation would imply how a particular group, item, thing, events, culture etc. gets its shape. Every media house has its own way of representing the content for presenting them to the audiences in the best attractive manner.
Reflecting reality: 11% respondents (Figure 3.4) refer to representation in media is reality put forward through media texts. Therefore the media texts are texts mirroring the society, reflecting reality. Reflecting reality, as per respondents does not limit itself to reflecting the in time happenings, it also refers to picking up the perceptions of the people and accordingly placing the events in media texts, so as to acknowledge the existing concept truth according to the perceptions that have been harvested for long. Respondents feel that representation which is not in accordance with the popular perceptions are rejected by the target audience as unrealistic. Thus the representations
in media are not mere reflection of reality but more appropriately reflecting reality perceptions.
According to a freelance journalist who reports for Assam from Mumbai:
The news media (print as well as electronic) is called the ‘mirror of the society’ and hence representation would imply putting across news, views and opinions of members of society for the consumption of the readers.
‘Re-presentation’: 23% respondents (Figure 3.4) interviewed referred to the literal meaning of the word re- presentation in media of the real life situations. Apparently in many instances the widespread knowledge of people, places, situations and events are by products of these media representations.
According to Desk Editor of a regional English language newspaper:
It is a tricky concept, if you look at how it says ‘re-presentation’ which in itself implies that certain ideas and points of views of the particular media gets mingled in bringing forth a certain event or incident, as opposed to presentation … which then again would mean the usual debate between news and views.
According to Bureau Chief, International Multimedia News Agency:
Representation in media implies either material that represents specific needs, aspirations, thoughts and opinions of a particular group or community or content that caters to the taste of individual of different age groups.
According to a respondent from television media:
It simply means how you represent yourself and how you show your content. Every channel may have the same content but its representation is important, which means how you play up the story and present it to your audience. As you understand television is increasingly watched by all sections of society, sometimes it becomes difficult to understand your target audience for news, so the situation demands that we as a responsible media house, try our best to show news in a way that does not hurt sentiments, incite hate, anger or jealousy.
Information dissemination: The process of information dissemination through media was pointed out by 3% respondents (Figure 3.4) interviewed as implication of representation of violence. Respondents also point at the media’s responsibility towards society of indiscriminately informing. Regarding this responsibility, media makers have the liberty to decide what the consumers are entitled to know and what they are not. This self liberty of the media enables the decision makers in media holding positions to select, filter, edit and represent content accordingly.
Reflecting the above view was the response by a Freelance journalist from Assam:
‘Representation in Media’ simply means voicing the issues and causes affecting the masses, individual, group, organization as a mouthpiece irrespective of any discrimination or difference.
Creating perceptions: Representation, according to 4% respondents (Figure 3.4), implies creating perceptions by media. They opined “representation in media”
suggests what and how media perceives of any particular event, incident, place or people, and subsequently makes the consumers (viewer/ readers) perceive.
According to News coordinator of a regional television news channel:
For me being in the media holds a great responsibility towards the society. Though the idea of bringing change in the contemporary world is a big challenge but why not try it by doing some small part from my own end.
Distribution: Space and time allocation in media was pointed by 2% respondents (Figure 3.4) as representation in media. This includes employing strategies in programmes and print reports in the best possible scope of attracting and retaining audiences/ readers. These strategies are employed to deliver to audiences’ demands and in turn deliver audiences to advertisers in the composition that makes their advertising most likely to be effective (Ellis 136).
It was observed from the responses that representation in media is apparently the process by which representations of real life incidents are made to appear believable and acceptable as real to the media consumers. The perception of the media practitioners was primarily found to be the concern that the media product should resemble reality so much so that the audience get the real feel to the reportage and undergo emotional extremes to want to consume more of similar products.