MIMAMSA ETHICS

Mimamsa Ethics

 The word “mimamsa” means the “desire to think”, or more colloquially, “how to think through or interpret the things.” As it is the proper way of interpretation of Vedic text, it is also called Purva Mimamsa. It is also known by Dharma Mimamsa because it is an inquiry to Dharma established by Vedas.  Similarly it is also Karma Mimamsa as it describes the importance of sacrificial activities in attaining the pure Dharma as the good. So overall this demonstrates that “mimamsa” means “Investigation, inquiry or discussion.”

The earliest work of the system, the Mimamsa-sutra of Jaimini (c. 4th century BC), was followed by the writings of a long line of interpreters and teachers, notably Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara Mishra (8th century). Kumarila is credited with using Mimamsa to defeat Buddhism in India; Prabhakara was a realist who believed that sense perceptions were true.

It is probably the earliest of the six orthodox systems (darsahans) of Hindu philosophy. Its aim is to give rules for the interpretation of the Vedas and to provide a philosophical justification for the observance of Vedic ritual. . Mimamsa is fundamental to Vedanta and has deeply influenced Hindu law. Hindu jurisprudence reformulated the Mimamsa theology by staking a claim that what is good for the individual must be “de-centered” in favor of what is good for the social system of castes and life stages.

Mimamsa explain how the human can achieve the magnificent power produced by a correctly performed sacrificial ritual but not through the action of gods.  The result of the sacrifice usually comes after the death of the person performing the ritual.

In this ethics there are ‘Bidhi’ and ‘Nisedh’ which means ‘command’ and ‘prohibition’ respectively. With this Bidhi and Nisedh people are injected to do something within the code of conduct.

In mimamsa ethics essentially everything is determined by character (dharma) or lack of it through the law of karma or action with its consequences. Thus dharma or karma supports the universe. If it is ethically right, it produces enjoyment; if it is wrong, then suffering is experienced. This force (shakti) of dharma or karma is extraordinary and unseen. The universe, being eternal, is not created by this force, but it is shaped by it.

Mimamsa gives the importance to “theory of Karma” which states that good actions result good and evil produces evil result. So it solely depends on what and how you perform. So in journalism also the sense of “karmayogya” plays a pivotal role as journalist need to play fair game, to be moral, ethical and give justice to the people. That is why if the journalistic code of ethics if based on Mimamsa philosophy, it seems not only coherent but also practical.

So mimamsa ethics can be applied in the field of journalism or any media profession. In present context where there is being kidnapped or murdered of media professionals, in this case if everybody understood the Mimamsa ethics and apply it, it would have been diminished.

Another instance can be the use of the language or the word in media field also determines the ethical value of media. The journalist or the reporter can use the word like “dristibihin” for blind or “differently able people” for physically impaired persons so that it would be more ethical.

It emphasis on deontological ethics, that expresses duty. In reporting and editing Karma is fulfilled. Every Karma of a journalist is a Dharma. So Dharma in journalistic field is doing all Karma in perfect way.

Therefore through Mimasa Ethics, it can be determined the ethical value of media through dhrama and karma.

REFRENCES:

Adhikary, N.M. “Mimamsa-Philosophy and Mass Media Ethics” BODHI An Interdisciplinary Journal. Dhulikhel: Department of Languages and Mass Communication, 2007.

Ethics of Hindu philosophy by Sanderson Beck Retrieved on 6 May, 2012 from http://www.san.beck.org/EC11-Hindu.html

Hermeneutics and ethics - University Publishing Online Retrieved on 6 May, 2012 from http://books.google.com.np/

Mimamsa Ethics- Media Studies Academic Blog Retrieved on 6 May, 2012 from http://visitskc.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/mimamsa-ethics/

MORE THAN A PIC.....

One photo speak thousand words. While seeing this picture in surface, it is just a picture of an old woman crying. But in fact when we observe and analyze it deeply we can understand her emotions. So more than the text, the picture itself drag my attention toward it. This picture reflects the detachment of a mother with her dear son who was killed in the Maoist attack in 2062 B.S. in Dadhikot, Bhaktapur and who has been her support in her old age. It depicts not only the sorrow, pain and grief of sub-inspector Hari Wagle Sharma's mother but also the thousands and thousands mother who has lost their children in Maoist attack. The moment during the funeral of own son for a mother is always breathe taking. So we can imagine ourselves that how painful that moment was for his mother. All the dream and hope of that old mother has passed away and shattered into pieces with last breathe of her son. The crying and painful face of his mother clearly ask the question that who will be her support till her death. Every single drop of tear that roll down from his mother eyes bring tear to my eyes itself. So I feel this particular photo is touching.

ASSIGNMENT

Q. Discuss the significance of research in the field of mass media research with special reference to characteristic and objectives of research.

Research is a systematic and organized effort to investigate a specific problem that needs a solution. It has its significance in the field of mass media research. Mass media is an essential part of everyday life. It plays an important role in disseminating information. Thus it is crucial for democracy. Our world has now become a global village and this would not have been a possibility without mass media. Mass media research is like any other research only it is done in the context of mass media. Mass media is helpful in understanding the process and effects of mass communication and to learn how mass communication influence individuals and society. So research has a vital role in the field of mass media research in order to know the impact of mass media over the society.

Mass media research falls under the mass communication research of communication research which is studied under social science research. Mass media research adopts scientific method. It is systematic, objective and empirical. It is cumulative, replicable, logical and purposive. Thus it is reliable source to gather data regarding mass media and its developments. Mass media research does a scientific study of mass communication media and how people interpret it as individual and as a member of society and the research helps in this by searching the differences of people to disseminate different forms of content.

Research helps in mass media research to answer some crucial questions like how to increase readership of newspaper, what do the audience prefer, when is the best time to broadcast a certain program, what sort of meaning are the audience making from the media messages and so on. This helps the media operators make better decisions. Big money is involved in the media industry so research is required to study the audience and the current trend In order to ensure the investments made. Moreover the media contents have to profound impact on the audience. Thus those research give us an idea on what to keep and what not on TV, newspaper etc.

Research is used in media every day in the form of opinion polls, audience surveys, growth projections or status reports and so on. It is used for advertisement, public relations, content productions and evaluation.

Mass media research on what type of content the audience want and what type of content is necessary for the audience is required for better production of programs. Mass media research with audience survey and opinion polls is helpful in understanding the consumption pattern of the audience; content analysis is useful for evaluation and assessment. The research helps in mass media helps us better understand the problem within the society. It is done for better contents, to attract more audience, to better represent the society and to avoid bias.

The main objectives of research are:

1. Generate new knowledge i.e. uncovering facts or phenomenon or establishing new relationship of various variables.

2. Improving understanding i.e. helping to explain situation or shed light on misunderstood phenomenon or concepts.

3. Application testing, i.e. trying out concepts and approaches in the real world to see If they work.

4. Comparing best practices, i.e. gathering information about successful of subjects in different circumstances and looking for explanation of their successes.

5. Helping with decision making i.e. generating information, concepts, framework and approaches that help executives or planners make better and more effective decisions.

These objectives of research also assist in mass media research in order to learn about the audience, the content to be broadcasted, published and other planning as well.

ASSIGNMENT

Q. Why is science considered more trustworthy method of knowing than tenacity, authority and intuition?

We know things in a number of different ways. As a result of our curious mind we are always in search of answers to unanswered questions. There are various methods of knowing. Among them the four widely accepted ways of knowing are:

a. Tenacity: In tenacity, people believe something is true because it has always been true and is commonly known to be true. People have faith just because of their tradition. Tenacity is unacceptable because it doesn’t permit any questioning. It is not verifiable.

b. Authority: Incase of authority, if a well-respected or authoritative source says that something is so and then it must be so. Authority is a subjective choice. Because of the subjectivity attached with authority we cannot be sure whether it is true.

c. Intuition: Intuition also known as prior method is based on the notion that people reach the truth because their natural inclination will be to do so. It agrees with reason and not necessarily with experience or rather experiments.

d. Science: No single path to discovery exists in science and no one clear out description can be given that accounts for all the ways in which scientific truth is pursued. Scientific method is objective and also its accepting is tested.

Besides, science all the other three methods of knowing are based only on observation which may be inaccurate. There is no touchstone against which its accuracy can be checked. However, science is the systematic study of anything that can be examined, tested and verified. Science develops through objective analysis, instead of through personal belief. Science seeks the systematic organization of information about the world and in doing so, discovers new relationships among natural phenomenon. It endeavors to explain why phenomena occur and how they are related.

The term ‘science’ is almost synonyms to ‘valid knowledge’. It is considered as the most trustworthy among the 4 ways of knowing due to the following characteristics:

a. Verifiable: The knowledge derived from science can be verified. Only when the work is verified and replicated through experiments will it be accepted as a scientific truth.

b. Objective: Science observes the things as they are without setting particular worldview affect the result or observation. The result of an experiment does not depend on the person conducting it.

c. Empirical: Empiricism is the central concept of science since science is the study of things that can be tested by sense and something which can convince. There should be certain proof which testifies the accuracy of knowledge.

d. Systematic: Science is defined as a systematic study. There are various steps for conducting a scientific study. Although the procedures to be adopted in a scientific investigation may differ according to the nature of investigation, type of phenomenon under investigation and the investigator himself or herself basic steps are the same.

e. Cumulative: Scientific studies are continuous. There is no end to it. Knowledge gained from previous studies are accumulated which helps in conducting new studies. Scientific study does not include only limited knowledge of self but of others and past result. Thus, scientific knowledge helps growing in a refined way.

f. Logical: Science does not mean merely following one’s belief and views. It is a system of reasoning. Inductive and deductive reasoning are used in scientific method.

Due to its characteristic, science is less to prone to errors. That is why people believe in science. Also, it is a state of objective human mind and follows a systematic procedure. In science, beliefs do not influence the truth. Scientific studies are conducted in such a manner that one’s thoughts and views have no effect over the result. The conclusion of the study shall be the same regardless of the researcher. The knowledge gained from experiment is not accepted as true until it is tested and opens to public inspection. In scientific method, there is no place for personal belief, perceptions, biases, values and emotions. It is a systematic study which involves a series of objective analysis. The truth is found only at the end which is purely objective. Hence, science is the most trustworthy among the four ways of knowing.

You Bliss Me!!!

Thinking of you

makes me happy...

Missing you

bring smile on my face...

Remembering of you

makes me fresh...

Talking about you

makes me believe on myself and my love...

Listening you

i can hear my heartbeat inside you...

Feeling you

brings a heavenly moment...

If you are really here with me

in front me

i will be complete.

Guzarish...

After a long time today I watched a Hindi movie. Ahh.... what a movie!!!! It touched my eyes, it touched my heart, it touched a lot moreover it touched my soul. From the beginning till the end I could not stop my tears. For the moment I thought I really went to a magic world full of love, romance where suffering are handled magically even though pain, suffering, fighting are playing as a throne. As there is a saying 'A rose always is beautiful even though it has a throne.' In the same way life is beautiful even though it has a misery. There is one line in the movie' zindagi bahut choti hay..... dil se jiyo....' and yes I believe life is too short to do anything so we should live our life from the bottom of our heart and live happily. After watching this movie yes I have also a Guzarish.... a Guzarish to watch this movie AGAIN...

OUR FIRST DIGITAL MOVIE ...

i really enjoy playing this digital movie . i had a great time...... in whole act i only laughed.....

MY PHOTOGRAPHY

STATE OF MEDIA SYSTEM IN SOUTH AFRICA

The media history can be divided into two phases: during apartheid and after apartheid. These two categories define the fundamental changes that have reshaped South Africa since it was re accepted into the international community of nation. Under apartheid the media operated in the main-field of laws designed to make it almost impossible to publish any information without authorization of government especially in political and national issues. After the end of apartheid, it had a new constitution the protected freedom of expression and of the press.South Africa had moved from having one of the most oppressive media systems in the world its one where the media could publish almost anything without fear of punishment from the government.

PRINT MEDIA

The newspaper dates back to 1800, when the governor of the Cape Colony initiated the publishing of the government controlled Cape Town Gazetted and African Advertiser. The first Privately owned newspaper is South African Commercial Advertiser published in 1824 A.D. The first African language newspaper is Umshumayeli Wendaba published in 1837 A.D. The first Afrikaans language newspaper is Die Afrikaans e Patriot published in 1876 A.D. The current newspaper industry is fairly healthy state. However four conglomerates dominate ownership of the newspapers in South Africa: Naspers, Time Media Limited, Independent Newspapers and New African Publications. The growing literacy rate 82.4% (2007) has also contributed to the growth of the print media sector. According to South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF 2005), with 11% of total readership, THE DAILY SUN tabloid newspaper is the most read of the 43 daily, weekly and bi-weekly commercial newspaper. SAARF figures covering privately owned and state print outlets in 2007 there were 89 magazines and 19 daily and 27 non-daily newspapers. Some 14.5 million African buy the urban dailies, while community newspaper have a circulation of 5.5 million (International Marketing Council of South Africa 2007). The Daily Sun owned by Naspers is the first South African tabloid aimed at the black working class.

BROADCASTING MEDIA

In South Africa, radio broadcasting was introduced in 1963 when South African Broadcasting Corporation was established by the Broadcasting Act. Radio broadcasting has grown even more. There are quotas for local radio radio broadcasting : its content must include 40% community radio programming and 25% commercial radio. Independent Communication Authority of South Africa , ICASA the regulatory body, defines two types of community broadcasting service: one category for a geographic community and another for a community interest; with approximately 122 radio station broadcasting in South Africa in number of language. Because of this now there is a great diversity available to the public. SAARF claims to have monitored 98 radio stations in 2007.South Africa's mass market station UKhozi radio Zulu is by far the most popular appealing to isiZulu speaking South Africans with 6.38 millions listeners per week. Television broadcasting reflected the same pattern of political realities in much of Africa, beginning mostly in 1960s. South Africa did not establish television until 1975, when South Africa broadcasting corporation broadcast in major cities, it went national in 1976. It could be said that television broadcasting in South Africa came to full circle in July 2007. The SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) runs three station and there is one privately owned free-to-air station, E.t.v. Despite SABC's attempts to increase diversity, for eg. by sitting up new channels and broadcasting in indigenous languages, it continues to be criticized for being a government"mouth piece" and for the poor journalism and program production. Records shows the success of television broadcasting with the population owing an estimated 7.76 million TV sets in 2006. Multichoice is the only provider of pay TV and satellite broadcasting in the country. with one terrestrial pay TV channel, M-Net and Dstv , a digital sattelite television network with over 55 local and international channels that broadcasts to hundreds of thousand of subscribers througout Africa. In November 2008four new license were granted , from a total of 18n applications, for the operation os pay- TV services.Walking On water (a Christian broadcaster), On Digital Media and e-Sat (the satellite arm of e.tv) are all expected to start direct-to-home satellite broadcasts in mid -2008. Telkom Media is to operate a satellite service as well as IPTV service such as video on demand , which it is due to launch by September 2008.

INTERNET TECHNOLOGY

South Africa the Africans most advanced countries in communication technologies . The Cape town based Nasper for instance, provides internet service not just in Africa but also in Asia and Europe. The rise of web 2.0 technologies and social networking sites such as face-book.com has affected newsroom. Face-book users in South Africa to be approximately 3,50,000. Estimated for the numbers of internet users in South Africa vary widely from 5.1 million in 2005 to lower estimate of 3.85 million in 2007. These figures are for higher that other African country and place South Africa among the major internet user country. The internet user is increasing due to the user of website from the press sector, newspaper, broadcasting media and so on.

FILM INDUSTRY

South Africa has a vibrant growing film industry that is increasingly competitive internationally. Local and foreign filmmakers are taking advantage of the country's diverse, unique locations as well as low production costs and favorable exchange rate,which make it up to 40% cheaper to make a movie here than in Europe or the US and up to 20% cheaper than in Australia. The government has identified the film industry as a sector with excellent potential for growth. Although South Africa's contribution to global output stands at a mere 0.4%, the local film industry is getting stronger all the time. According to the Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa's entertainment industry is valued at round R7.4 billion,with film and television generating more than R 5.8 billion in economic activity each year. And according to a recent economic impact assessment study commissioned by the Cape Film Commission, the industry has a direct annual turnover of more than R 2.65 billion and contribute an indirect annual turnover of more than R3.5 billion to the country's gross domestic product.Some of the movies of South Africa are Cry Freedom , The Power of One, Cry, the Beloved Country, A Dry White Season, and others. There are also some documentaries like Mandela- The Man and His Country, A Short Astonished Journey, Girls Apart and so on.

MUSIC INDUSTRY

The music scene in South Africa is focused around 4 major areas: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Bloemfontein. One of the characteristic of the scene is the strong sense of community which sees artist, promoters and venues all actively involved in developing the local talent. Bloemfontein's music focus in centered predominantly around the metal and Afrikaans genres. Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban are far more wide ranging in the genres of music covered by bands and artists, Cape Town is a hot bed for the underground music scene, generally held to be more experimental than the music produced in the other centers. The introduction of the South African Music Awards (SAMA), intended to recognize accomplishment in the South African recording industry has raised the awareness of local artists and bands. The awards are given in various categories, including album of the year, best new artists(male and female) and the best duo or group.

PRESS FREEDOM

According to Reporters Without Boarders (RWB), South African has high level in press freedom where there are s robust media environment in which a diversity of opinions is allowed full expression in both print and broadcast media. RWB ranks South Africa 4th in Africa and 43rd in the world in its index of press freedom. South Africa has by far the most sophisticated and technology advanced media system in Africa. Its media hold high regard for the Constitutional Civil Rights, including free speech and a free press.

ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF MASS MEDIA

In South Africa the reform and restructuring of the broadcasting and telecommunication sector has been characterized by an increased role for the private capital and the market. Key issues facing the South African economy and consequently its media are : privatization, unbundled and black empowerment. The selling off of the South African Broadcasting commercial radio stations obliged white owned capital to forge partnerships with the black empowerment groups.

POLITICAL AND LEGAL SYSTEM

Post apartheid government including the present African National Congress government have shown dedication to press freedom and freedom of expression. Nevertheless, the present government has introduced new legislation that impose some restriction on the freedom of the media. The promotion of Access to Information Act 2 build on the Constitution and requires all public bodies to make information available to the general public. In spite of the promotion of Access to Information Act, access to some information is difficult in South Africa. Often information doesn't exist or is only available by paying for it.

JOURNALISM EDUCATION

South Africa has covered universities and other post secondary institution that offer at least bachelor's degree in journalism or mass communication. Among the notable institutions in South Africa that offer degree in journalism are Rhodes University, Stellenbosh University and Tshwane University of Technology.

REPRESSION OF MEDIA WORKERS

There have recently been threats to freedom of expression in the academic field. Professor Jimi Adesina is one example among others of an academic accused of criticizing his institution and so breaking the conditions of his employment. Professor Adesine was charged with criminal defamation and was dismissed from his post in a case which was seen as a threat to freedom of expression within the academic community.

Gender activists claims that women are under-represented in South African media. Their representation is lowest in the print media while in the broadcast media there are more women working, for example as television presenters. Issues of gender parity are generally confined to news coverage of topics such as human rights, gender equality and gender violence.
PUBLIC RELATION
The Public Relation Institution of Southern African (PRISA), Institution of Public Relations and Communication Management is the professional body which represents the interest of public relation and communication management professionals in Southern Africa. PRISA registers practitioners provide services and continuing professional development opportunities for practitioners so that they keep up-to-date with the latest trend.

Therefore, media system in South Africa is somehow in good condition in which there are a large mass media sector and is one of the Africa's major media center.