As per American Heritage Dictionary, Media is defined as:
• A means of mass communication, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television.
• media (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The group of journalists and others who constitute the communications industry and profession
Press - Defined
As per American Heritage Dictionary, Press is defined as :
• The collecting and publishing or broadcasting of news; journalism in general.
• The entirety of media and agencies that collect, publish, transmit, or broadcast the news.
• The people involved in the media, as news reporters, photographers, publishers, and broadcasters.
• Commentary or coverage especially in print media.
Management - Defined
As per American Heritage Dictionary, Management is defined as:
• The act, manner, or practice of managing; handling, supervision, or control. Eg. management of a crisis;
• The person or persons who control or direct a business or other enterprise.
Journalism - Defined
As per American Heritage Dictionary, Journalism is defined as:
• The collecting, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles in newspapers and magazines and in radio and television broadcasts.
• The style of writing characteristic of material in newspapers and magazines, consisting of direct presentation of facts or occurrences with little attempt at analysis or interpretation.
• Written material of current interest or wide popular appeal.
Management of Media
Like any other activity, management of Media is also both a science and an art.
• A Science as it involves skills, knowledge and principals which can be acquired through systematic learnings.
• An Art as it needs certain personality and other traits which are gifted and many of its principals does not appaly similarly in different circumstances.
• In a rapidly changing world, the revolutions in information technology is tearing down traditional barriers and bringing the global community closer than never before.
In such situation, the role of media – print, broadcast as well as online – has assumed greater significance bringing issues of local to global interests in the highlight.
• Managers in media organizations around the world need to develop skills and perspectives appropriate to the rapidly changing media environment.
• To bring about efficient media management, there is a need to develop profound understanding of the structure of media, its regulation, its impact on the audience, and of the forces shaping the communications revolution.
• Increasingly, there is a need to walk tightrope in ensuring the independence of editorial section amid pressures from corporate and advertisement section
• Two aspects are of vital significance in achieving well management in media – human resource and technology.
• Professional and committed pool of journalists/reporters are one pillar of the media organization while another pillar is its ability to embrace the modern technologies that facilitate in bridging the gaps between the readers and the writers.
• Of late, media is also getting more corporate appearance. Big business houses around the world have found media a lucrative area of investment. This development is welcome and if properly channeled could further strengthen the basic characters of this ‘fourth estate’ .
• There are dangers and risks of cross commercialization, yellow journalism and journalism hijacked by vested interests. Managers of media organizations need to be particularly careful to avoid these pitfalls and create productive journalism that is beneficial to the community, country and the world.
As a corporate manager, I believe the management of media should be conducted in a purely professional manner but with added sense of social and national responsibility given the distinctive nature of media.
• Emphasis should be laid on the production of better and qualified human resources to enhance the prestige and business of media.
Management & Media
• In the present age of very fast and easy access to information, media has a very vital role on the business and its management.
• Any issue, at times even not so significant or worthwhile becomes vital as soon as it caught media attention.
• Media brings all the aspects of any issue to the masses and leaves them to decide upon on either side.
• It can highlight cases of corruption, misuse/abuse of power, favourism, money laundring etc and thus keeps check on them.
• It assists the businessman to create awareness and at times lobby for certain issues. Examples may be labor rules and regulations, Prioritization of economic agendas over political ones, sparing of business from conflicts etc.
• The effectiveness of this role is proved time and again during past some time for issues stated above along with issues of Human Rights.
• Media has also become the top marketing tool even in products or industries where traditional individual-person-to-person approach is giving way to mass media like Life Insurance etc.
• However, role of Media can be like a double edged sword and thus it becomes obligatory to continuously monitor its usages.
• At times, business and managers are facing un-necessary pressures, harassments and at times even blackmailing from the media and yellow journalism.
• Time and again demands for advertisements, sponsorships or simple “Good Wishes” publishing are compelled at places and dimensions of media which are not suitable.
• At times, businessman and managers were also observed trying to pressurize media for their vested interests at the cost of masses interests even at some times.
• It is thus necessary for Media, press and journalists to follow highly respectable and noble principals of Media and to not to give to petty distractions and unfair advantages.
