The role of media is important for any modern country because it may be termed as the very mirror of the various facets of its society. These various facets also include the facet of good governance. In the specific context of a modern democracy, good governance may in the long run, turn out to be the game changer as far as the destiny of a modern citizen of a present day democratic nation is concerned. Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to analyze and interpret the role of media in the specific context of a modern democracy from the point of view of good governance.

The role of media in promoting good governance is by acting as a catalyst, as far as, promoting and ushering in public opinion in a modern democracy. In the specific context of Indian democracy, it can be said that, the role of media in promoting good governance is quite pivotal. In Indian democracy, especially since India itself being a multi-cultural, multi-lingual as well as a multi-religious and cosmopolitan society, hence the role of media is important in this regard. Media’s role in such a scenario, in our country is like a path-finder of unity among the divergent groups, clans and races of our cosmopolitan society. Thus, in this process, media can promote unity in diversity in our multi-colored arena of our Indian society.

Moreover, media in its quest of promoting good governance in any modern democracy must act in such a manner that it promotes those values which create ripples in the form of positive values in the minds of the nationals of a modern democracy. In this way, the role of media is to promote those values in a modern democratic society which promotes elements of positivism in the minds of the democratic citizens of a modern democracy. In this endeavor, media must deter itself from those elements which act as a divisive force for the democratic process. Then only, there will be a promotion of positive values among the masses in a democracy. Democracy and democratic government thus will be able to usher in good governance in the long run. The funnel between mere governance and good governance therefore, will be the promotion of a unison of those values which guides and promotes any modern country in general and a modern democracy in particular and thereby in the long run takes the whole democratic process to its zenith.

What really is the yardstick for media to promote good governance? In the specific context of the world’s largest democracy, India, the answer to this question is to maintain political neutrality. Media, in Indian democracy must act impartially among the various political groups or political forces. In this way, media while exposing the good deeds of the party in power or of the parties in opposition to that of the ruling party/parties must also should be able to expose their mis-deeds. Media in its quest of promoting good governance cannot deter itself or run away from this process. Moreover, media while promoting good governance must be able to always protect and promote the interest of the common men by acting as a platform of highlighting their grievances. If it succeeds in this process, media will certainly be able to shed away the feeling of alienation among the common masses regarding its outlook towards the whole process of governance. All these, will certainly in the long run, promote good governance in a modern and vibrant democracy like ours.

At the same time, at this juncture of our discussion on the role of media in promoting good governance, we also need to think and ponder over the fact as to, what really comes in its way of promoting good governance. In this aspect, firstly, if media instead of being politically neutral and impartial rather if it becomes maligned by being biased and in the process becomes politically motivated then, for it the dooms day in its journey of promoting good governance is not far away. This certainly proves the fact that, biased media is a real threat to any modern democracy and our own Indian democracy is no exception in this regard.

Secondly, if media is a change agent in bringing about good governance for any modern country then the journalist are the motivators of the whole process of this change. Thus, in our motto of promoting good governance, the pillars of good governance i.e., the journalists must promote those journalistic values which are worth emulating. In this process, the journalist of any modern democracy must uphold higher journalistic values. Higher journalistic values include traits like maintaining political neutrality while carrying out their journalistic endeavors. The journalist in a modern democracy must deter from those activities which promote yellow journalism. On the contrary, we will be in such a situation, where media as a whole in its goal of promoting good governance will rather create a situation where it will be compelled to throw the baby with the bath water.

Last but not the least, media especially in the specific context of India will be able to promote good governance, if and only if, it in this journey is able to bind all and the sundry of our country by forgetting in this process one’s linguistic, religious or one’s caste, creed and ethnicity and rather binding in this process one and all in the direction where there is peace, amity, brotherhood and affinity among one group of people of our country with that of the another. In this process, media in the long run will be able to create a situation of sheer development taking place especially in the context of Indian democracy and hence in the long run promoting good governance in our country. All these efforts on the part of the media, in this process will certainly embolden media as the fourth pillar of Indian democracy.