17 April 2015 - QA 1

Gurudev, what is the media’s role in spreading happiness?

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

The Media today has two main responsibilities:
1. To present facts and the truth to the people. The Media should honestly convey whatever is happening in the world to the people
2. Since information is not always inspiring or uplifting, their second responsibility is to motivate and inspire people so that they move in a direction that is beneficial to them and to the world at large
So on one hand the Media should uncover the truth and convey it to the people, and on the other hand it should inspire people so that they understand what needs to be done next.
The Media must give hope and courage to people, otherwise people will become so dejected after watching TV. People should feel happy and entertained after watching a channel. The need of the hour is to enhance that sense of joy and contentment in one’s life. The media through its content should make people aware that life is a grand celebration.
People get upset or disturbed through the day due to something or another. When they return home to find more disturbing or upsetting news on TV, then they become more dejected and they lose hope. This is not how it should be. The content should be such that people feel relaxed and calm after watching it. They should feel a new sense of hope and enthusiasm from within when they watch news. So this is another role the media needs to play.