They don’t like being called old, yet the media refuses to pay heed
By Abhishek Sharma
“They don’t like being called ‘old’, yet the media continues to be indifferent to them,” is the regret of veteran journalist-turned-educator, Mr. P. Ramesh Kumar.
He says that from his early days in journalism to now, there has never been a consistent or serious focus on elderly issues. “I neither recall any pattern then, nor do I see any pattern now about the treatment of the elderly in the media. Even child labour or the Right to Education receives occasional focus, but not the elderly,” he laments.
“The media is happy chasing the celebrities and the affluent, ignoring senior citizens facing real problems like elder abuse, stress, loneliness, dementia, and other mental health issues. I cannot recall any remarkable campaigns, media projects, or journalistic stories (in India or abroad) that powerfully brought attention to senior citizen issues,” he adds.
To his mind, not much is being done consciously to highlight positive stories about the elderly. “Well, sometimes, Sunday supplements contain separate sections on healthy ageing, but I wonder if that much is enough to sensitise society to the rights and concerns of senior citizens,” he points out.
He is not very aware of any pattern followed on the digital or audio platforms. “They don’t miss any major crime stories and obituaries, particularly when they belong to any notable family,” he says. However, everyday stories about older people are often overlooked.
Mr. Kumar suggests that today’s media needs to do away with the stereotypical portrayal of older adults as frail, senile, or irrelevant. Instead, they can showcase the diversity of insightful experiences, great skills, and meaningful contributions of older individuals to society and the nation.
Mr Kumar wants younger journalists to think differently when it comes to the elderly. According to him, “Featuring older adults in various roles that break the mould and inspire inter-generational respect, such as leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and caregivers, can demonstrate that ageing is not synonymous with decline or inactivity; rather it’s a naturally occurring phenomenon that no one can resist.”
As a media educator, he encourages his students to treat ageing as a fact of life and avoid being prejudicial. “I tell them it is logically and politically incorrect to call someone an old man or woman.”
He believes that “The media can change its representation of the elderly and sensitise reporters and readers to the fact that the human soul is ageless.”
At the same time, he acknowledges, “There is only this much the media can do.” According to him, the issue of ageism is societal, and hence, society at large will have to correct its course. The children must acquire neutrality towards age and gender at their very home.
As India’s population ages, the silence surrounding its elderly is getting louder and must be addressed.
(The writer is a first-year student of media at KCC Institutes in Greater Noida.)
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