Media regulation reflects changing notions of accountability and control in public administration. Discuss.

Media regulation is really important because it shows how the government is changing the way it deals with people and groups outside of the government. These people and groups like media companies have an impact on how the public behaves and the results of government decisions. Media regulation is a part of this because it helps control what the media says and does which in turn affects the public and the government. The role of media regulation is changing all the time like the role of the government in dealing with media companies and other non-state actors. Media regulation is key to making sure that the media does not have much power, over the public and the government.

Administrative Perspective

Traditionally people thought of accountability as something that only applied to the government and its offices. Now accountability also applies to media institutions. This is because the government is taking an active role in regulating things. The government has groups that make sure everyone follows the rules and behaves in a way that is fair and respectful to the public and to what our country stands for. Accountability is really important for media institutions now.

Challenges

When people in charge have much power to make decisions it can be unfair. Having a lot of groups trying to regulate things can cause problems because they do not always work well together. Also if these groups do not have resources they cannot do their jobs properly. If the government controls things much it can hurt the ability of institutions to make their own decisions and it can also hurt the fairness of the democratic system. Regulatory discretion can be a problem because it may lead to arbitrariness. Multiple regulators can create issues, with working and limited capacity can affect how well they enforce the rules. Much control is not good because it can undermine the autonomy of institutions and the legitimacy of democracy.

Way Forward

The people in charge of administration have to make sure they are being fair and clear when they make decisions. They should also listen to what other people think and work together to make rules. This way public administration can be fair. Make sense to everyone. Public administration has to be careful and think about how their decisions will affect people. Public administration should work with others to make sure they are doing the right thing.

Media regulation represents expanding accountability in governance, requiring a careful balance between control and autonomy.

UPSC General Studies Paper Preparation

Topic
UPSC SyllabusUPSC Free Notes
UPSC Optional SubjectsKhushhali Solanki (AIR 61, UPSC CSE 2023)

Public Administration Optional Exam Preparation

Topic
Public Administration SyllabusPublic Administration Foundation 2025-26
Public Administration Free ResourcesPublic Administration Crash Cum Enrichment Course 2025-26
About the Author: Jyoti Verma

Scroll to Top