SYNOPSIS [11th March,2022] Day 40: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

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SYNOPSIS [11th March,2022] Day 40: IASbaba’s TLP (Phase 1): UPSC Mains Answer Writing (General Studies)

1. Objectivity is an important pillar of journalistic ethics. Do you agree? Substantiate your views. 

Approach- 

Candidates need to write about the journalistic ethics and how objectivity will be important pillar of it is to be addressed with substantiating views. 

Introduction 

Journalistic ethics are basically a set of principles, standards, guidelines and code of conduct prepared for professional journalists. It deals with conduct, character and behaviour of a journalist and how he/she works before, during and after the news gathering and dissemination process.

Body 

Objectivity in journalism:

• Objectivity means that when covering hard news, reporters don’t convey their own feelings, biases or prejudices in their stories.
• The absence of objective journalism leads to the false presentation of truth in a society which affects the perception and opinions of people.  
• In India instances of violation of ethical norms and principles; from indulging in Paid News, spreading Fake News, engaging sensationalism and exaggerating trivial stories, creating misleading headlines, breach of privacy, distortion of facts has increased manifold it give the sense of losing objectivity. 
• As observed in the case of Cambridge analytica case, the biased news coverage on social media platform affected the Presidential elections in the U.S.
• Openly taking sides and bias in reporting. Besides this, many mainstream news media outlets and their journalists are found to be engaging in one-sided media trials, lobbying for personal gains, blackmailing, manipulating news stories, engaging in malicious and defamatory reporting, running propaganda and disinformation campaigns.
• For example Media’s ugliest moment, however, was its coverage of the news surrounding  Delhi’s Tablighi Jamaat Markaz (meeting). 
• Objectivity apply not only to how a reporter writes about an issue but to how they conduct themselves in public. A reporter must not only be objective but also convey an image of being objective and fair. 
• With the advent of social media, technological changes, the reach of media has grown profoundly. Its reach and role in impacting public opinion have made it even more important to ensure its objectivity, non-partisanship calls for the enforcement of and as important pillar of journalistic ethics.
• Objectivity is not always possible, and may not always be desirable (in the face for example of brutality or inhumanity), but impartial reporting builds trust and confidence.

Conclusion

In developing countries like India, the media have a great responsibility to fight backward ideas such as casteism and communalism and help the people in their struggle against poverty and other social evils. Hence, having journalistic ethics in place with core principle of objectivity truth accuracy becomes very important.

2. In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher. Comment.

Approach 

Students are expected to write about the tolerance and simply highlight how enemy stands as best teacher to learn practice tolerant behavior. 

Introduction 

Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation for those whose opinions, practices, race religion, nationality etc. are different from one’s own. It is fostered by exchange of knowledge, openness, communication with adversaries and opponents. 

Body

Enemy as best teacher in practicing the tolerance:

• Prevent tendency of intimidation, coercion, oppression etc. Gives Freedom from Bigotry, Phobias like Xenophobia, Homophobia, Theophobia etc.
• It helps in understanding the lacunas in opponent and make appropriate changes. It generates Empathy enables people to understand other humans’ motivation to change and predict how conduct will affect people’s behaviour.
• It attempts to build forgiveness sacrifices and solidarity for the greater good for people with whom we were at tension. 
• In today’s new emerging rifts in society person with different religion caste ethnicity are considered enemy. With sharing knowledge and reality the willingness to accept or to tolerate will increase.
• It helps in developing qualities like respect towards faith and belief of different sections and communities without compromising your own beliefs.
• Showing respect for the race, gender, opinions, religion and ideologies of other people or groups, and to admire the good qualities and good work of others.
• Openness empathy towards opponent Doesn’t mean submission but to put your viewpoint and opinion in a respectful manner. Ex. As Gandhi Ji did in freedom struggle to fight injustice learned tolerance from enemy.

Conclusion

Being tolerant of each other and caring for each other is what makes us human. This is why we have believed tolerance is important and an essential aspect of a healthy, livable society. In fact, it is the only way in which a country as diverse as India (Politically, religiously, economically) can function and use each and every difference to make its people thrive rather than suffer. 

3. Compassion is the basis of morality. Elucidate.

Approach-

Candidates need to elucidate with example by highlighting how Compassion is the basis of morality.

Introduction

Morality is the way we behave towards others and without others morality is inexistent. It’s the unwritten law which we tend to follow in our social interactions and use it to measure other people and other people use it to measure us. 

Compassion is the basis of morality

• A man without compassion would fail to understand others as good as one with it, compassion is useful because it helps us predict behaviour of others and it helps us shift our point of view from ourselves to others. 
• All humans have power to imagine, by imagining being in the place of the one we interact with we can make sure to act towards them as we would wish them to act towards us. 
• Compassion is something most people lack and that is why there is so much injustice, if everyone was compassionate and aware of others open conflicts would cease to exist.
• If a person had others in mind while making all his decisions he would never act so as to do wrong to them because nobody really wants to be wronged, but not everyone puts themselves in the place of others because of factors such as greed, lust, vengeance. 
• Compassion is something women understand better than men because the mother-child bond which they have is one of the strongest among all bonds in human interactions. 
• It is this kind of selfless care and devotion all of us should strive to achieve towards every other human being, by acting so we make it clear to others that we care. 
• Biological purpose of a man is to live, love and reproduce, great majority of people attach to a partner at some point in their life and get to feel love, love is the pure concentrate of selflessness and compassion and if we are all capable to feel love to a single human being, we are capable of feeling love towards all human beings. 
• Having in mind that great majority of people do feel love and then act without it in their future decisions towards others makes humans quite hypocritical. 
• I wouldn’t pose the question if compassion is necessary for morality because it’s logical that without care for others and their expectations and well-being there is no morale.

Conclusion

Compassion isn’t the sole basis of morality; basis of morality is made both of compassion and rationality because in order to act morally towards others we need sense as much as we need emotions. We need sense to act morally slightly more than we need emotions and although compassion is a useful compass in navigating the seas of social interactions it is not the only navigational tool.

TLP Synopsis Day 40 PDF