I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong,” said Mahatma Gandhi. “Vox populi vox dei,” an oft-quoted axiom in democracies, was coined by the Greeks and conveyed that the voice of the people was indeed the voice of God. Democracy is the manifestation of people’s will to be governed by those they elect. It is a different matter that the very same people as voters may not necessarily be happy with the elected representatives they choose to govern them. Democracy, also, is not necessarily the voice of the majority. Many people do not vote, and those who do may not see their candidates win.

Society has a history spanning millions of years, and the media, especially the mass media, is a little over a century old. Yet it is ironical that the media, over the years, has accumulated immense power to influence society . . .