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Get Real! Subverting modern expectations of media

02 Aug 2021

  • Mahieash Johnney discusses the journey to his 111th showdown
By Sumudu Chamara In a world where we are all driven by our opinions and beliefs, and at a time where they are, more than ever, shaped by the various forms of media we are exposed to, there is an unanswered question nobody dares to ask: How logical is it to require journalists and media presenters to be completely unbiased? Does this expectation of impartiality block them from exercising their right and freedom to have and express their own opinions which may reflect the views of a segment of the population? These were two of the questions the creators of Get Real With Mahieash Johnney (aka “Get Real”) contemplated when conceptualising the programme. The programme, which encourages active and original participation of media presenters, has now proven to be a turning point in Sri Lanka’s English media space. Recently the show aired its 111th episode, and to discuss the secret to Get Real’s success and what principles made that success possible, The Morning spoke to forthright presenter Mahieash Johnney. The basics and the beginning He first explained to us the need for the active and constructive participation of presenters in talk shows, which he said is lacking in Sri Lanka. “Many talk shows present a guest and ask them some questions, while the host is just a figurehead. People do not see the host as a person who has any kind of viewpoint. Get Real is exactly the opposite. The show is called Get Real with Mahieash Johnney because there is a lot of me in it. From the onset of the programme, I give my opinion on the matters we are discussing. I have a viewpoint. I am telling the audience ‘hey this is what I think about this’ and ask the question ‘do you agree? or disagree?’, which is an invitation for a better discussion on the topic. “If you watch my very first episode, I have promised the audience that I want to cut through the noise that is out there and bring clarity to crucial matters that are leading this country. That is what I am trying to do. When the left-leaning media mob is trying to dominate the media space, I am trying to be the voice of reason among that noise. Get Real invites you to Get Real about things – not only to have conversations based on political correctness, but also to have one that is uncomfortable, true, and hard-hitting.” He explained the conception of Get Real: “With the launch of Studio 24 back in 2019, the management had a clear vision in terms of English content and programming for Sri Lanka. At this time, Pulse was very strong and did well in the niche market, and there was a need for English programmes as well. We had several talk shows and entertainment programmes in English. What was missing at the time was an opinion show – a show that gave options of day-to-day matters and was also bold in providing it. “Everyone who was doing English programming was dancing around this concept of ‘unbiasedness’; hence they were not strong in providing opinions. This was one of the areas that I saw we could make a mark, and that is how Get Real began. The name itself challenges you to be real about what’s going on, rather than hiding behind politically correct views and beliefs. This is not to harass or ridicule anyone, but to more or less understand the core issues of both sides, which will allow us to understand the root cause and then look towards solutions.” “We are now closing in on 115 programmes,” Johnney said, adding that he feels honestly humbled that viewers and guests alike keep coming back for this format of a show. “I really thought that I would not last for more than 10 shows, purely because of my choice to be in-your-face bold, and the way I deliver my opinions; I thought I would be shut down within a few episodes. When I initially started the programme, and whenever I was called to my CEO’s office, I was like, ‘ok this is it; this is the chat I am going to have in which he will tell me to shut it down’. But the management has never batted an eyelid in my direction in a negative way, and that is one of the reasons I remain at Derana. They value the creativity, the initiative, the ability to do something new, and allow us to cultivate. “I cannot ask the viewers to get real about everything and then lie about everything behind the scenes. In terms of feedback, well, it has been a rollercoaster ride. As you can see in every episode, the programme keeps rattling the boat in a massive way. So feedback has always been loud. The ones who disagree have made sure they let me know that they disagree, and the ones who agree love it to death.” In terms of ratings, Get Real has reached around 350,000-400,000 viewers per episode on air via Ada Derana 24 (as per Lanka Market Research Bureau, as well as Dialog and PEO TV viewership counts), which, according to Johnney, is a very strong showing for an opinion show on a primetime slot. He added that the programme was very popular when the Covid-19 pandemic was intense, which led to the management requesting him to do it four times a week, and with the Covid-19 situation getting better, he has decided to do two shows per week. “We also launched a much bolder version of the show called ‘Get Real Extra’. That too has garnered a massive liking by the audience. I am also the head of English Programming at Ada Derana 24. So my department also has many other shows that are getting good feedback and pushing the English content to a next level. However, the only way I look at the programme as valid to the current context is mainly because of the returning guests. When I look at all the programmes, I see many have become regulars. It is not because we keep asking them to come back; it is mainly because they want to return, and that is my yardstick of the success of the programme.” “The model we use for Get Real is based on the concept of ‘opinion television’, which is what all international news channels are now moving towards. I was called by one of my producers as ‘Sri Lanka’s Hannity’, so you can pretty much understand how I come off. In the initial seasons of the show, we even aligned our graphics to look and feel like Fox News, just to give them the idea that ‘hey this is here to give an opinion’. Initially, I begin providing my opinion in the ‘opening statement’, then my producer Danidhu Vithanawasam comes on and presents the real story (researched and produced by him without my input), and then we move on to the guest interview. In the end, if we have time, I give a closing statement. “My show’s belief is that I want to continually push the thinking capacity of everyday Sri Lankans to a level that is beyond what they currently think. Most of my viewers are not conservative per se. Many are of the other camp, and this is also a tremendous success, mainly because this allows me to have a dialog with the opposing camp. I strongly believe that real conversations lead to honest change, and this is what I practice. In the long run, we would have shows like this from the opposing camp also, to allow the viewers to broaden their mind. “There has been many a time where I learned a lot from my friends and colleagues in the opposing camp. There are things I also disagree on, but according to what I have learned, despite what the viewpoints are, we all have a common goal of living a better version of ourselves. So this journey towards seeking the true and real self needs to continue in every format available. They will do things very differently in a few years or centuries’ time, but right now, this is how I am doing it; I hope this is making the blip of a change it should. My success does not lie in the hundreds of thousands that watch my shows; it lies in the one single human being who is willing to make an exception and listen, learn, and talk to the other side, in order to get real of who we are as people, as a nation, as a world, and as a civilisation.” Opinions and discourses “Each and every one on this planet has a viewpoint. Any literary work which we hold dear and near to ourselves and from eons ago has the viewpoint of the writer. Any classical masterpiece, be it music or movies, has the viewpoint of its artist. We as human beings are biased to our families, our religion, our jobs, our modern-day lives, and our money. For people who are biased to seek something unbiased in terms of news is the biggest joke to me,” noted Johnney, emphasising that behind every creation is an opinion. He also challenged the widespread idea that journalists and media presenters should not voice their opinions. “Never have I pretended to be, or said that I am, a journalist. I am a talk show host. But I have a strong opinion as to how a journalist is viewed or perceived today. See in the 60s, 70s and 80s, when we had print, radio, and television media, every person on the planet did not have the ability to voice their opinion, or simply say what they wanted to say. So this elite lot called ‘journalists’ was born. Why did it happen? “It is to seek the truth. They were tasked with the job of finding and reporting the truth of, because the masses did not have a method of finding the truth for themselves. With the introduction of social media, this landscape has changed beyond recognition. With the invention of the web, including social media, anyone can voice their opinion and seek the truth for themselves. So in this context, what is the role of journalists? Like the song from The Buggles, Video Killed the Radio Star, says, social media has killed the journalist. In my opinion, modern journalists have to redefine the meaning of their job. “Also, the public expects the modern journalist to act as if they have no opinion, pretty much like a machine with no feelings, and I find it extremely condescending. When the tools have been developed for the public to pretty much seek the truth, they expect the media to play the same role that it was perceived to play back in the day. The public has changed, but not how journalists are viewed, and I do not see journalists fighting back on this. They continue to hide behind this facade of ‘unbiased journalism’ and yet keep feeding ‘biased viewpoints,’ and then blame the public for not trusting them anymore.” In this context, he added, the whole landscape of journalism needs a massive jolt to bring it to modern-day needs and wants – and Get Real is attempting to do just that. He also noted the people’s responsibility to do their own research to make informed decisions, instead of sticking to the notion of getting balanced news from one source.  “I want to give my opinion, and I want you to see the point that I am making to the already perceived notions you hold. If we differ, then it opens up the opportunity for a dialogue. We do not have to agree with each other all the time,” he noted. Johnney stressed the importance of media institutions being honest regarding their opinions and initiating a healthy conversation: “I am no longer fanning the claim that we are ‘unbiased’; it is a myth. It is high time the media industry does a soul search to be real with the public. We have opinions and viewpoints, as in this is what we think, and we invite the public by asking them about what they think; that opens up a window of opportunity for a conversation. “As of now, my viewpoint aligns with conservative thinking; hence this programme comes off as biased towards the Government. It is not biased towards the Government, but to the ideology of a conservative viewpoint I provide, with my side asking you, ‘does it make sense?’ If it does, let us talk. If anyone is watching my show thinking ‘oh wait, I will get unbiased coverage from Get Real’, well, I have news for that person. At the beginning of the show, we carry a disclaimer saying the show is an ‘opinion-based programme’, which means that it is biased towards something and challenges the viewer to rethink their conventional thinking.” Speaking of his ethos concerning Get Real, he added: “You can call me a conservative talk show host. If you scan the media landscape in Sri Lanka, the missing voice of reasoning is the conservative viewpoint, and that is where I plug in my show. This show completely swims against the drift. I believe in Sri Lanka, I believe in our people, and I believe in this country’s ability to be a beacon of hope and success in the future. That will only change if its people actually start to love the nation and be proud about it. “One thing I have learned from travelling to various parts of the world is that the biggest thing you need to celebrate is who you are as a person and where you come from. That is what people relate to. We try to be like the Americans, we try to be like the British, we do this and that, but what we really need to realise is that in this whole wide universe, it is only us that exist as ‘Sri Lankans’. I wanted to challenge those masks we wear, the political correctness we try to uphold, the fairness of all of our thinking, and to break to the bottom of things; and that is what Get Real tries to do – challenge the political correctness and bring in a viewpoint that is different to the mass belief.” When asked about the role of talk shows in initiating a discussion around the country’s affairs, he added: “When the right-leaning media mob is distorting the story to push the viewers to look at the way they want, I am saying ‘not so fast, buddy’. I challenge every belief that is out there when it comes to any subject. This is how we grow. We have to talk, and we have to ask questions – if we do not ask questions, how are we going to know the truth? I do not think the human race has yet developed telepathy. So we cannot sit in our corners and assume; we have to talk. That is how civilisations grow.” Regarding the role of talk shows in connecting experts in various fields and the general public, Johnney explained: “I do not think there is a gap. What I think the modern media has failed to do is find the experts and put them on air. If you look at most of the programmes on air, you will find that most of them are just time-fillers. They do it just because they have to do something. So, I blame ourselves for failing to actually go look for the real experts and get them to share their viewpoints. Get Real pretty much does this on a weekly basis. We bring the ones who have the authority on the subject we are discussing. Those experts will disagree with me, but that is okay. They know what they are talking about, and it is also my duty to find out as to what they know well and present it to the public.” Get Real brings in the top people to discuss matters of national interest, and since its launch, it has seen participation from leading politicians, high-ranking public officials, activists, and experts in various fields, among others; and staying true to its principles, it has always ensured that these discussions pave the way for more in-depth discussions. Encouraging diverse opinions and opinion-based discourse are its strengths, and it does not tell the people what to think and do. Perhaps that is what makes it stand out from the other talk shows popping up like mushrooms. The 114th episode of Get Real aired at 7 p.m. yesterday (2), exclusively on Ada Derana 24.  

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