Changing Face of Indian Press Essay

A study of Indian history from 16th to twentieth centuries will indicate that the transition from feudalism to modern society has been vague and incomplete despite the occasional turbulence, turmoil, wars, social reforms, and intellectual ferment. It was during the mid-19th century (First struggle of Independence) and the 20th century independence movement that the Indian news program constitutions played a powerful and tumid role in questioning the forces of authority, social prejudices and the retrenchment of person-to-person liberty.During the late 19th and early 20th century, attempts to propagate the ideas of liberty, e tonus, fraternity, and freedom were made by political and social leaders. The journals started by them played a historical role in questioning one-time(a) ideas and practices like casteism, communalism, superstitions, educational backwardness and womens op water closetion. Modern rational and scientific ideas, secularism, tolerance, and frugal sanction of the multitude were propagated in the writings of national leaders.The newspapers, oddly, served in conscientizing literate and ameliorate people ab kayoed the need for social reforms and political independence. Until 1950, the newspapers no doubt, served in inspiring people of the country towards a change in their opinion about social trans shaping, economic empowerment and the establishment of a quick foundation for democracy. b arly in late(a) decades, a decline in the functioning of the exhorture level/media has set in. This paper attempts to present a coup doeil of events through which the all types of media gravel passed.Reference is also made to the recent technological changes in our media instauration and the serious ethical questions they pretend raised(a) about medias performance. Introduction Authentic and available sources describe the kin of Indian journalism in 1780 with Hickys Gazette (James August Hicky) which was generally aimed at criticizing the officials of the British g everywherenments East India Comp each. (Malhotra 2008). The history of Indian journalism is about 231 years of struggle for existence, propagation of free address and ideas of people, and evolving democratic values of the nation.Media practitioners and historians view the growth of Indian journalism in a image of counsellings. Some feel the history of pre-independence journalism was ground on the peoples struggle for freedom and socio-political development in the country. Others feel that the journalism of those sidereal days was non value-based with any ideology and that to a greater extent than political freedom or nation building or inform and educating people, the press was aimed to perpetuate the British clay of political rule and governance.From the full point of British India to the present free, liberalized and globalised India on the path of privatization, print and electronic journalism has passed through many phases of ups and downs, wh ich have not yet ended. The most prominent change is that journalism once regarded as a mission has presently changed into a line of reasoning or trade, a vocation like any other where commercialization has crept in. Journalists ar no longer fighters for the mightys of people they be just mercenary writers, most of them canvassers for their employers.The stature of the fourth estate (press/media) is right away transformed into a trade with its own hierarchies and remuneration-based value systems social shipment of the past is no longer an asset for a journalist or media professional. In the current situation, the press or the media in general atomic number 18 operated by businessmen for business goals, occasionally pleading for justice for the poor, except most of them ignoring the immense problems faced by the majority of the population. argon the media already on the path to become capacious conglomerates all repeating the aforementioned(prenominal) types of news and cr eating a false reality?Does the motive of making huge profits through advertising, give news and unavowed treaties dominating the media world today? fall in we, as a nation, lost our social vex and ethical values? Why is there so much express about corruption among the people in private conversation solely not in the columns of the newspapers or in the broadcast and telecast media? Have the media become business establishments with commercial dealings with both the government and private houses, not necessarily confined to this country, but ready to do business with similar institutions in any part of the globe?Is it the result of globalization? Do the media have special responsibilities to their own nation? How do the media discharge in chain ownership, cross-media ownership, or any other type of ownership? What will be the result of that behaviour on the contents of the media products? Are the newspapers, radio, television, etc. to be treated as products generating huge pro fits for the investors who have an axe to grind?Are they justified in following practices particularly suitable to amass wealth in the hands of entrepreneurs who consider the media as a tool for enhancing their private and personal fiefdom and profit motives, rather than utilizing the columns and the visuals for lot government and non-government agencies in solving the burning problems facing the nationeconomic backwardness of the majority, poverty, analphabetism and ill-health of almost 80 per cent of our 120 crores of people, illiteracy of almost half of our population, atrocities against the poor, socially weak and marginalized people, especially in the arcadian areas and discriminations and violations of human rights, including gender injustices? Rapid developments in technology in the in the end two decades have gradually transformed the media scenario and the image of journalism and journalists. The old days are gone for goodwhen journalists used pencils, notebooks and sho rthandBut the scribes of old had plenty of concern for the poor. Quite often, todays media people are using the electronic equipment in news gathering, written text, transmission and compiling of informationand that is a commendable and worthy practice. But there are ethical questions about the use of hidden cameras and pocket tape-recorders and surreptitious recording of events and personalities in such a manner that they are presented in a manner predesigned by the media worker in order to trap the interviewee or present the event to enhance the monetary gains of the unconscionable reporters, editors, publishers or proprietors.The changing ScenarioDevelopment in technology combined with growth in the number of newspaper readers resulting from the rising trend in literacy have led to the uncommon growth in the number of newspapers and magazines and in their circulations. During 2011, seven out of the egest ten English newspapers registered a growth in readership five out of th e top ten Hindi newspapers have shown a steady plus during the same period. Both Dainik Jagran and Dainik Bhaskar continue to lead the Hindi dailies with an all India readership of 164. 58 lakhs and 148. 79 lakhs, respectively (RNI 2011). Even daily circulation of some other Indian language newspapers is enviable when compared to newspaper growth globally. speckle circulation and readership increased, print advertizing has not lagged behind. Earlier, the English newspapers had almost 85 per cent of the advertizing revenue.Today, the figures have changed the Indian language newspapers have started approaching towards an equal share of advertisement revenue with their English counterparts. Readers are now having options of wide variety to engage publications of their choice because of information available in the Internet. All the technological developments are not fully understood and there are still misconceptions among advertisers. (Singhvi 2006) Advertisers in India are still l ooking at quantity rather than quality readership. Newspaper producers have taken the line that they can virtually utilise their product free of charge or at nominal price, a small fraction of the actual cost. But once you have the loose numbers, lots of advertising will come to you because the advertisers naturally gravitate towards enceinte numbers.But is serving the advertisers the main goal of journalism? In a world of increasing globalization, the media have great potential. They can reach distinguished information to their users, even in remote corners of the globe where it was really troublesome to reach in the past. One of the most creditable achievements of the Indian press during the 1980s and 1990s was the spectacular growth in the regional press. legion(predicate) factors contributed to this growth, the most important of which was the political alliance among regional parties in the formation of governments at the central and state levels. The trends set-up by Eena du in Andhra Pradesh, Malayala Monorama in Kerala were super remarkable.Among other factors the rise of literacy, better transportation, aggressive marketing strategies and increasing cognizance among the masses about participation in political process contributed a lot in the changing scenario of print media in the country. The cornerstone of the Panchyati Raj system at grassroots level has propagated the views of common people in creation of to a greater extent stabilized democratic governance through free fall of information in regional and local press. Now over two-thirds of the regional press readers belong to small towns and rural areas. The innovation and changes in technology are re-defining the survival, growth and development of the Indian print media.Present day newspaper readers are not satisfied with the traditional way of news presentation, editorial inputs but something extra insight into what others have not reported. Pandey says that when she took over the edit orship of the Delhi edition of Hindustan (a Hindi daily) it had a circulation of some 64,000 copies but just afterward two years the circulation grew to 4,25,000 copies. The reason for this increase was that even earlier the paper had readers, but we could not reach them, says Pandey. It is the same paper, the same printing press and the same staff even today. All that we have done is to profits more concern to the way in which news is coming in and the way in which it is collected. We take the opinion of the people and have discussions with them. (Pandey 2006)While technology increased the economic prosperity of the Indian press, there has been a perceptible and pernicious decline in standards. Sensationalism, trivialization and titillation are congruous the order of the day. Investigative journalism as sting operation has loose a new chapter which made the press to acquire a more powerful position and helped it to enhance the image of the press as a watchdog of the society. Unfortunately, investigative journalism has often been misused to settle personal scores or to tarnish the image or blackmail individuals. This boldness of the modern highly technologized press deserves a careful scrutiny for pickings appropriate remedial measures. ConclusionThe time has come to examine and respect the ethical aspects of our current media performance and personnel. How to challenge and shape the print media in the growing technologically competitive and globalized environment giving the utmost impressiveness to the values of Indian society, tradition, culture and human rights and economic development issues. The press in India has eternally been at the forefront of national progress. The media institutions and professionals/journalists must be very sensitive to the countrys multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and socio-religious and plural status. They should always do such act in such a way that shapes and maintains equilibrium and tranquillity in society.Editors and o wners of the media industry must pay attention to proper self-regulation that would ensure accountability, and lessen its dependence on advertising and marketing strategies, and the increasing commoditization of news. Newspaper owners and broadcast media managers must recognize that news is not a product. They must ensure that increase in readership or viewership is not attained at the cost of credibility. The undesirable and unethical practice of paid news and private treaties must end unconditionally. Journalists must have the right to express what they believe to be true, just and fair this is not a right that should be compromised by profit-motives or commercial interests of an individual or organization. For this to happen, media workers have to assert their own economic independence, affinity for truth and higher up all their self-esteem