Assignment Paper : - E-C-404, Mass Communication and Media studies
Topic : - Brief Introduction on Journalism
Student’s name : - Vala Neeta T.
Roll no : - 20
URL : - valaneeta391011.blogspot.com
Semester : - 4
Batch : - 2011- 12
Submitted to,
Dr. Dilip Barad,
Department of English,
Bhavnagar University.
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Journalism:
Words ‘Journal’ , ‘Journalism’, Journalist’ have their origin in the French derivation ‘journal’ the Latin term ‘ diurnalis’ means ‘daily’. Around 130 B.C. in Rome there grew a practise of putting up two handwritten bulletins in the main public square. These bulletins called ‘Acta Diurna’ described the daily interest and importance to senators and the public. 200 copies of bulletins were made for wider distribution in different public squares of empire. The Acta Diurna was probably the first newspaper, dealing with events rather than views.
The origin of modern western style journalism may be traced back to the occasional news books of 17th century England which offered short summaries of events which had no headlines and large type letters were used.
In 1720, the small type and the column appeared when a three column newspaper came to be published. Four columns were first seen in 1770 but headlines took time in coming though adsvertisements filled the pages of even the ‘Daily Universal Register’, it was founded in 1785, the forerunner of the ‘Times’.
The Industrial Revolution brought in so many profitable advertisements that news gradually began to be pushed into the inside pages. Views were expressed more widely in pamphlets as ‘essays’ like those of Addision and Steele in ‘The Spectator’
Definitions of Journalism:
Journalism is instant history, an account of history as it is being made.
Journalism is a report of things as they appear at the moment of writing not a definitive study of a situation.
Journalism is a cotemporary report of the changing scene intended to inform readers of what is happening around them.
In the ultimate analysis, what ‘journalism’ is depends on one’s news values. In the modern times, Journalism has been turned into a business and an industry.
Functions:-
Its main functions are to carry different kinds of advertisements that help it to be financially viable and politically independent.
Its other functions include reporting local, national and international news and offering interpretation and opinions into a business venture, the fundamental function remains to sell readers to advertisers.
Besides, it aims at educating and entertaining its readers so that they can participate fully in the affairs of the state and in the cultural affairs as well. The term ‘journalism’ is not restricted to those in the employ of daily newspapers, but also to those who write for periodicals, especially those with a recognised news papers or magazines format and enjoy public interest and appeal.
Journalism is a word of broad and varied meaning: so is journalist one whose primary occupation is the gathering, writing and editing of material which consists largely of the reporting or interpretation of events in terms of the ‘news values’ of the profession and of the proprietors newspaper publishing houses.
A Short History of Journalism in India
In 1766, a British editor, William Bolts, offered the first news paper to his fellow countrymen in Calcutta and helped them establish a printing press. This paper had the twin function informing the British Company of news from ‘homes’ and of ventilating grievances against the colonial administration.
In 1780, James Augustus Hickey published Bengal Gazette/General Calcutta Adviser. The size of that four-page newspaper was 12"x8". Hickey too was against the Company Government and published internal news of the employees of the Company. Hickey announced itself as
“a weekly political and commercial paper open to all parties but influenced by none”
In Bengal Gazette, most of space was being occupied by advertisements. Its circulation reached a maximum of 200 copies. Within six years of Bengal Gazette, four more weeklies were launched in Kolkata (Calcutta).
In November 1781, India Gazette was also introduced; it was pro Government and against Hickey.
In 1782, Madras Courier was launched
In 1791 Bombay Herald was launched
In 1792, Bombay Courier was launched and it published advertisements in English and Gujarati.
In 1816, the first newspaper under Indian administration appeared and it was also called Bengal Gazette and was published by Gangadhar Bhattacharjee. It was a liberal paper which advocated the reforms of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.Roy himself brought out a magazine in Persian called Mirat-ul-Ukhbar.
In 1812, The Bombay Samachar a Gujarati newspaper was appeared and it was almost two decades before other vernacular papers like Mumbai Vartaman (1830), the Jam – E Jamshed (1831) and the Bombay Darpan (1850) begun publication.
The Uprising of 1857 brought out the divide between Indian owned and British owned Newspapers. The government passed the Gagging Act of 1847 and the Vernacular Press Act in 1876.
1910s - 1914s
During this period, the vernacular press suffered rigorous suppression. The Government banned 50 works in English and 272 in the vernacular, which included 114 in Marathi, 52 in Urdu and 51 in English.
1920s - 1930s.
In this period Newspapers started reflecting popular political opinion. While big English dailies were loyal to the British government, the vernacular press was strongly nationalist. and The Bombay Chronicle were moderate. The Bande Mataram of Aurbindo Ghosh, Kal of Poona and Sakli of Surat were fiercely nationalist.
As more and more Indians started learning English, many became reporters, editors and even owners. The Anglo-Indian press began to lose ground except in Bombay and Calcutta.
In 1927, industrialist G D Birla took over Hindustan Times and placed it on a sound financial footing. In the same year, S Sadanand started the Free Press Journal, a newspaper for the poor and the middle-class in Mumbai
The Role of Press
In India, the role of the press need not be that of adversary or of blind support to the government. The press should be a watch – dog and act as a catalytic agent to hasten the process of social and economic change. Thus, Press has played vital role like-
1. Watch dog of democratic society
2. Social Responsibility
3. Investigation of scams
4. To propagate social reforms
5. Passing information
6. Sharing information
7. Motivating Power of the society
8. Emphasising education
9. Opinion Builder
10. Generate debate
11. Act as people's mouth piece
12. The press occupation is pivotal a position in the life of a nation and it’s people.
13. Eradication of social evils
14. Guardian of the rights and liberty of people
However, the press is too important in a democracy to be entrusted entirely to journalists; a vigilant public, the courts and the Press Council are needed to keep a watchful eye on it.
Press Council of India
The Practice of instituting a press Council to safeguard the interests of a free press was initiated by Sweden. Presently, more than 40 countries have set up Press Council.
The Press Council of India was first set up in the year 1966 by the Parliament on the recommendations of the First Press Commission with the object of
preserving the freedom of the press and
maintaining and improving the standards of press in India.
The short lived Janata regime reconstituted it in April 1979 under a new Press Council Act, 1978, as it that the liberty of the press needed to be upheld by the press itself. The present Council functions under the Press Council Act 1978.
The Press Council of India is a statutory body, and not a voluntary organization as in the U.K. and other Commonwealth countries. It consists of a Chairman and 28 other members. It is a statutory body consisting of 28 members representing owners of the newspapers, news agencies, journalists, educationalists, legal experts and expats on various subjects.
It has power of civil court and governs the conduct of the print media. This body has the power to warn and stop and censor any editor’s or journalist’s work who flouts the standard of journalistic ethics and public texts.
It handles about 500 complaints against newspapers and journalists every year
The Council was last reconstituted on 22 May 2001.
The present Chairman of The Press Council of India is Justice Markandey Katju.
Function -
PCI acts as a watchdog of the press. It is one of the most important bodies that sustain democracy, as it has supreme power in regards to the media to ensure that freedom of speech is maintained. However, it is also empowered to hold hearings on receipt of complaints and take suitable action where appropriate. It may either warn or censure the errant journalists on finding them guilty. For Example:-
On 21 July 2006, when it censured three newspapers,
Times of India (Delhi and Pune)
Punjab Kesari (Delhi)
Mid Day (Bombay)
Let us see how it works.
The press council of India is protected by the constitution and its actions may not be questioned unless it is proved to be in violation of the constitution, which makes it exceedingly powerful a body. For example –
On September 20, 2007, four journalists of Mid Day including Resident Editors Vitusha Oberoi & Citizen Editors MK Tayal, were sentenced to four months jail on contempt of court charges, because of a report they had filed on the ex- Chief Justice Of India, Y.K. Sabharwal. Whether the charges in the report were true or not was not considered in arriving at the decision.
Aims:
PCI has been established to preserve and improve freedom of press on one hand and on the other hand to maintain and improve the standard of newspaper and new agencies. The PCI takes care of the press codes and press ethics in the following manner:
1. Freedom on information
2. Freedom of access to information sources
3. Objectivity, truthfulness and interpretation of facts
4. Responsibility to public and its rights, interest and in relation to national, racial and religious communities of the nation, the state and to maintain peace.
5. The obligation to restrain from bias, unfounded standards and violations of peace
6. Integrity and independence: the right of reply and correction
7. Maintain professional confidentiality
8. Consideration for cultural, social or ethic code of individual countries or communities
Freedom of Press
Article 19 (1) clearly states that right to freedom of speech and expression is the fundamental right for every citizen of India. The same article states that Freedom of Press is included in there. Freedom of press is essential in any democratic society for healthy development. It helps people at large to know about the undercurrents of the national scenario. The press is a great social asset as it works as a watch dog on various activities and authorities by exercising its role.
Countries which curb the freedom of press suffer great losses in the long run. With freedom of press we cannot overlook the security of the individual being forgone, chaos in public life and disruption of harmony among many social groups. If any news report causes the aforementioned factors, the press should not allow it. Anything that disturbs security and integrity of the nation, communal harmony, and international relationship, chaos in public life or interference in private life or matters in relation to the contempt of the court is considered offense and legal action are provided
Therefore there are media laws which curtail press freedom. Limitations to the freedom of expression in matters affecting:
Sovereignty and integrity of the state
Public order
Security of the state
Friendly relations with the foreign countries
Morality
Content of codes
Incitement to offenses
Audit bureau of Circulation ltd. (ABC)
The ABC is a private body whose members are 252 regional and national publishers, 208 leading advertisers, news agencies and advertising agencies. It surveys the circulation of publications in English, Hindi and 12 regional languages, in more than 50 major Indian towns.
ABC carries out circulation surveys on a regular basis and issues ‘Certificates of Net Paid Circulation’ every six months. It has a very high reputation for reliability and impartiality and is therefore quotes with authority. Like NRS, ABC too is urban-oriented. There are nearly 90% of publications are not members of ABC; barely 20 of the English weeklies and an equal number of the Hindi dailies are enrolled as members. Yet it is contended by advertisers, that ABC covers the entire ‘Indian’ daily press. The fact is that a good number of members do not submit their circulation figures for verification. ‘Not Received’ NR is a familiar feature in the auditor’s reports. As a result, the ABC may soon have to change its name to ABNRC1
Registrar of Newspaper for India
Established on July 1, 1956, the RNI functions as a Central Government body(under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) responsible for the compilation of a Register giving particulars like ownership and circulation of all newspapers published in India. Besides, it oversees the allocation of titles, newsprint and certificates for the import of printing and allied machinery required by newspaper establishments. It also sees to the enforcement of the provisions of the Press and Registration of Books Act, and has the authority to inspect newspapers’ records and documents. It carries out frequent checks to find out whether the newspapers registered with it are published regularly and also whether the circulation figures claimed by newspapers are credible. It complies the Annual Report, ‘Press in India’, which is a major source for hard data on the over 48,000 newspapers andmagazines in the country
Press Codes and Ethics in Journalism
Codes for ethics of journalists began to be formulated since the early 1920s. Today more than 60 countries around the world have drawn up and are enforcing such codes. In some countries they have been voluntarily drawn up and are imposed by journalistic bodies whereas in some others they are imposed by the government.
Several states enforce such codes which speak of such high-minded principles asobjectivity, impartiality, truthfulness, freedom of information.
The MacBride Report states that all journalists have responsibilities to have their own convictions, but equally important are their responsibilities to the public. The Report spells out journalists’ responsibilities:
1. Contractual responsibility in relation to their media and their internal organisation
2. A social responsibility entailing obligations towards public opinion and society as a whole
3. Responsibility or liability deriving from the obligation to comply with the law
4. Responsibility towards the international community, relating to respect for human values.
The MacBride Report says that the adaptation of codes of ethics at national, and in some cases, at the regional level is desirable, provided that such codes are prepared and adopted by the profession itself, without government interference. The MacBride Report recommends that Code of Ethics aim at the following objectives:
1. To protect the consumer readers, listeners or viewers or the public in general
2. To protect and inspire the working journalist, broadcaster or others directly concerned with the gathering, writing, processing and presenting of news and opinions
3. To guide editors and others who take full legal responsibility for what is published and broadcast
4. To define responsibilities of proprietors, shareholders and governments who are in position of absolute control over any particular form of mass media communications activity.
5. To deal with issues of advertisers and others who buy into the services of the media.
Indian news agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.
The major news agencies generally prepare hard news stories and feature articles that can be used by other news organizations with little or no modification, and then sell them to other news organizations. They provide these articles in bulk electronically through wire services (originally they used telegraphy; today they frequently use the Internet).
K.C. Roy, an Indian Journalist during the early years of this century, set up the first Indian news agency called the Press News Bureau (PNB).
Nationalistic News agency was set up in 1930s by S.Sadanand known as FPI (Free Press of India).
In 1933, UPI (United Press of India) grew out of FPI’s ashes and proved to be a great success.
By 1949, the Indian and Eastern Newspaper Society had started its own agency – The Press Trust of India, which purchased Reuters.
In 1958, UPI died leaving PTI alone in the field.
Press Trust of India
Press Trust of India is the largest news agency in India. It is headquartered inDelhi. It exchanges information with several other news agencies including 100 news agencies based outside India, such as Associated Press, Agency France-Press,The New York Times and Bloomberg L.P. Major Indian subscribers of PTIinclude Times of India, the Indian Express, the Hindustan Times, the All India Radio and Doordarshan.
