Evolution & Growth of Media in India

Evolution & Growth of Media in India

Print Media

Print media is one of the oldest and basic forms of mass communication. It includes newspapers, weeklies, magazines, monthlies and other forms of printed journals. A basic understanding of the print media is essential in the study of mass communication.

The contribution of print media in providing information and transfer of knowledge is remarkable. Even after the advent of electronic media, the print media has not lost its charm or relevance. Print media has the advantage of making a longer impact on the minds of the reader, with more in-depth reporting and analysis.

History of Print Media is divided into two phases

Pre-Independence Period

Post-Independence Scenario

(1) Pre-Independence Period

1780-1818 can be called a pre-history or preparatory phase.

Newspapers we know today are of European origin and even there it did not take a proper shape till the early part of the 18th century.

Wall Porter were the fore-runners of the newspaper in the Europe.

Chinese discovered the art of printing in 868 AD. In 1476, the first printing press was established in England. In 16th century newsletters came in London and Italy both. It was of 8 pages. News book were published in 1513. In 1621 a n/p appeared in London. It was a primitive news sheet called Coranto and it carried only foreign news. First domestic news came in 1628.

Primitive age ends.

A new era of journalism was ushered with the publication of Oxford Gazette in 1655. It was the first periodical to come very close to a true n/p, but it was being printed twice a week. On March 11, 1702 the first daily newspaper appeared in London Daily Courant.

James Augustus Hicky has the distinction of launching the first n/p in India called Bengal Gazette or Calcutta General Advertiser came out on Jan 29 1780.

The newspaper has seen four distinct phases:-

I1780-1857

II1857-1947

III1947-1975

Gap due to emergency

IV1977-Till Now

Newspaper are more than 222 years old. In 1780 James Augustus Hicky started Hickys Gazzette

Post Independence Press

1947- Role of Press changed slowly

1947-After partition, 6 radio stations came up in Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Trichy, Lucknow and Madras

1951- The Press (Objectionable Matters) Act reminiscent of earlier laws was passed by the Nehru government

1951-52- The first national elections was covered by the regional and national press

1956- The Press Act was allowed to relapse and the first Press Commission was formed

1952-54: The Press Commission made Inquiry into the structure and functioning of Press. One of the many recommendations was for the appointment of a Press Registrar and setting up of Press Council1964: A committee on broadcasting and information media was set up under the chairmanship of A.K Chanda

1977- Janata government appointed a working group1982-Second Press Commission recommended delinking of the Press from its connections with other industries. One of the major recommendations was to set up a National Development Commission.

Press censorship under Emergency

Complete censorship was imposed only on rare occasions as during Gandhijis arrest led to countrywide disturbances and the detention of over 60,000 persons

Though some papers like the Bengali weekly Jugantar, or the daily Sandhya were banned in the thirties, they were published secretly.

Restrictions were imposed on the press during the Quit India Movement of 1942, yet major papers could publish the arrest of national leaders and reports of demonstrations and protests.

In 1975, Mrs. Indira Gandhi clamped an internal emergency. The government during this time suppressed transmission of news by imposing censorship on newspapers, journals, radio, TV, telex, telegrams, news agencies and on foreign correspondents. Even teleprinter services were subjected to pre-censorship. The censorship was total and unparalleled in the history of press in India.

Even advertisements, cartoons and comic strips were subjected to pre-censorship.Foreign papers and journals were confiscated if they carried criticism of the Emergency, some issues of Time and Newsweek were banned outright

More than 34 printing presses that were operating underground were seized and over 7000 people were arrested in connection with the publication and circulation of underground literature Underground literature flourished in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharastra and Gujarat