Mass Media in India - Class 6 PDF Download

We shall now discuss the situation of mass media in India and describe the possible impact of each one of these media - print journalism, radio, film, TV, video, cable, and satellite TV has. However, you should keep one thing in mind while we are discussing mass media. India, towards the end of the 20th century, still largely remains an oral society. We spend more time communicating interpersonally rather than through the channels of mass communication. The situation in the West is different. There, an average person daily spends at least six hours “consuming” mass media products, mainly TV, radio, film, and newspapers.

Impact of Journalism

In India, the Press has been closely associated with the freedom struggle. This association further intensified as the freedom struggle gathered momentum. In the nineteenth century, the press fought for the freedom of information and the right to criticize. But in the early twentieth century, the freedom struggle took a new turn. It was no longer petition-making and asking for small mercies from the British Government. When the press projected these changing attitudes, censorship and other restrictions were imposed on it.
The revolutionary movement by the active Bengal youth and, particularly, by the intellectuals, led to the suppression of national aspirations and the beginning of distrust by the British. The seeds of Hindu-Muslim disunity were sown, leading to the division of the Indian Press into two categories, i.e. nationalist press, supported by the nationalists, and the Anglo-Indian press, supported by the Government. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Gandhiji’s Non-Co-operation movement, and Civil Disobedience movement soon spread all over the country through the press.
The Gandhi-Irwin pact and the Government of India Act, of 1935 made big headlines in the press. The national press also made people aware of the activities of the separatist Muslim League, started under the leadership of M. A. Jinnah, with the strong support of the British Government. During the Second World War, memorable and extraordinary events took place in India, starting with the Quit India Movement in 1942. The British Government tried to deal with the Indian problems by sending the Cripps Mission to India.
The Mission was opposed by Lala Lajpat Rai and others. This incident convinced the British that it was no longer possible to keep India under subjugation, resulting in the historic announcement regarding the British withdrawal from India. An interim Government was formed which took over in 1946, and continued up to 15 August 1947. In all these extraordinary events and developments, the press was a direct participant The Nationalist press underwent the same kind of suffering as the freedom fighters.

Changing Face of the Press

Newspapers in India have undergone revolutionary changes, both in form and content, since the eighties. Today, there are hundreds of dailies and magazines crying for attention. Splashes of color and slick typography based on computer technology, are making them brighter and visually more appealing. To keep up with TV, contemporary journalism has increasingly become more pictorial. While still clinging to the traditional news coverage formula with its emphasis on politics, they have also started discussing social-economic, and environmental issues. This has resulted in a drastic jump in circulations and revenues.
In 1985, there were 3,000 publications with a total circulation of over 26 million. In 1993, just six publications, namely, The Times of India, Indian Express, Malayala Manorama and Ananda Bazar Patrika (dailies), and Malayala Manorama Mangalam and Kumudam (weeklies) have a combined circulation of five million, while 150 other publications have a total circulation of 25 million. Today, as compared to 1950, the number of publications has increased seven times and the circulation by ten times.
The press occupies a commanding position in India despite the low level of literacy, (52.11%) and circulations remaining confined to metros, cities, major towns, and district headquarters. There are over 30,000 newspapers (daily newspapers and journals of periodicity of different kinds) with over 60 million circulations. The press remains the principal information medium, in the private sector.

Effects of the Press 

Newspaper readers, though numerically small in India, largely constitute the intelligentsia. The influence of the press is decidely far wider than reflected by mere circulation statistics. It has a “multiplier effect”, its message spreads far and wide, even into the villages. The Bofors-Sofma field gun controversy snow-balled in such a manner that even Rajiv Gandhi later admitted in an interview that the press was an important factor in turning public opinion against him. The impact of the press can be judged only in the perspectives of current developments and the pace of change in the country. Despite its predominantly urban and middle-class moorings, the press has done a reasonably good job in highlighting the issues of poverty, corruption, and unemployment, and has given the. ruling class a sense of guilt. The power of the press is also seen to be mainly responsible for the major political developments in India during the nineties. Devil's weekly interview led to his eventual removal. So was an interview published in an obscure weekly which led to veteran C.
Subramanian gave up his gubernatorial robes in Maharashtra or the telephone tapping story which led to Ramakrishna Hegde’s downfall. The Harshad Mehta and Goldstar scandals are all the contributions of the press. The capacity of the Indian press to generate a healthy debate on public issues has been only partially realized. But with increasing literacy, holds out infinite possibilities in the future. Barring a few instances of blatantly biased reporting, the Indian press has, by and large, shown a high degree of social responsibility during the recent communal outbursts over the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi controversy and the Bombay blasts. However, we must add that with increasing competition, the press is increasingly being used as the battleground for political and corporate warfare. This has inevitably led to the invasion of privacy, smearing of reputations, and even practicing deception.