So what’s News!

Newspapers have become an essential part of our daily life. Rather we can say every person starts his day by reading the newspaper. To imagine a single day without the newspaper is very difficult for anyone so we can understand the importance of newspapers in our day to day life.

History of Newspaper

The history of newspapers is a remarkable segment of the human experience going back some five centuries. In Renaissance, Europe handwritten newsletters circulated privately among merchants, passing along information about everything from wars and economic conditions to social customs and "human interest" features. The first printed ancestor of the newspaper appeared in Germany in the late 1400's in the form of news pamphlets. The first successful newspaper was the Boston News-Letter, begun by postmaster John Campbell in 1704.

The first newspaper in India began in 1780, with the publication of ‘The Bengal Gazette’ in Kolkata. In Maharashtra, The first Marathi fortnightly newspaper 'Darpan' was started by Balshastri Jambhekar on 6^th January 1832. Balshastri Jambhekar is known as Father of Marathi journalism for his efforts in starting journalism in Marathi language. He had grasped correctly the importance and power of the print media in the coming times during British Rule in India. He was sure that it was essential to awaken the masses and the print media was the most useful tool to that end. The newspaper ‘Darpan’ was born out of this patriotism and social awareness. The newspaper was printed both in English and Marathi languages in two separate columns. Marathi was meant for the general public and English was meant for the ruling British. Many social reformers and thinkers used this media to create a spirit of unity against the British Raj during the pre-independence era. Bal Gangadhar Tilak was also one of the prominent figures who started ‘Kesari’ in 1881 for the Independence movement in India. He published two newspapers, the ‘Kesari’ in Marathi and ‘Maratha’ in English. The presence of these newspapers not only created awareness in the local community but also brought a sense of unity among many sections of the society.

Newspaper was a new idea in India at that time hence there were very few subscribers in the beginning but slowly people started appreciating it and agreed with the thoughts expressed in it. The readership grew and the newspaper became a necessary part of our life.

Importance of Newspaper

The important medium for communication of news is the newspapers. Though there are many other sources of news like Print Media, Radio and Television channels, Internet connections, wireless communications etc, no other sources can ever match the importance of newspaper in a common man’s life. Many daily newspapers are available free of charge and are accessible via PC, laptop or mobile devices, the moment they are published. While the television and internet connections provide news faster, still people prefer to read the same news through newspapers. Some reasons for its popularity are: ‘a newspaper goes with you’ and you don’t need internet connection. Newspapers are reader friendly and it’s economical.

Newspapers are called as ‘the mirrors of the society’. They reflect and report the trends and happening from all parts of the world. Newspaper focuses on social and political evils prevailing in the society. Newspapers contain a tremendous amount of news; they cover every aspect of life such as local, social, political, national, international, cultural etc.

Different Languages of Newspaper

India is a country where every region has its own language and dialect. Every state and union territory has its own official languages, and our constitution also recognizes in particular 22 "scheduled languages".  (According to Eighth Schedule)

Newspapers are published in English, Marathi, Hindi and other regional languages, so every person can read news related to their surroundings. A regional language is the language spoken in a particular area of the country. Local papers are the most sought after newspapers in India for various reasons. Regional language publications in India are doing well because of their connection to local issues. In Maharashtra, Marathi newspapers have very good circulation compared to the English dailies. Only in Urban areas like Mumbai, Pune cities, English dailies have good circulations.  The number of copies distributed, either on an average per day is called the newspaper circulation.

Sectional Reading

Newspapers are divided into different section so we can point out any relevant sections according to our requirement. There are multiple sections like Local, National, International news, Business, Political, Sports, Health, Home & decoration, Kids/youth, Arts, culture, literature and Events/movies etc.

People from all professionals need newspapers. They keep the general people well-informed to the world about the on-going activities. Well-informed public is essential for the success for democracy. Newspapers perform the duty of making people aware of everything.

Newspapers also help job seekers to find suitable jobs through the ‘wanted’ columns. Most newspapers have cartoons, comic, crossword puzzles and astrological facts. Newspapers also contain matrimonial columns, vacancies, and wanted columns.

Role of Advertisement in Newspapers

A newspaper typically generates 70–80% of its revenue from advertising, and the remainder from sales and subscriptions. It is difficult to maintain a newspaper without advertisements. The portion of the newspaper that is not advertising is called editorial content.

In recent years, the advertorial emerged. Advertorials are most commonly recognized as an opposite-editorial which third-parties pay a fee to have included in the paper. Advertorials commonly advertise new products or techniques, such as a new design.

Public Relations and Newspaper

Public Relations is the art and science of managing communication between an organization and its key publics to build, manage and sustain its positive image through media. It uses the news or business press to carry positive stories about your company or your products; cultivating a good relationship with local press representatives.

Public Relations is the opposite of advertising. In advertising, you pay to have your message placed in a newspaper, TV or radio spot. In public relations, the article that features your company is not paid for. The reporter whether broadcast or writes about your company as a result of information he or she received and researched. Public Relations plays very important role for Print as well as electronic media.

Newspapers cannot be defined by the second word—paper.  They’ve got to be defined by the first word—news. The nation rises every morning and steps into the reality with a hot cup of news being served every morning without fail.