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 6th 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.