Akanksha Chaudhary
‘Patrkaar ki awaz’
Relevance of Print Journalism
At the 2010 International Newsroom Summit in London, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. The New York Times editor said, “We will stop printing the New York Times sometime in the future, date TBD.”
Apparently, print Journalism has started to shed its leaves in recent years. With the advent of new media and digitization, it has no plans to bloom back again. ‘Aur aisa ho bhi kyun na?’
Print Journalism is our ‘old school jazz’ of news reporting and it has gone through its metamorphical tango in recent years. There has been an apparent rivalry between the two that has made print media and digital media co-exist for more than fifteen years. Although, the new media is quite stimulating and functions as an ‘extension of human senses’, the print media with all its glory stands pretty much relevant in today’s time. Regardless of the extravagant marketing of news on social media, I still fancy my daily newspaper digest and ‘chai ki chuski’ like any middle-aged uncle in an Indian household.
‘Print Journalism’ ka itihaas
The first printing press was born in 1500 as a consequence of the print revolution in Europe. Gutenberg with his first printed Bible opened possibilities galore for many inventions and revolutions to come. The printing press brought with it religious, political, and intellectual diversity that established its significance worldwide. The first newspaper was compiled in 1700. It was a mix of printed and handwritten columns. Unlike today, Print Journalism in the 1700s was transparent and carried strong political opinions. Soon, newspapers ceased to be just the mouthpieces of their writers and became the linchpin in robust political campaigns. Newspapers became mirrors to the political ideologies of the contesting candidates and hence were funded generously by the political parties. This came to be known as ‘Partisan press’.
However, this capital-extensive endeavour limited itself to the access and interest of only the elite class. It started losing popularity among the so-called ‘voting class’. To fill this gap in the market – Benjamin Day opened the New York Sun which provided an epitomized capsule of everyday news at a price of a penny. This ‘Penny press’ went ahead in time and inspired numerous national dailies across countries.
‘Print Journalism’ ka aaj
In India, we have daily newspapers like Hindustan Times, Times of India, The Hindu, etc. These newspapers have come a long way from pre-independence to today. Although their columns and editorials have been shifting shapes, their significance in our lives remain intact. There is no room for doubt that digital media has swiftly taken over traditional media given its speed and potential to deliver news to the masses. However, the authenticity, attention to detail and coverage away from sensationalism that print media provides is irreplaceable. Additionally- unlike other forms of media (radio broadcasts, news broadcasts) that are ephemeral, print media can be archived and gone back to. Moreover, broadcast media have a running time, heavy sponsorship expectations and the burden of TRP on its shoulders while social media news reporting has a shortage of content and issues with meeting algorithm expectations. Consequently, both these forms of media end up reporting or creating insignificant or outright irrelevant content. No question that even newspapers get funds from advertisements but it stand as the most reliable source of news consumption. The revenue model of digital or broadcast media is such that it filters the content to its most deteriorated form whereas print media remains closest to the truth. As an aspiring Journalist, I believe that no form of journalism can provide content as original and untampered as the print. There is a reason why as Journalism students we are advised to refer to newspapers and not other forms of media.
Words are truly mightier than any audio-visual captivation whatsoever.
Before I rest my note, there is a very interesting advertisement I came across in the Times of India a few days back and I could not agree with it more.
“Shabdon se hi jagat ka agaz hai,
Akhbaron mein sachayi ka saaz hai.
Bhale mazboot iradon se bani ho ‘masalon si khabrein’,
Sabse buland kalmon se likhi
Patrkaar ki awaaz hai.”
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