Kritika Sharma
Importance Of Localisation Of News
In Cymru (Wales) “milltir sgwâr” translates to a “square mile” which generally means the area which we physically and emotionally inhabit and spend most of our time in; This beautifully encapsulates local journalism. Localisation of news content refers to adapting news stories to the taste, bent and preferences of different audiences based on their language, culture, location and interests. Localisation is way deeper than mere translation; it refers to moulding and customising a product to meet the demands of a specific market. India is one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse countries in the world with over 19,500 dialects and 121 languages. Some languages have more than a million native speakers with Bengali being spoken by 8% of India’s population and Tamil having 61 million native speakers. Localisation of news carries huge benefits such as enhancing civic knowledge and increasing public engagement. It is a pillar strengthening democracy and a medium for people to engage in issues relevant to their community. Gap in the provision of local news can reduce political accountability and weaken community ties giving rise to the concept of “news deserts”but guided by the gratification theory, local news creates a sense of community attachment and wellbeing while breeding motivation, trust and satisfaction among people. While there is a sense of comfort in rekindling with your roots the future is “local” with endless possibilities in carving a niche in local content and increasing readership. Localisation of national news and explaining national policies with specific regional benefits generates participation among people allowing them to make informed choices and become knowledgeable citizens of their country besides Nelson Mandela once said that “ If you talk to a man in a language he understands it goes to his head, but if you talk to a person in his language, it reaches his heart.”
Written by : Kritika Sharma
Roll No. 24/087
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