Jasmeh Kaur
Advertisements and newspapers have a close knit relationship, going back as early as the 17th century. Advertisements are a major source of income for newspapers and encourage high quality reporting. However, this dynamic is often met with criticisms.
Gandhiji, one of the leading proponents of our national movement held the belief that newspapers should not be supported by immoral ad campaigns but rather be regulated and censored to maintain the integrity of the newspaper. According to him, 99% of the ads illustrated in newspapers were irrelevant and often deceiving. Furthermore, he urged that the power ultimately lies in the hands of the reader and not the ads to keep the newspaper alive.
“If there was no system of advertisements, we were sure to save half the price.” (Gandhiji, Young India 1919)
No responses yet