EVOLUTION OF PRINT MEDIA

PRINT MEDIA has its origin traced back to the invention of papers:

Tsai Lun,a Chinese official: attributed with the invention of paper in A.D.105

The chinese are also accredited the discovery of the art of printing

Pi,sheng invented the first movable types

The Chinese were the first to invent the art of printing. They made woodenblocks to print letters. This was started during the period of the Tang Dynastyin 600 AD. The oldest known surviving printed work in a woodblock is aBuddhist scripture ‘Diamond sutra ‘of 684 AD. It is now exhibited in a calligraphy museumin Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

Buddhist Text of 1377

1276:Printing to reach Europe in the form of paper mill

Johann Gutenberg refined the method of printing books and pamphlets on his Gutenberg press(movable cast type printing)

1470:Nicolas Jenson invented Roman type face for publication

1476:William Caxton set up the first printing press in England

Bible was printed –World’s first printed matter(Latin and each page 42 lines and hence known as 42 line Bible

17th century:technical and administraiveimprovements took place New era for type faces and publication.Newsbook:Europe /coranto : London/Diurnals/gazettesPrintingtechnologies:Monotype/Linotype,lithography,rotary printing,offset printing

18th century :daily publication of newspapers with miscellaneous contentPress regulations began to be imposed:licensing

March 11,1702:first daily newspaper appeared in London and it was called Daily Courant.It was produced by E.Mallet but it lasted only for a few days.However it was revived by Samuel Buckley who was conscious of the newspaper standard.printing on a single sheet of paper with reverse devoted to advertising ,he had not much space to experiment in make up.The 18th century also saw the emergence of great writers like Robinson Crusoe,JonathanSwift,Defoe,Steele and Addison

PRINT MEDIA IN INDIA

Printing technology came to India in

1556.

It was the Jesuit priests who

brought this technology to our country.

The first book printed in India was in

Portugese language in Old Goa.

It was Doctrina Christa by St. Francis

Xavier

.

The first attempt to start a newspaper was made in Calcutta in 1776 by Mr.William Bolts,an ex-officer of the East India Company

Bolts resigned owing to censure by the court of Directors of the Company for carrying on private trade beyond company’s authority

He announced”in manuscript many things to communicate which most intimately concerned every individual”This raised alarm in in the official quarters.

He was directed to quit Bengal and proceed to Madras and from there to EuropeHence the first attempt of journalistic venture proved abortive

After Bolt,it was James Augustus Hickey who actually started the Bengal Gazette/Calcutta General Advertiser on Jan.29,1780(1st )The Bengal Gazette was a two sheet weekly which declared itself as a weekly political and commercial paper open to all parties but influenced by noneIt printed items taken from the English np at home ,letters from local readers and items of gossips and scandal of intrest to the european community.He devoted a considerable space to scurrilious attacks on private lives of the officials of the company including the Governor-General Warren Hastings and The Chief Justice Elijah Impey.Hicky lampooned Hastings and called him Sir.F.Wronghead,Thegreat Moghul and quite simply the Dictator.He made him sing a song the title of which was known then,war is my pleasureHicky was deprived of the previledge of circulating his newspapers through the channel of the General Post OfficeHis fortunes began to decline further when a rival appeared in the Indian Gazette in the same year.Indian Gazette was a much better np with four pages,each 16 inches long with 3 columns and well printed.When Hicky found his customers were deserting him,he attacked first the Swedish Missionary,John Zachariah,whom he suspected of supplying types to his rivalsand then the proprietors,peter Read andJohn Zachariah sued Hickey for LibelHastings launced another action against Hicky in March 1782.As a result,the types for printing the paper were seized and that was the end of Hicky’s gazette.

The Bengal Gazette was the forerunner of many more journals and newspapers which appeared in Calcutta, the birth place of Journalism in India.

In 1780:publication of Indian Gazette by Messink and Peter Read.It obtained the consent of the Governor –General and was fortunate to get postal concessions .

The Calcutta Gazette, The Bengal Journal and a monthly,The Oriental Magazine of Calcutta Amusement,Calcutta Chronicle, The Madras Courier, The Hurkaru,Madras Gazette, Indian Herald, Bombay Herald, Courier,Bombay Gazette, Indian World, Bengal Harkaru were some initial publications.

19th century newspapers saw the imposition of rigid control on press and the publication of :The Bengal Gazettte by Gangadhar Bhattacharjee:Thefirst Indian np to be published by an Indian.The Sreerampore Missionaries started three journals –The Dig-Durshan, a monthly magazine in Bengali,TheSamachar Durpan a weekly Bengali paper and Friend Of India, a monthly periodical

19th century marked the appearance of 2 important personalities:James Silk Buckingham and Raja Rammohun Roy.

James Silk Buckingham : editor of the Calcutta Chronicle (2nd Oct,1818)

Very commonly known as father of indianjournalism.Calcutta Chronicle was an 8 paged publication ,which would be published twice a week.

He was a versatile editor and could bring in fresh air to an atmosphere polluted by the intrugue,scandal,and easy going life of the European community

He introduced drawings ,local reports and letters to the editors ventilating their grievances.

He gave prominence to news and views in Bengali and Persian journals.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833) has been described by Jawaharlal Nehru as a founder of the Indian Press.

By some ,he is referred to as “the first modern Indian”

His incursion into journalism was through the Brahamanical Magazine published in English. This magazine was to conteract the propaganda of the missionaries

He founded :1.The Sambad Kaumudi(Moon of Intelligence) in 1821 in Calcutta. 2. Mirat Ul Akhbar(Mirror of News) in 1822 in persian3. The Jami-jahan-Numa and the Shams-ul-akhbar4. Three journals all connected with Ram Mohan Roy ,The Reformer, The Inquirer, and the Gyan AuneshunRam Mohan Roy’s campaign against sati gave a fillip to language Journalism

The following era saw the advent of :

Darokenath Tagore who started the Bengali Herald, an English Weekly and Bangla Doot in Bengali.He gave financial assistance to many newspapers like The Englishmen .

Girish Chandra Ghosh who started of an englishweekly “The Hindu Patriot”in 1853.After two years the paper had passed in the hands of Harish Chandra Mukherjee who wrote fierceful articles on Indigo Plantations. After Mukherjee death the patriot passed into the hands of Social reformer ,IswarChandra Vidyasagar who appointed Kristo Pal as its editor

Manamohan Ghosh in 1871 started of the Indian Mirror,an English fortnightly.

Keshub Chunder Sen started of another journal the Sulab Samachar

With the growth in the number of newspapers in India, the next century saw the imposition of several press regulations1799 –first restriction on press was imposed by Marquis of Wellesley,who came to India in 17981823 –Saw the imposition of Adam Act which made mandatory licensing1835 –Imposition of Metcalfe act which spoke of submission of declaration.1857 –Imposition of Gagging Act in the wake of Sepoye Mutiny which spoke of reimposition of all the restrictions of Adam1867 –Imposition of the PRB act which made mandatory publication declaration,preservation and assigning responsibilities to the editor, printer and proprietor

1878 –Imposition of the Vernacular Press Act by Lord Lyton .The law was imposed only on the regional newspapers of India and its clauses made it one of the most unpopulous and controversial press law to be ever imposed on Indian Press.

The clauses of it included:

1.Mandatory signing of bonds by the printers and publishers declaring of no objectionable publication failing which may result in confiscation of the press

2.The printers and publishers would not be allowed to approach the court for help

3.Issuance of search warrants to enable govt. ofiicials to search any newspaper premise

4.Deposition of Rs.10,000 while signing the bond

1881- the law was repealed by Lord Rippon

By the later half of the 19th century ,some European owned newspapers known as the Anglo Indian Papers dominated the scene viz.

1.The Englishmen:founded in 1821.It was bitterly anti –indian in outlook and policy.J.O.Stockquelerwas its editor

2.The Statesman:Founded by Robert Knight.1868:Bombay Statesman was established and in 1875:Indian statesman was founded.Introduced the concept of features,articles and Sunday publications.

3.The Times of India:3rd November,1838 as the Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.Initiallyit was a bi –weekly publication on every Wednesday and Saturday.It became a daily newspaper from 1850 and it was only in 1861 that it was renamed as the Times of India after the merger of the Bombay Times,The Standard and The Telegraph.

The Madras Time: Founded in 1860 By Lawson and Cornish

5.The Madras Mail:1868

6.The Civil and military gazette of Lahore:1872 Published in Lahore and later merged with papers like Mofussiliten of Agra,The Lahore Chronicle ,The Punjab Times and The Indian Public Opinion.There was a clear demarcation observed between the treatment in the native press and the angloIndian papers.

7.Pioneer of Allahabad:1865 by George Allen in Allahabad.The pioneer mail was an important supplement of the paper.

•20th century phenomenon :

Bal Gangadhar Tilak ,also known as the lion of Maharashtra came up with important Publications like:

1.Kesari :1881.It acted like a watchman and was used to create overall awareness about social and political issues in India

2.Maharata :1881.It was an English publication and helped in creating authorative spokesperson.Itaimed towards publication of selected views and opinions from leading foreign journals.

Both the newspapers marked impassioned writing ,lofty patriotism and courage of conviction.Short,direct and powerful sentences with historical examples made his write ups deep penetrating and impactful .

In Bengal Surendranath Banerjee and Bipin Chandra Pal were the leading protagonists .

Surendranath Banerjee’s important publications included the daily Bengalee which acted as an important mouthpiece for all racial discriminations and other social injustices born out to Bengalis

Bipin Chandra Pal’s important publication included Paridarshak,Bengali Public Opinion,Lahore Tribune,Bande Mataram and New India

Mahatma Gandhi’s ascendency to Indian Journalism is the golden era of Indian JournalismTremendous outburst in patriotic fervour and saw the highest mass impact .All newspapers replicated and published all publications of Gandhi.

Important newspapers of India:

a.Young India: 1919-1932 .Weekly English newspaper.it had a circulation of 45,000.

b.Navjivan: gujrati weekly later also published in Hindi -12,000 circulation figure

c.Harijan (1933 -1948)in Gujrati(Harijan Bandhu),HarijanSevak(Hindi )

d.Indian Opinion (1903 -1914 –lasted for 11 yrs)while in South Africa. –legal memoranda,reports,and remedies,historicalantecedents,righteous appeal,religious ideals from various scriptures

Gandhiji laid down strict standards for himself.No Advertisements were accepted.Norestrictions on the paper.Preaching peace and goodwill.Conductors –voluntary workers .The salary to be returned to the subscriber in some or the other form or utilized for some constructive public activity or other.Answeredback all the letters to the editor

His style would be Simple, Factual, rational,Effective,Clear words and short sentences with no ambuigity or confusion,Wrote with his soul,Compassion,humility,nobility and his concern for the poorest of poor breathed through his writingsIt was under Gandhiji’s leadership that India and the press in India gained it’s independence

The second war of independence for Indian press in India had be fought after the imposition of the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi on 25th june,1975.The emergency lasted for 21 months till 21st March,1977

There was absolute censorship observed by the Press in India and had brought absolute halt to democracy in India.28 newspapers were put in banned list,accreditions of foreign journalists cancelled,Indian correspondents were asked to vacate official houses,no newspapers were allowed from outside,nonewspaper to criticize Indira Gandhi,Govt.advertisements were with held ,independently working 4 news agencies were all coerced into one called Samachar,newsprint supply began to be controlled through State Trading Corporation.

Post liberalization era :saw the entry of FDI’s in Print.FDI in Print media is as follows :Scientific and Technical Journal -100%Non News and Current Affairs Publication -74%News and Current Affairs Publication -26%