Evolution & Growth of

Media in India

Print Media
Print media is one of the oldest and basic forms of mass
communication. It includes newspapers, weeklies, magazines,
monthlies and other forms of printed journals. A basic
understanding of the print media is essential in the study of mass
communication.
The contribution of print media in providing information and
transfer of knowledge is remarkable. Even after the advent of
electronic media, the print media has not lost its charm or
relevance. Print media has the advantage of making a longer
impact on the minds of the reader, with more in-depth reporting
and analysis.

History of Print Media is divided into two phases

Pre-Independence Period
Post-Independence Scenario

(1) Pre-Independence
Period
1780-1818 can be called a pre-history or
preparatory phase.
Newspapers we know today are of
European origin and even there it did not
take a proper shape till the early part of
the 18th century.
Wall Porter were the fore-runners of the
newspaper in the Europe.

 Chinese discovered the art of

printing in 868 AD. In 1476, the first
printing press was established in
England. In 16th century newsletters
came in London and Italy both. It
was of 8 pages. News book were
published in 1513. In 1621 a n/p
appeared in London. It was a
primitive news sheet called Coranto
and it carried only foreign news.
First domestic news came in 1628.
Primitive age ends.

 A new era of journalism was

ushered with the publication of
Oxford Gazette in 1655. It was the
first periodical to come very close to
a true n/p, but it was being printed
twice a week. On March 11, 1702
the first daily newspaper appeared
in London Daily Courant.
James Augustus Hicky has the
distinction of launching the first n/p
in India called Bengal Gazette or
Calcutta General Advertiser came
out on Jan 29 1780.

Newspaper are more than 222 years old.

In 1780 James Augustus Hicky started
Hickys Gazzette
The newspaper has seen four distinct
phases: I 1780-1857
II 1857-1947
III 1947-1975
Gap due to emergency
IV 1977-Till Now

Post Independence

Press
1947- Role of Press changed slowly

1947-After partition, 6 radio stations came up in

Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Trichy, Lucknow and
Madras
1951- The Press (Objectionable Matters) Act
reminiscent of earlier laws was passed by
the Nehru government
1951-52- The first national elections was
covered by the regional and national press
1956- The Press Act was allowed to relapse
and the first Press Commission was formed

1952-54: The Press

Commission made Inquiry into
the structure and functioning of
Press. One of the many
recommendations was for the
appointment of a Press
Registrar and setting up of
Press Council
1964: A committee on
broadcasting and information
media was set up under the
chairmanship of A.K Chanda

1977- Janata government

appointed a working group
1982-Second Press
Commission recommended
delinking of the Press from
its connections with other
industries. One of the major
recommendations was to set
up a National Development

Press censorship under Emergency

Complete censorship was imposed only on rare occasions
as during Gandhijis arrest led to countrywide disturbances
and the detention of over 60,000 persons
Though some papers like the Bengali weekly Jugantar, or
the daily Sandhya were banned in the thirties, they were
published secretly.


Restrictions were imposed on the press
during the Quit India Movement of 1942, yet
major papers could publish the arrest of national
leaders and reports of demonstrations and
protests.
In 1975, Mrs. Indira Gandhi clamped an
internal emergency. The government during this
time suppressed transmission of news by imposing
censorship on newspapers, journals, radio, TV,
telex, telegrams, news agencies and on foreign
correspondents. Even teleprinter services were
subjected to pre-censorship. The censorship was
total and unparalleled in the history of press in
India.

 Even advertisements, cartoons and

comic strips were subjected to precensorship.
Foreign papers and journals were
confiscated if they carried criticism
of the Emergency, some issues of
Time and Newsweek were banned
outright

 More than 34 printing presses that

were operating underground were
seized and over 7000 people were
arrested in connection with the
publication and circulation of
underground literature
Underground literature flourished
in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharastra
and Gujarat