News Writing 1

Notes

Unit 1: Introduction to News

Structure
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Concept of News
1.3 News Elements
1.3.1 Determinants
1.3.2 Components
1.4 News Values
1.5 Press or Press Media
1.5.1 Types of Press
1.6 Newspapers: Mass Media Tool
1.6.1 Role of Newspapers
1.7 Press Media in India
1.7.1 Trends of Press Media: A Comparative Study
1.7.2 Reasons why Press Media is still Relevant in India
1.8 Role of Press in Democracy
1.9 Summary
1.10 Check Your Progress
1.11 Questions and Exercises
1.12 Key Terms
1.13 Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to:
 Understand the concept of News
 Discuss the News elements
 Explain the News Values
 Throw light on the role of Press

1.1 Introduction
News is one of the most difficult issues to define in mass communication. There are
almost as many definitions of news as there are journalists. Even laymen in the streets
can readily come up with acceptable definitions of news. This section is aimed at
introducing the students to the basic definitions of news and gives them the basic
knowledge about what should be in a news story.
In this unit, we shall be discussing about the concept of news and news elements.
We will also learn about News values and the role of press.
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2 News Writing

1.2 Concept of News

Notes
In general terms, news is very relative and depends on what one thinks is news. At any
given moment, millions of events happen simultaneously throughout the world. FRA
Williams dies, Super Eagles thrashes Gabon, and Obama wins re-election, Clinton in
Sex Scandal etc. All of these events are potentially news. However, they do not become
news until some reporters give an account of them. In other words, news is the account
of an event, not the event itself.
We can now consider some definitions given by scholars and media professionals
thus:
William S. Maulsbyl defined news thus:
News is an accurate, unbiased account of the significant facts of a timely happening
that is of interest to the readers of the newspaper that prints the account.
William G. Bleyer defines it like this:
News is anything timely that interests a number of people; and the best news is that
which has the greatest interest for the greatest number.
Mitchel Chainley defined news as:
The timely report of facts or opinions holds interest of importance, or both for a
considerable number of people.
Prof. Charles Coates defined it thus:
News is what interests the reader, the viewer, the reporter, the editor, the producer,
their spouses and their neighbours. News is what affects their diets and their lives.
Sam Zelman of CNN says:
News is what is important because of its impact on society; it is what people need to
know and what they want to know.
There have been other numerous definitions of news but interwoven in all of this is
the fact that news must be something of interest to a significant number of people. In
this regard, the nature of news is always changing because community interests and
standards are always changing. For instance, the Western definition of news
emphasizes an event that is out of the ordinary, exciting, sensational, and of the “man-
biting dog” variety. According to Lord Northcliffe, who revolutionized journalism in
England between 1890 and 1920 (incidentally he died a raving lunatic but very wealthy)
“if a dog bites a man, it is NOT news, but when a man bites a dog, it is News.”
This definition has since influenced Western journalists and media in the reportorial
duties. To them, news is made in The Third World countries only when there are
scandals, coups, civil wars, uprisings, natural disasters etc. Western norms and values
maintain that “bad” news is better than “good” news. That is why when 100 planes take
off from a base to a destination and 99 of them arrive safely and one crashes, the 99
that arrived safely will not be mentioned or reported but much noise will be made about
the only one that crashed. That is news for the Western mass media and audience.
However, for this course, we will define news as an accurate, unbiased account of a
current, timely event, which is reported in the mass media and is significant to a large
number of people in a locality. Furthermore, in contemporary thinking, today’s news is
about real-life, real people, real events, real places or real issues in a real world
reported in real time using any available means of communication. Also, News is about
finding out and publishing the things people don’t want others to know and second,
anything that will make people talk.

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1.3 News Elements
While definitions of news vary, the main determinant of what can be considered as Notes
news is “INTEREST”. To be news, an account of an event must be of interest to the
readers, listeners or viewers. Interest in a story is determined by the news values. The
elements that determine news values may be subdivided into two groups:
1. Determinants
2. Components

1.3.1 Determinants
A determinant is a factor that sets the character of something, in this case, news. The
determinants of news are:
1. Timeliness: Today’s news may be stale tomorrow. Therefore, to attain that reader
– viewer or listener interest or appeal, facts must be fresh. However, some issues of
great impact are timeliness. So, the best time to tell an important story is as soon as
it happens or as soon as possible.
2. Proximity/Geographic Location: Distance between the news item’s place of origin
and its place of publication determines its degree of reader – appeal and the limits
of reader – interest. Usually, the nearer an individual is to the location of a news
event, the more relevant it becomes for him/her. This is referred to as Geographic
proximity
There are two types of proximity:
 Geographical Proximity: This has been described above.
 Proximity of Interest: An account of students’ unrest in Kano will definitely
interest students in Owerri than a businessman in Kano. This is referred to as
Proximity of interest.
3. Prominence/Personality Involved: All men may be created equal, but some are
more equal and more newsworthy than others. In fact, “names make news” goes a
cliché. However, names don’t always make news. Still, happenings that involve
well-known people or institutions are likely to be interesting even if not very
important.
4. Consequence/Impact/Significance: How many people an event or idea affects
and how seriously it affects them determine its importance as news, as well as the
extent to which the information may be useful. Again, an item or event may give rise
to thought not because of itself but because of its probable consequences – its
significance.
5. Human Interest: Interest in human beings and events because they concern men
and women in situations that might confront anyone else, is called human interest.
In a general way, human-interest stories might be defined as those stories that
arouse an emotion in the reader/listener/viewer and evoke emotional response.
6. Novelty: This sounds like human interest but shows some differences. The unusual
makes news. The bizarre makes news too. Remember the-man-bite-dog principle.
The principle applies here. The first flight to the moon was big news, so was Sandra
Day O’ Connor’s appointment as the first woman Justice of the United States
Supreme Court. The day a lady becomes the Vice President of the US it will be the
biggest news around the globe. “Firsts,” “Lasts,” and “Only” have always been
newsworthy. So also are stories of freak occurrences and scientific or
pseudoscientific phenomena.
7. Conflict: Nearly every story on each of our front pages is a report of conflict.
Conflict is a central feature of most news. Sometimes it is physical, as in wars or
sports. Sometimes it is more subtle and sophisticated like political conflicts.
8. Necessity: The seven earlier discussed News Values involve people, events and
situations that call out for coverage. The value of Necessity is, however, the

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journalist’s maki. According to the Mencher, the journalist has discovered

something he or she feels it is necessary to disclose. The essential element here is
Notes that the journalist considers a situation to be something everyone should know
about and usually it is a situation that needs to be exposed and remedied.

1.3.2 Components
So far, we have been discussing the determinants of news. In this section we shall be
examining the components or the contents of news. A component is a constituent part
of something. They tend to have more news values or higher news values than stories
that lack them. The more of news components you find in a story, the higher the news
worthiness of such a story.
There are many items that could easily fall into the components of News. However,
we shall discuss eight that always sell a story anytime it is a content of such story. The
eight components of news are:
1. Age
2. Animal
3. Sex
4. Conflict
5. Money
6. Children
7. Beauty
8. Human Interest.

1.4 News Values

Now that what news is and what determines readers’ interest in a story have been
discussed, reporters should strive to make the news they publish or broadcast win the
credibility and confidence of their readers and listeners by adhering firmly to the triple
news virtues.
These triple news virtues are:
1. Truth: All news stories must represent factual events and personalities. The
reporter should also ensure that the facts of the News are truthful to the best of his
knowledge before publishing or broadcasting such story.
2. Objectivity: Objectivity presupposes that the reporter presents the reader with all
sides of an issue, presents all the facts and allows the reader to decide what these
facts mean. For a story to be objective, it must be devoid of a reporter’s biases and
prejudice. It must not also be slanted or editorialized.
3. Accuracy: This is the last news virtue. Accuracy is a pillar on which every story
rests. A news story can be regarded as accurate if all names, ages, addresses and
direct quotations in the story are accurate or correct. The only way to meet this
requirement is for the reporter to check, double-check or even triple-check his facts
before going to the press.
With a sort of boon coming in the world of press communication with the availability of
pressing press, telegraph, telephone and telex, the publishing industry made hey while
the sun was shining.
The first hundred years was the time when the press industry tried to comprehend the
new situation and shaped itself into a regular and formal sector but from the start of the
19th century, press media in most countries started specializing in certain areas. Since
business in the form of advertisements in the press was also flourishing, the media
enjoyed a great deal of financial comfort and provided jobs to tens of thousands of
people across the globe. The press industry, a synonym with press media, could be

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classified in general terms into three distinct categories: Newspapers, Magazines and
Books.
Notes
1.5 Press or Press Media
Press is the industry associated with the pressing and distribution of news through
newspapers and magazines.
Press refers to publications that are distributed in a pressed form on paper, such as
newspapers, which must be delivered to customers in physical form either through hand
delivery or physical purchase.
 Purpose: Press is one of the most common ways for people to stay informed about
current events, technology and other special interests.
 Features: Press is extremely varied in terms of what sorts of topics are covered;
normal newspapers typically report relevant current events, but other periodicals
may be pressed purely for entertainment or made for a specific interest, such as
fashion, fitness or a certain sport.
 Benefits: Press is relatively cheap and does not require access to technology, such
as a computer, to use. Periodicals and magazines are also extremely portable.
 Considerations: Digital media, such as Internet news and video websites, present
a stiff source of competition to press media.
 Significance: The importance of press media may decline in the future due to the
rise of mobile technology and the Internet which allow users to access news and
other information from remote locations on demand

1.5.1 Types of Press

The different types of press include:
Newspapers: Newspapers are the most popular forms of press media. The advertiser
in this case can choose from a daily newspaper to a weekly tabloid. Different types of
newspaper cater to various audiences and one can select the particular category
accordingly. Advertisers then design press advertisements where in the size is decided
as per the budget of the client.
Magazines: Magazines also offer advertisers an opportunity to incorporate various new
techniques and ideas. Magazines are one such form of press media that give a more
specific target group to the client. The client can make a choice of the particular
magazine as per the product.
Newsletters: Newsletters also form an important part of press media. These target a
specific group of audience and give information on the product.
Brochures: Brochures give detailed information about the product. These are mainly
distributed at events or even at the main outlet when a consumer needs to read in detail
about the product.
Posters: Posters are forms of outdoor advertising. The message in a poster has to be
brief and eye catching as it targets a person on the move.
Though all the above are important types of press media but when we talk in context of
India we will purely focus on the newspaper as an important element of press industry
in India.

1.6 Newspapers: Mass Media Tool

Newspapers are print media and/or the newsgathering organizations that produce them.
Most conventional newspapers are published on a daily or weekly basis, and are meant
to inform the general public about recent events, especially public affairs. Besides local,

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national or international news, papers often carry sports and entertainment features,
opinion columns and advertising.
Notes
Newspapers may address a general audience, focus on a geographical area, or
cover a specialized subject, such as newspapers for a specific profession, industry or
interest. Newspapers traditionally are supported by selling advertising space as well as
subscription or single-copy sales of the newspapers themselves. Through history,
newspapers have sometimes been subsidized by organizations or interest groups,
including political parties. Mass-circulation newspapers, such as those evolving in 19th
century New York, attempt to appeal to a wider audience than overtly partisan papers.

1.6.1 Role of Newspapers

Newspaper is a printed publication appearing daily. It contains news, advertisements
and articles on various subjects. Newspapers play an important role in a democracy.
They act as bridge between the government and the governed. Everybody, except a
few read the newspaper every day.
Different people read it for different purposes. Newspapers keep the people aware
of the activities of the government. They mobilize public opinion. They play an important
role in fighting the menace of corruption. In a democracy, there should be an efficient
and fearless press. Press is the mirror of the society. The first newspaper published in
India was the Bengal Gazette. Information is fed to newspapers by a number of
amenities like PTI, UNI etc. Newspapers should concentrate on giving only the true
picture of the society.
Everybody except a few read the newspaper every day. One reads it with exciting
curiosity every morning. Different people read the newspaper for different purposes.
Young graduates scan the job-advertisement pages. Lottery addicts pour over the
lottery results. The school boy looks about the detailed happenings in cricket and other
sports. The head of the household reads about government matters and other events.
Business entrepreneurs go thought the business news. Housewives look for topics like
cookery, health and beauty care tips etc. Casual readers look for sensational topics like
loot, murder, kidnapping etc. Others go though the daily predictions of the zodiac. There
are others who are interested in the articles and the letters to the editor. Those who love
the glamour world read the pages on fashion, movies and film stars.
India is a developing country. Most of the people are poor and illiterate. For
democracy to be successful, all the citizens should be literate. Politicians with selfish
motive deceive the poor and illiterate with false promises. Newspapers help in
spreading public opinion. They keep the people aware of the activities of the
government.
In a democracy, there should be an efficient and fearless press. Press refers to
newspapers, magazines, the news section of radio and television, and the journalists
who work for them. Press is the mirror of the society. It acts as a watch dog of
democracy. It is the duty of the press to watch the activities of the government. Its duty
is to highlight the failure of the policies of the government and pinpoint its lapses.
The first newspaper published in India was called The Bengal Gazette. The
Bombay Samachar is the oldest existing daily newspapers. It was first published in
Gujarat in 1822. Anandabazar Patrika, Punjab Kesri and The Times of India are old
newspapers.
Newspaper gives us the latest information on local, national and international
events. They serve as a platform for discussion on public issues. Newspapers focus on
social and political evils prevailing in the society. Some of these evils are unsociability,
dowry, drinking, gambling, drug addiction etc. Newspapers can exhort the people to root
out these evils.
Newspapers make people aware of every field of society. Once in every week,
every newspaper publishes vacancies in all fields. Job seekers get much benefited

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thought this. A weekly matrimonial supplement is also published with almost every
newspaper and its related news and events. Newspapers also contain the schedules of
Television and theatres. It helps people to plan their day accordingly. News related to Notes
sports becomes very important nowadays as it fetches large amount of revenue. Almost
all the newspapers publish the sports-news with elaborate pictures and charts. People
get informed about weather forecast, railway and airport time table.
In the present age, corruption is present in all walks of life. Newspapers play an
important role in fighting against the menace of corruption. The people can be made
aware of the corrupt practices prevalent in various departments of Government and
other agencies.
Newspapers act as a link between the government and the people. They make the
people aware of the policies, programmes and activities of the government. They also
make the government aware of the problems, being faced by the people.
Information is fed to the newspapers by a number of agencies. The Press
Information Bureau gives information to the Press on the government's policies,
programmes and activities. It receives feedback from the people. India has four major
news agencies - Press Trust of India (PTI), United News of India (UNI), Samachar
Bharti and Hindustan Samachar. The newspapers are published in English, Hindi and
other regional languages.
Newspaper could make a great impact on its readers. So, they should concentrate
on giving only the true picture of the society.

1.7 Press Media in India

Before Freedom: History of press media and written communication follows the
progress of civilization which in turn moves in response to changing cultural
technologies. The transfer of complex information, ideas and concepts from one
individual to another, or to a group, underwent extreme evolution since prehistoric
times. It has been 30,000 years later since the first recorded evidence of written
communication and it is still dramatically changing. The Press in India, particularly the
Indian language newspapers, was in the forefront of the struggle for freedom. Many
leaders from Mahatma Gandhi downwards used their newspapers to activate the
people to participate in the freedom struggle. But the newspapers are no longer active
in the fight against poverty, disease, illiteracy and superstition.
Political leaders used the Press to rouse the people. It was, therefore, natural that
the British rulers of India used every weapon in their armory to silence the nationalist
press. Newspapers always had the sword of Damocles hanging over their head.
Security was asked at the slightest pretext and editors and publishers were prosecuted
for sedition. Some editors were even transported to the Andaman. For the editors and
people who worked in newspapers, journalism was a mission. Even captains of
commerce who published newspapers treated this activity as their contribution to the
struggle for freedom. Wages for journalists were poor and there was no security.
Newspaper publication was not profitable and journalism was not paying as compared
to other professions but things changed after Independence and each year saw
acceleration in change.
In India, whilst newspapers came much later as opposed to Europe or America, it
has a rich pedigree of being a witness and a catalyst to the birth and growth of the
nation. The first newspaper published in India was the Bengal Gazette started by James
Augustus Hickey in 1780. Although the paper was rather frivolous in nature as it mostly
only published gossip and advertisements, the thriving media industry owes its
existence to James Augustus Hickey and his Gazette. Soon after, papers such as
Bombay Herald and the Bombay Courier were started in the country. Interestingly, the
Bombay Courier later merged with the Times of India newspaper. In 1818, the first
regional language newspaper Samachar Darpan was published in Bengali. The
Bombay Samachar started in 1822, remains to this day the oldest newspaper in Asia. In

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the pre independence era, newspapers had one agenda in their minds – to further their
ideology. Bal Gangadhar Tilak is a prominent stalwart of the pre-independence era and
Notes a revolutionary leader who used his newspaper as a vehicle of communicating his ideas
and ideals of the freedom struggle. Kesari, which was established in 1880, was
published in Marathi. Prior to 1947, the newspaper industry had only one goal – to
proliferate the cause of Independence.
After India became Independent in 1947, British owners of the newspapers like The
Times of India also left the country, handing over the businesses to Indian companies.
Editors of pro-freedom struggle Indian newspapers had anti-British stance till 1947.
These newspapers gradually changed their approach; some became pro-establishment
and the others adopted aggressive anti-establishment strategies. The publishers during
the subsequent decades expanded their groups and chains with additions of new
editions at other centres or new publications. It means after the independence of India
scene of press media has changed. There has been a phenomenal rise in the number
of newspapers and their circulation. The number of pages has increased. The quality of
production has improved all rounds. Even medium Indian language newspapers have
taken advantage of the advances in pressing and communication technology to bring
out multiple edition dailies. The best example of this one is Daily Sakaal which is among
the first newspapers not only in Maharashtra but also in India, to have adopted modern
management systems and processes. It has deployed the latest technology made
available through partners who are world leaders in their areas of specialisation.
Newspapers of the big chains face a stiff competition from these newspapers because
they are equally well produced. What is more, being rooted in the soil they are more
aware of local problems and so they playing active role in the fight against poverty,
disease, illiteracy and superstition. Colour pressing has made the newspapers more
attractive. Areas of national activity like commerce now find a prominent place in almost
all-Indian language newspapers. New sectors of commerce and industry became
available to businessmen. They found newspapers useful in influencing the
Government and the people. Some British-owned newspapers passed into Indian
hands and started newspapers in Hindi and other Indian languages. The government
accepted the demand for security of service for people working in newspapers and
news agencies. All this helped in the growth in the number of newspapers and their
circulation. The eighties and nineties saw the growth of medium Indian language
newspapers. They adapted the latest pressing and communication technology to bring
out multiple editions.
After Freedom: Post 1947, newspapers in India had a choice to make – either
align with the government and support all its initiatives or act as a critique to the newly
democratised country and its head. Newspapers at first acted as unofficial sponsors of
its various initiatives and schemes. The five year plan especially came highly endorsed
by the national newspapers. Most of the newspapers in India came into existence post
independence. Today thousands of magazines and newspapers are in circulation.
Whilst in the early days of democracy, the Indian government enjoyed full support of the
media houses. In the pre-Independence era, the editorial in a newspaper was widely
read for the lead it gave and used newspaper as an instrument of social change. But in
the new era, the editorial became shorter in length and weak in impact. The new
generation of industrialist-publishers is now more interested in profits instead of
society‘s obligation. Therefore, they closed down serious literary and political
publications so as to retain the profit from the flagship publications. The tendency grew
to treat the newspaper more as a marketable product than as an instrument of social
change. Turbulent 1970's: The decade of 1970s was a turbulent phase for media. The
state-owned television channel was launched in 1972 and the press was unsure about
the possible impact of the electronic medium on the newspapers. The press was
subjected to censorship during the period of Internal Emergency clamped by the Indira
Gandhi government in 1975. After the Emergency was revoked 19 months later, the
Press appeared to have reborn with vigor. Even though today, the newspaper are being
used by the reader for more analysis of political and social news.

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Presently in the 21st century, Indian press media is one of the largest press media
in the world. The Times of India being the 8th most circulated newspaper in the world.
With a daily circulation of 3.146 millions, The Times of India tops the list of the best Notes
newspapers in India, followed closely by local language papers. While Hindi dailies
Dainik Bhaskar (2.547 million) and Dainik Jagran (2.168 million) compete for the second
and third place respectively, the Malayala Manorama stands fourth with a daily
circulation of 1.514 million.
Circulation of the newspapers is certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC).
The list of the Top 10 Newspapers in India is compiled by the ABC according to the
circulation of the dailies.
1. The Times of India – English
2. Dainik Bhaskar – Hindi
3. Dainik Jagran – Hindi
4. Malayala Manorama – Malayalam
5. The Hindu – English
6. Eenadu – Telugu
7. Deccan Chronicle – English
8. Anandabazar Patrika – Bengali
9. Amar Ujala – Hindi
10. Hindustan Times – English

1.7.1 Trends of Press Media: A Comparative Study

Today, due to the changing and advanced technology used in pressing and
communication media, press media get huge importance in mind of people. So it‘s
become important to study how the trend and role of press media is changing in
development communication. This research shows the circulation trends in press media
especially newspaper in India for pre-independence and independence era and also a
comparative trend with other countries.

Trends in India
Trends in number: By 1941, India had about 4,000 newspapers and magazines in 17
languages. In its report, the first Press Commission said that at the end of 1952, there
were 330 daily newspapers, 1,189 weeklies and 1,733 newspapers of other periodicity
in India. Except for some lean years, the number of newspapers has gone up on an
average by 5 per cent every year. At the end of 1998, there were 43,828 newspapers
as against 41,705 in 1997. Of these, there were 4,890 dailies, 331 tri-and biweeklies,
15,645 weeklies, 12,965 monthlies, 5,913 fortnightlies, 3,127 quarterlies, 383 annuals
and 1,474 publications with other periodicities. It will thus be seen that the number of
daily newspapers went up more than 15 times since 1952. The number rose to 51,960
that included dailies and publications of all the periodicities, in 2001. As on 31st March
2006, there were 62,483 registered newspapers with all periodicities on record of
Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI), as against 60,413 at the end of March 2005.

Circulation Trends
The First Press Commission noted that in 1953 the circulation of dailies per 1000 copies
in the population was 5.4 against the backdrop of an all-India literacy level of
16.4 per cent. From such a low base, India‘s daily newspaper circulation climbed slowly
to 3.15 million in 1957 and 5.11 million in 1962. In India, the total circulation of all the
newspapers in 1998 was 1268, 49, 500 copies. An idea of the acceleration in the
growth of circulation had from the fact that while circulation increased by 50 per cent
between 1987-96, it went up by 42 per cent in just two years between 1996 and 1998
and in the recent decade the trend of circulation is showing positive increasing trend in
Asian countries like China and India. The total circulation of newspapers increased from

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15, 67, 19,209 copies in 2004-05 to 18, 07, 38,611 copies in 2005-06. The First Press
Commission noted that in 1953 the circulation of dailies per 1000 copies in the
Notes population was 5.4 against the backdrop of an all-India literacy level of 16.4 per cent.
From such a low base, India‘s daily newspaper circulation climbed slowly to 3.15 million
in 1957 and 5.11 million in 1962. In India, the total circulation of all the newspapers in
1998 was 1268, 49, 500 copies. An idea of the acceleration in the growth of circulation
had from the fact that while circulation increased by 50 per cent between 1987-96, it
went up by 42 per cent in just two years between 1996 and 1998 and in the recent
decade the trend of circulation is showing positive increasing trend in Asian countries
like China and India. The total circulation of newspapers increased from 15,67,19,209
copies in 2004-05 to 18,07,38, 611 copies in 2005-06. As per the annual statements
received at the RNI office during 2005-06, the number of dailies being published in the
country was 2130. Their claimed circulation figure was 8,88,63,048 copies, 12.93%
higher than that of the previous year. The 2007 annual report presented by Price
Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) on the Indian Entertainment and Media Industry (E&M),
titled A Growth Story Unfolds, projects that the press media will grow at a 13 per cent
compound annual growth rate, from the present size of ` 85 billion to ` 232 billion
in 2011.
The 2010 Indian Readership Survey findings show that the largest read local
language newspapers to be Dainik Jagran (with 16.0 million readers) and Dainik
Bhaskar (with 13.5 million readers), both published in Hindi. The Times of India is the
most widely read English language newspaper (7.3 million), followed by Hindustan
Times (3.5 million), The Hindu (2.1 million) all published in English. The New Indian
Express is another widely-read English language newspaper (1.8 million). Malayala
Manorama newspaper which is published in Malayalam from Kerala currently has a
readership of over 9.9 million (with a circulation base of over 1.8 million copies) has the
most circulation in regional languages. In the year 2011 According to the information
given by the minister of State for Information and Broadcasting ‘, there are more than
74,000 registered newspapers with the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) and
Uttar Pradesh is leading with 11,789 registered newspapers and it is followed by Delhi
with 10,066 and Maharashtra with 9,127 registered newspapers. The government is
also trying to bridge the media gap by encouraging more newspapers to come up in the
north-eastern states, the information and broadcasting ministry said in a separate
statement. The ministry has also relaxed norms for empanelling newspapers published
in the north-eastern states and the border areas. This apart, ` 87.95 corers has been
allocated during fiscal 2009-10 for the North East Special Package, the statement said,
adding: An amount of ` 37.00 corer is to be provided as grants-in-aid and an amount of
` 50.95 corer as loan to Prasar Bharati for improving radio and television facility in the
North East.
The ad revenue trend: The press is still the dominant medium for advertising in the
country, even if television has steadily increased its share. The global story of ad
revenue growth for paid-for dailies in 2006 and over five years was somewhat more
cheerful. WAN‘s estimate is that advertising revenues for paid-for dailies went up 3.77
per cent in 2006 and 15.77 per cent from 2002. Daily newspapers took 29.60 per cent
of a global advertising market in mainstream media valued at $ 425 billion. Dailies and
magazines, with a combined share of 42 per cent, still constituted the largest
advertising medium, comfortably ahead of television with its 38 per cent. India As the
revenue from newspapers concerned for developing Asia, Chinese dailies won 16 per
cent and 58 per cent increases in ad revenues in 2006 and over five years. The
corresponding figures for India, in a highly competitive advertising market, were 23.18
per cent and among the major countries only South Africa seems to have done better
with 85 per cent ad revenue.

1.7.2 Reasons why Press Media is still Relevant in India

Common man in India is not a global citizen who has easy access to information that
empowers him. Imagine him to be from Jhumri Talaiya and India’s best of GDP is
coming from those roots.

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 Press in India is an uncomplicated means of individual empowerment. The more the
information is on common man’s personal life’s issues, the more empowered he
becomes. Press is local; hence it is a tangible means of his empowerment. Both of Notes
them take good care of each other’s empowerment. TV news on the other hand can
rattle the Parliament and the nation but it cannot move the individual life of a
common person, unless he has fallen in a deep pit or is self-immolating
 Despite the fraternity’s doom prediction for the press media in India, our own 21
newspapers brands have made it to the Top 100 global list, according to a WAN list.
Of this, five are in English, Six in Hindi, two in Tamil, Two Malayalee, one Gujarati,
two Telugu and one Bengali Newspaper. If world news presses demand forecast is
any indicator for the global growth area for the press media, while North America,
Europe may have been on sharp decline, but Latin America, South Africa, Australia
and Asia are on ever-rise. Asia’s consumption base, which is larger than most
continents, the newspaper consumption is up by 13 per cent and is on ever-rise.
 The pulp version of his news and information delivery is within easy reach of a
common man. It costs him less than a cup of coffee, it is also door-delivered to him
every morning and the subscriber is entitled to get the entire month’s supply on
credit. No advance payment is ever demanded. Moreover, to keep him engaged in
reading, media houses also reward him! Does this happen with any other media
options in India?
 If pressed news is the first need in the enlightened mankind’s mornings in India, this
is also the first luxury that an ordinary man affords himself as he moves up the
ladder of social status. Press is also aspirational. Being seen reading a daily in the
morning is still considered a more civilized habit than sitting in front of a TV and
watching a news channel that hardly allows you to digest anything. An
argumentative Indian is best served by reading a topic in the morning on which TV
anchors debated last night with eight highly opinioned panelists, whose banters left
him completely confused. My common man’s Random Access Memory works faster
when he reads and stores it in his hard disk.
 Take a look at the forces that drive country’s GDP today. The consumer power has
shifted base to the more aspiring people residing on the country side. And they are
the ones who are ringing in the cash registers for all product categories across the
board. Mobiles, durable goods and the other FMCG product categories are finding
newer consumers with enhanced consuming frequencies. And press is poised to
move in that direction to reaping the newer growth. Advertising revenue stream
therefore has to follow where the consumer is and not where the advertising
fraternity is headquartered
William Powers, the author of Hamlet’s Blackberry had said, ‘Paper is the most
successful communications innovation of the last 2000 years, the one that has lasted
the longest and had the profoundest effect on civilization. About his book he said,
‘Hamlet’s Blackberry is not about circulation or ad revenues not even about journalism
or strictly speaking, about newspapers! It’s about the material that newspapers are
pressed on – Paper’. On the question of future of newspapers, he had said, ‘It seems to
me that the question of whether newspapers have a future is related, in a related deep
way, to whether the paper itself has a future!’
The pulp occupies mankind’s mind and heart space. Be it crisp hard currency that
gives you supreme confidence or legal papers that affords you security. Or be it a tiny
booklet called passport that allows you access as Global citizens, or even the hard copy
of your appointment letter that makes you feel more secured in an era of pink slips. Or
that neatly folded bundle of joy that you eagerly await every morning for your Random
Access Memory’s fill. Pulp and Newspaper are here to stay, dominating your
mind space even as you read this on your tablet or computer screen.

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1.8 Role of Press in Democracy

Notes The press is a broad term now; it not only includes newspapers, news weeklies and
magazines but also all the journalists working in the media print and electronic. It plays
great role in the iteration of public opinion. It also acts as a regulator and reflector of the
same, interacting between the people and political parties and in between government
of the country and the people. Hence, if the character of the press is healthy, the
democratic system will be more transparent to what is actually transacting on side of
government and what are the views and reactions of the people in respect thereof. The
comment of the press over the specific matters will be helpful in setting dimensions for
the respective state policies and their implementation and the pattern of thinking of the
people. In this way, it facilitates the smooth functioning of the whole democratic system.
To be free for press, as such, is to be fair, impartial, unprejudiced and honest in
according treatment to the coverage of news and events connected with different socio-
political quarters and the government at large. One of the highest criteria to judge the
free press, however, is that it is not subservient to the vested interests and the versions
are not tempered, distorted, sponsored, or otherwise politically initiated.
According to a survey conducted by the New York based Freedom House, only one
person out of fives lives in a country with free press. The survey measures press
freedom by assessing the impact of laws, administrative decisions and economic or
political influences on the content of the news media.
The well-organized section of press is always in regular and close contact with the
people and a reputation of presenting actual and concomitant situation. That’s why it is
more influential and effective in formation of public opinion and molding it.
The responsible quarters of the press, for instance, the section constituting the
‘national press’, exercise a higher sense of responsibility towards the people and the
state and restrain in reporting and keep in the line with the national interest. Their
comments are fact based and not on forerun conclusion.
Government is all the more conscious of the effective and strong role of the press
and cannot afford to ignore it. The ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India runs
a Press Information Bureau (PIB) to deal with the press matter and photographs to
cater the needs of print media. Then there are Press Relation Officers and official
spokespersons. Where there are no independent Press Relation Officers, Public
relation Officers deal with the information to the press on specific queries concerning
their respective departments.
Freedom of press, as such, is symbolic of democracy and a measure to judge the
character of the State. It implies right to information and access of pressmen to it,
including right to exposures affecting matters of public and national interests. The
reporters are provided access to all the ministers and bureaucrats and enjoy right to
question and seek explanations and clarifications on specific points in course of a
course of an interview or during a press conference.
There is also a centralized mechanism to control and regulate publication of
newspapers throughout the country. The Registrar of Newspapers for India allots titles
to the publishers on prescribed application received through the prescribed authority for
which there is a prescribed procedure. The same forwarding authority, after allotment of
titles by the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) authenticates publication of
newspapers, periodicals and magazines etc. in the National Capital Territory of Delhi
the declaration for newspapers are signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police for
licensing while in states magistrates do the same. Registrar of Newspaper for India,
also sanctions, newsprint quotas to the publishers of the respective newspapers and
issues certificate of registration after the publication of the same.
The publishers are required to submit annual returns to the RNI. Other necessary
facilities to the newspapers are extended on the basis of their registration and regularity
of publication. Government confers accreditation to the press reporters to provide

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access to them to the government office to gather information and attend press
conferences held by it or under its auspices by foreign concerns and visiting dignitaries.
Notes
The government controls and regulates professional interests of the working
journalists and other employees of the newspaper industry. There are several
organizations of the working journalists, editors and reporters who raise their voice to
safeguard their interests.
Government exercises its power to restrict access of press one way or the other,
casually and technically. It is in the name of official secret, top graded documents,
sensitive matters, apprehension of breach of peace, ‘likely to cause’ communal
disharmony and hatred between the communities and on plea of national security etc. in
such cases only the version of the official agency or the specially designated unit at the
state level is permitted to be published in the newspapers. The district administration if
finds any news item against the public interest contained in any newspaper, confiscates
the entire copies of it throughout its jurisdiction. Defamatory cased are also filed against
the staff reporters and representatives of the newspaper by administrative officers.
Press in India has come up to the expectation of people. Recently so many scams
were exposed and the culprits were brought to book. The credit undoubtedly goes to
India press.

1.9 Summary
Definitions of News change with time, place and who is defining it. Many media
organizations and individual journalists also define News differently partially influenced
by their varying backgrounds. However, what constitutes News values remains
constant-interest. This Unit is all about News and what constitutes News values and
virtues. In this unit, you were specifically taught about the various definitions of News,
bringing up different perspectives; the eight elements of News values and the triple
News virtue which must be present for news stories to have credibility, relevance and
wide acceptance.
Press media is the industry associated with the pressing and distribution of news
through newspapers and magazines. Press media refers to publications that are
distributed in a pressed form on paper, such as newspapers, which must be delivered to
customers in physical form either through hand delivery or physical purchase.
Press media is one of the most common ways for people to stay informed about
current events, technology and other special interests. Press media is extremely varied
in terms of what sorts of topics are covered; normal newspapers typically report relevant
current events, but other periodicals may be pressed purely for entertainment or made
for a specific interest, such as fashion, fitness or a certain sport.
Press media is relatively cheap and does not require access to technology, such as
a computer, to use. Periodicals and magazines are also extremely portable. Digital
media, such as Internet news and video websites, present a stiff source of competition
to press media.
The importance of press media may decline in the future due to the rise of mobile
technology and the Internet which allow users to access news and other information
from remote locations on demand.
Newspapers are print media and/or the newsgathering organizations that produce
them. Most conventional newspapers are published on a daily or weekly basis, and are
meant to inform the general public about recent events, especially public affairs.
Besides local, national or international news, papers often carry sports and
entertainment features, opinion columns and advertising.
History of press media and written communication follows the progress of
civilization which in turn moves in response to changing cultural technologies. The
transfer of complex information, ideas and concepts from one individual to another, or to

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a group, underwent extreme evolution since prehistoric times. It has been 30,000 years
later since the first recorded evidence of written communication and it is still
Notes dramatically changing. The Press in India, particularly the Indian language newspapers,
was in the forefront of the struggle for freedom. Many leaders from Mahatma Gandhi
downwards used their newspapers to activate the people to participate in the freedom
struggle.

1.10 Check Your Progress

Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of the following is a determinant of News?
(a) Timeliness
(b) Proximity
(c) Geographic Location
(d) All of these
2. Distance between the news item’s place of origin and its place of publication is
known as ………………………………
(a) Timeliness
(b) Prominence
(c) Geographic Location
(d) Consequence
3. The press is a broad term now; it includes
(a) Newspapers
(b) News weeklies and Magazines
(c) Journalists working in the media print and electronic
(d) All of these
4. Interest in human beings and events because they concern men and women in
situations that might confront anyone else, is called …………………………….
(a) Human Interest
(b) Consequence
(c) Impact
(d) Significance
5. All men may be created equal, but some are more equal and more newsworthy
than others. In fact, “names make news” goes a cliché. However, names don’t
always make news. Still, happenings that involve well-known people or institutions
are likely to be interesting even if not very important. Which determinant is this?
(a) Novelty
(b) Conflict
(c) Necessity
(d) Prominence/Personality Involved
6. Which of the following is a component of News?
(a) Conflict
(b) Money
(c) Children
(d) All of these

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7. ………………………………. presupposes that the reporter presents the reader with
all sides of an issue, presents all the facts and allows the reader to decide what
these facts mean. Notes
(a) Accuracy
(b) Objectivity
(c) Truth
(d) Human Interest
8. …………………………… also offer advertisers an opportunity to incorporate various
new techniques and ideas.
(a) Newspapers
(b) Newsletters
(c) Magazines
(d) Brochures
9. …………………………. give detailed information about the product. These are
mainly distributed at events or even at the main outlet when a consumer needs to
read in detail about the product.
(a) Posters
(b) Newsletters
(c) Magazines
(d) Brochures
10. Which of the following is true for newspapers?
(a) Newspapers are print media and/or the newsgathering organizations that
produce them.
(b) Newspapers may address a general audience, focus on a geographical area, or
cover a specialized subject, such as newspapers for a specific profession,
industry or interest.
(c) Newspapers traditionally are supported by selling advertising space as well as
subscription or single-copy sales of the newspapers themselves.
(d) All of these

1.11 Questions and Exercises

1. Why do we have many and different definitions of news?
2. Discuss the major reasons why Necessity made the list of News values
3. Which among the News values must be present for a news story to have credibility?
Please justify your selection.
4. Conduct a research and analyse why the elements of news values are important in
determining a story’s relevance.
5. Define press media and explain different types of press media
6. Explain newspapers as a mass media tool
7. Comment on the statement, “History of press media and written communication
follows the progress of civilization which in turn moves in response to changing
cultural technologies”
8. Discuss in brief the trends of press media. State the reasons why press media is
still relevant in India
9. Discuss Role of Press in Democracy
10. Prepare a detailed report on Press of India critically analysing its role, history and
significance.

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1.12 Key Terms

Notes  News: News is an accurate, unbiased account of the significant facts of a timely
happening that is of interest to the readers of the newspaper that prints the account.
 Determinant: A determinant is a factor that sets the character of something, in this
case, news.
 Brochures: Brochures give detailed information about the product.
 Magazines: These are publications that are printed with ink on paper, and generally
published on a regular schedule and containing a variety of content.
 Newspapers: It is a periodical publication containing news of current events,
informative articles, diverse features, editorials, and advertising.

Check Your Progress: Answers

1. (d) All of these
2. (c) Geographic Location
3. (d) All of these
4. (a) Human Interest
5. (d) Prominence/Personality Involved
6. (d) All of these
7. (b) Objectivity
8. (c) Magazines
9. (d) Brochures
10. (d) All of these

1.13 Further Readings

 Mencher, M. (2010). Mencher’s News Writing and Reporting (11 Edition). Boston:
McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
 Agbese, Dan (2008). The Reporters’ Companion. Lagos: Newswatch Books Ltd.
 Itule, Bruce. D. & Anderson, D.A. (2003). News Writing and Reporting for Today’s
Media. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
 Obe, Joseph (2005). Reporting Diverse Areas: A Concise Text. Akure: SMC.

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CASE STUDY: SLANTED NEWS REPORTING Notes

A
s in other countries, news reporting by the mainstream media in the United States is
often slanted—sometimes heavily so. There is often an agenda at work in the way
certain stories are presented. That probably comes as no surprise, but it’s
nevertheless disturbing when a clear incident occurs. Following is an example—and some
lessons to take away.
On September 28, 2011, a glance at the headlines on Yahoo! revealed a story from the
Associated Press about a U.S. citizen arrested for a terror plot against the Pentagon and
U.S. Capitol. Clicking on the headline brought up the story, which explained in the first
paragraph that the alleged perpetrator had planned to use large, remote-controlled model
airplanes filled with explosives.
Curiously, the man’s name was not mentioned up front. It did not appear until the third
paragraph: Rezwan Ferdaus. This seemed to be a Muslim name, so the mystery of its
prior absence was becoming clearer. Yet it wasn’t until paragraph four that the man was
actually identified as Muslim—supposedly inspired to act by a website for jihad. Thus the
Islamist connection was central to the story. So why was it buried in the fourth paragraph?
An immediate search on Google for the man’s name yielded a large number of news
reports. Yet alarmingly, for the first nearly two pages of search results, nothing came up
identifying him as Muslim. Many article titles referred to him as a “U.S. man” or something
similarly generic. The second story that came up on Google, from CBS News, was titled
“Mass. Musician Accused of D.C. Terrorist Plot.” That’s right: Massachusetts musician!
While accurate, it’s misleading—completely overlooking his alleged connection to radical
Islam. The claim of U.S. officials that he was an aspiring jihadi was clearly being
intentionally obscured or hidden on a wide scale.
What makes the deliberateness even more obvious is that not putting central elements of
the story up front is contrary to proper news reporting. In journalism, there are two basic
writing formats. One is feature writing, in which an article is essentially organized like a
speech—with an introduction, a thesis, a body of supporting points and a conclusion. (This
is typical for our publications.) The other writing format is reporting, wherein the most
important elements of a story are typically crammed into the first few sentences of the
article as the lead, which is followed by details of decreasing importance. This allows
readers to skim the beginning of each news item to get the gist of the story. It’s also done
for the sake of copy fitting by editors. If a story is too long, an editor can just chop off the
bottom since all the important details appear up front.
Which brings us back to the jihad connection not appearing up front. After all, what’s more
important—that an alleged terror plotter is a musician or that law enforcement has tied him
to radical Islam? While Mr. Ferdaus is to be regarded under the law as innocent until
proven guilty, the religious aspect of this story ought to have been reported at the outset,
according to normal reporting standards.
We might also consider that had the man been a “right-wing Christian,” that fact would
likely have been trumpeted in headlines and article leads. Yet when it comes to Islamic
extremism, the media has been willing to keep quiet. While they may be attempting to
prevent the spread of Islamophobia, hiding the truth is no way to successfully do this. (It
could even be that the agenda here is a political one—in part, painting conservative
Christians as the real threat to America and playing down fears against Islam, as such
fears can rally support for conservative political candidates and causes.)
What can we take away from this? We must learn to read the news critically. Why is
information being presented the way it is? Is it following a natural progression? Or are
important facts being buried—or left out? Consider that there is often an agenda at work—
and strive to not be taken in. Just reading the whole story from a source is not enough. For
if a story shows evidence of being slanted, should its reporting really be trusted? In
controversial stories, always look to multiple sources—including those outside the
mainstream media. And even be wary in reading stories that don’t seem controversial. An
agenda, or at least a wrong perspective, may be widespread.
As we follow Jesus’ instruction to watch world events (Luke 21:36), let's make sure to
watch not only what’s going on, but how we’re being informed about what’s going on as
well. (Sources: Associated Press, Google, CBS News.)

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Question:
Read and summarise the case.
Notes Source: http://www.ucg.org/news-and-prophecy/foiled-terror-plot-case-study-slanted-
news-reporting/

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