MCM520 Handouts Lectures 1-15

LESSON 01 ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF PRESS, RADIO AND TELEVISION

Mass Communication

Mass communication is a process in which professional communicators use media to disseminate messages widely, rapidly and continuously to arouse intended meanings in large and diverse audiences in attempts to influence them in a variety of ways. (DeFleur Dennis, Understanding Mass communication)

By exercising the criteria set forth in this definition, we can identify precisely what we consider to be mass media in the present text: the major mass media are print (including books, magazines, newspapers), film (principally commercial motion pictures) and broadcasting (mainly radio and TV but also other several associated forms such as cable and VCRs).

Brief Survey Of Origin And Development Of Press

Development of Printing Press

One of the technologies that became important historically in the development of print as a medium was the manufacture of PAPER. The Chinese had started making inked impressions from carved blocks shortly after 175 A.D., when they first developed paper. Whole books developed by Koreans and Japanese during eighth century still survive today. Gutenberg refined the technique in 1440 with the first widespread use of movable type, where the characters are separate parts that are inserted to make the text. Gutenberg is also credited with the first use of an oil-based ink, and using "rag" paper introduced into Europe from China by way of Muslims, who had a paper mill in operation in Baghdad as early as 794.

Development of Newspapers

In mid-1500s, leaders of Venice regularly made available to the public printed News sheets about the war in Dalamatia. In early 1600s, Corantos were being published periodically for the commercial community in several countries.

The newspapers of modern times have several characteristics not found in early publications. Edwin Emery, a distinguished historian of journalism has defined newspaper in the following terms.

A true newspaper: Is published at least weekly. Is produced by a mechanical printing process. Is available (for a price), to people of all walks of life. Prints news of general interest rather than items on specialized topics such as religion or business. Is readable by people of ordinary literacy. Is timely. Is stable over time.

By this definition the first newspaper was Oxford gazette, later called London Gazzette. It was first published in 1665 under the authority of King Charles II. The first daily newspaper in English, the Daily Courant began publishing in London on March11, 1702. In 1631 The Gazette, the first French newspaper was founded. In 1690, Publick Occurrences in Boston became the first newspaper published in America. It was important both because It was first in time and because it spoke against the government. However it does not really fit DeFleur’s definition of newspaper. According to definition the first American paper was The Boston News-Letter which first appeared in April 1704.

In 1803, just 15 years after the first British penal colony was established, Australia's military government published the Sydney Gazette and the New South Wales Advertiser, Australia's first newspapers. In 1721 James Franklin, started his paper, the New England Courant. It was something of a departure from restrictive colonial tradition because it was not published by authority and had no connection with post office. It was aimed at well-educate and prosperous elite and appealed only to those who likes literary essays and controversial political opinions.

Freedom of Press

Of great importance in the unfolding struggle to establish a free press was the conflict that developed between John Peter Zenger and William Cosby, Governor of New York. Zenger started a newspaper in 1733, The New York weekly Journal with an idea to have a paper in opposition to the officially authorized New York gazette. He was jailed on a charge of seditious Libel. However Zenger won the case at the end, significance of Zenger’s trial was that it set an important legal precedent: the press should be allowed to criticize the government.

Press in Sub-continent

For at least one hundred years people in subcontinent remained unaware of the printing technology. They, however, had some idea of printed material when ships would come from UK and bring some newspapers and magazines generally for the Englishmen serving in subcontinent.

In the subcontinent the print media surfaced because of the foreign rulers. India did not know about printing or mass communication by the middle of 18th century. Since the influence of the English rulers was more in the South India, most early papers also appeared in the southern cities before the print medium came to western and northern parts.

Colonial journalism

The history of media in united India is colored by the colonial experience. William Bolts, an ex-employee of the British East India Company attempted to start the first newspaper in India in 1776. Bolts had to beat a retreat under the disapproving gaze of the Court of Directors of the Company.

Bengal

The Hickey's Bengal Gazette or the Calcutta General Advertiser was started by James Augustus Hickey in 1780 and is regarded as the first regular publication from the Indian soil. The Gazette, a two-sheet newspaper, specialized in writing on the private lives of the Sahibs of the Company. He dared even to mount scurrilous attacks on the Governor-General, Warren Hastings', wife, which soon landed him in hot waters. Hickey was sentenced to a 4 months jail term and Rs.500 fine, which did not deter him. After a bitter attack on the Governor-General and the Chief Justice, Hickey was sentenced to one year in prison and fined Rs.5000, which finally drove him to penury. These were the first tentative steps of journalism in India.

Calcutta

B. Messink and Peter Reed were pliant publishers of the India Gazette, unlike their infamous predecessor. The colonial establishment started the Calcutta Gazette. It was followed by another private initiative the Bengal Journal. The Oriental Magazine of Calcutta Amusement, a monthly magazine made it four weekly newspapers and one monthly magazine published from Calcutta, now Kolkata.

Madras (Chennai)

The Madras Courier was started in 1785 in the southern stronghold of Madras, which is now called Chennai. Richard Johnson, its founder, was a government printer. Madras got its second newspaper when, in 1791, Hugh Boyd, who was the editor of the Courier quit and founded the Hurkaru.

Tragically for the paper, it ceased publication when Boyd died within a year of its founding. It was only in 1795 that competitors to the Courier emerged with the founding of the Madras Gazette followed by the India Herald. The latter was an "unauthorised" publication, which led to the deportation of its founder Humphreys. The Madras Courier was designated the purveyor of official information in the Presidency. In 1878, The Hindu was founded, and played a vital role in promoting the cause of Indian independence from the colonial yoke. Its founder, Kasturi Ranga Iyengar, was a lawyer, and his son, K Srinivasan assumed editorship of this pioneering newspaper during for the first half of the 20th century. Today this paper enjoys the highest circulation in South India, and is among the top five nationally.

Bombay

Bombay, now Mumbai, surprisingly was a late starter - The Bombay Herald came into existence in 1789. Significantly, a year later a paper called the Courier started carrying advertisements in Gujarati. The first media merger of sorts: The Bombay Gazette, which was started in 1791, merged with the Bombay Herald the following year. Like the Madras Courier, this new entity was recognized as the publication to carry "official notifications and advertisements".

'A Chronicle of Media and the State', by Jeebesh Bagchi in the Sarai Reader 2001 is a handy timeline on the role of the state in the development of media in India for more than a century. Bagchi divides the timeline into three 'ages'. The Age of Formulation, which starts with the Indian Telegraph Act in 1885 and ends with the Report of the Sub-Committee on Communication, National Planning Committee in 1948.

Urdu Press

In 1822 the Persian weekly Jam-e-Jahan Numa first time published in Urdu. Some time it publishes in Urdu, some time in Persian and some time in both the languages. During the earlier days of journalism newspapers were either weeklies or biweeklies, none of them was a daily. On January 14, 1850 Munshi Harsukh Rai started weekly Kohinoor. With a circulation of only 350 it was the largest circulated newspaper of that time. The circulation of other newspapers on that time was only 100 to 200.

Urdu Guide was the first daily newspaper, which was started by Maulvi Kabeeruddin from Kolkata in 1858. In the very same year as a second daily Roznamcha-e-Punjab started from Lahore. As a first Urdu daily of Bihar, Dini Bihar started in 1876 from Arah district. Zameendar, which was the best newspaper of that time, was started in 1903 from Lahore. It was the first newspaper, which used the news from erstwhile news agencies. This newspaper highly supported the freedom struggle. At that time the circulation of Zameendar was 30,000. Before Zameendar, in 1884 Munshi Mehar Baksh started a morning (Naseem-e-Subah) and an evening newspaper (Sham-e-Wisal). Maulvi Saiful Haq started the daily Rahbar-e-Hind from Lahore in 1885. In 1902 Maulvi Sanaullah Khan started the weekly Watan which regularly published for 33 years. Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar started Naqueeb-e-Hamdard in 1912. Later it called only Hamdard. In the very same year Maulana Abul Kalam Azad started Al-Hilal. After Zameendar it was the largest circulated newspaper .On March 20, 1919 Mahashai Krishn started Partap. Partap was the first newspaper, which started supplements.

Newspapers and movement for independence

Before the freedom following newspapers and magazines were started to support the freedom struggle. Khilafat, Siasat, Ujala, Taj, Roznama-e-Hind, Ajmal, Hilal, Milap, Partap, Tej, Qaumi Awaz, Jung, Anjam, Inqualab, Nawa-e-Waqt, Hindustan, Aftab, Jumhuriat, Iqbal, Asr-e-Jadeed, Azad-e-Hind, Sandesh, Vakeel, Khidmat, Musalman, Azad, Paswan Weer Bharat and Al-Jamiath. Jawaharlal Nehru started Qaumi Awaz from Lucknow in 1945. Later it also started from Patna and Delhi. This time it is publishing only from Delhi and is in very poor condition. After Indias freedom Hafiz Ali Khan Bahadur started weekly Daur-e-Jadeed. Jamat-e-Islami Hind started weekly Dawat. This time it is publishing regularly as Bi-weekly. Dawat has a particular readership and it is very popular among its readers due to its views on current issues. Maulana Abdul Waheed Siddiqui started Nai Duniya, which is still publishing under the editorship of his son Shahid Siddiqui. This time it is the famous Urdu weekly in India. Sahara Group Had started monthly Rashtriya Sahara but later it became daily. This time it is the most popular Urdu daily of North India publishing simultaneously from Delhi, Lucknow and Gorakhpur. Recently this group has launched a weekly Aalmi Sahara.