Newspaper Essay: Importance of Newspapers in Society

“In these times we fight for ideas, and Newspapers are our fortresses”

The word newspaper holds a different meaning for different people and ever since its inception in modern-day Europe in around 1780, it has evolved to be a very powerful means for not only mass communication but also has acted as the navigator for the social and cultural journeys of societies and nations in general. Newspapers are one of the oldest forms of mass communication which appears in printed form at low cost with varied frequency. Most modern-day newspapers appear daily with multiple editions throughout the day.

History of Newspaper: 

A look at its history suggests that the first newspaper published in India was Bengal Gazette in 1780. After that many newspapers started being published, most of which continue till today. Apart from narrating various events across the world, it contains articles on a wide range of subjects including politics, sports, entertainment, business, education, culture and more. It also contains opinions, editorial columns, weather forecasts, political cartoons, crosswords, daily horoscopes, public notices and more.

The relevance of newspapers can be reaffirmed by the fact that it covers all our facets of life and still hold a great deal of credibility in modern-day society,  as most people form their opinion based on the views presented in the newspaper of their choice. We have had credible examples of how newspapers have influenced the morale of a nation.

In its essence, a newspaper is a great source of information of Global, National, and regional news about Politics and socio-political dynamics that influence the world in general. Secondly, newspapers also hold a wealth of information related to business and market and provide both news and insights, many traders depend on a stock listing, as well as corporate houses, to keep track of industry through them.

Moving on, it is said: “Advertisements are the most honest part of the newspaper” and this can be seen clearly at all levels. The newspaper regularly publishes advertisements, both Government and private, along with public tenders and political advertisements.

Public Notices, government schemes and appeals to citizens are regularly published in leading newspapers to keep the public informed at large about the government activities. In this way, the media carries out its responsibility of being the fourth pillar of democracy. This is especially evident when news about GST, Budget, lockdown rules and public notifications about pandemics were regularly featured in newspapers.

Slightly different from these subjects, newspapers also contain sports news and analysis along with news from the entertainment industry and this news is a great point for the focus of enthusiasts of these fields. Movie buffs still plan their movie shows by referring to show timings in the newspaper in many tiers 2 and Tier 3 cities of India.

Benefits of Newspaper

Another popular section among youths is the notification regarding employment in various sectors. The government uses newspapers for publishing its recruitment schedule in different sectors. Private companies also largely use it to notify about vacancies and the nature of candidates desired. Another very important feature in newspapers particularly in the Indian subcontinent is the matrimony sections, the segregated caste sections are in fact used in many cases to find suitable matches by families and many marriages have come out of it.

One very important content about the newspapers anticipated by many people is the regular editorials and guest columns featured in the centerfold. In this section, some public intellectual or subject matter expert expresses their views and opinions on the matter of relevance and information. These columns are usually very informative and full of insight and they shape the opinion for a large audience. This also adds to the responsibility of newspapers that invite distinguished panels for their op-eds. In our country, the examinees of the prestigious UPSC consider newspapers like The Hindu and Indian Express as Bibles for preparation.

In spite of so many qualities, newspapers have also been under the spotlight in all ages, as it is responsible for presenting news to the public, it can also be used as tools of propaganda by people of vested interests and to keep honest knowledge from people. We have countless examples of this ranging from Hitler’s Nazi Party to the Vietnam war to the recent spread of fake news that has slowly started to infest newspapers. It has also been seen at the time that business parties owning press have a leaning towards a political party and they present misinformation or keep information from the public which can have a terrible long-term impact at all levels of society. Thus, the newspapers should be very clear in identifying and extinguishing their moral duties.

In conclusion, I would like to say that newspapers are a great medium of information as it gives the recipient the space to set his own tone of absorbing news and interpret the news based on his understanding, in contrast to the loud styles of electronic media. We should always keep in mind that “A great newspaper is a nation talking to itself”.

E-Newspapers :

E-newspaper have gained popularity with the increase in the use of electronic and technical devices. This type of newspaper format is more efficient and useful than the paper format. E-newspapers have various advantages. 

Some merits of using E-newspaper are -

• Cost-Efficient - These newspapers are available online on various news websites. Therefore, it reduces the distribution and transportation cost of the newspaper (which is comparatively more in physical newspapers). Along with this, one doesn't necessarily have to buy a newspaper to read it, it can be accessed free of cost. This saves the newspaper fee that we pay for paper format newspapers.

• Eco-Friendly - Nowadays, deforestation is becoming a main concern. It affects the environment in a negative way and promotes an imbalance of the ecosystem. To avoid this, we can use e-newspapers. These newspapers do not require paper (which is produced by cutting trees). Therefore, e-newspaper saves paper and contributes to maintaining the ecosystem without compromising with the requirements.

• Sharing of News - The physical format of newspapers is not useful for sharing the news and information with others. Whereas, E-newspapers can easily be forwarded to others by social networking sites. 

• Quickly Editable and Easy to Update - When something is printed on paper, it cannot be erased or edited. But, e-newspaper provides editing and updating of the newspaper. This is a good use of technology which makes e-newspaper better than the normal newspaper.

• Easy to Carry - The e-newspapers do not have physical weight and dimension like paper newspapers. This makes it easy to carry and handle the e-newspaper. It also helps in collecting huge amounts of data or news at once without occupying physical space.

• Can be Accessed Anytime - The paper newspaper sometimes gets misplaced, which leads to inconvenience. On the other hand, online sources keep records of the older newspaper as well. It helps in accessing old newspapers easily.