A cup of morning tea without a newspaper by the side is like holding a fishing rod without dangling a bait on it. Newspaper with its wide ranging features and attractions has become the most sought after piece of informative material to start the day with for most people around the globe. With its coverage engulfing most areas and day to day requirements, newspaper has become indispensable nationally as well as internationally. What makes it all the more attractive is its highly qualitative approach to bringing people around on prominent issues and attractions of an ever advancing world. Even with all the advanced technologies on the media front, news paper undoubtedly maintains its uniqueness when it comes to bringing people and the world together.
Newspapers adorn not only residential houses. In fact it is made available in all offices, reception counters, restaurants, tea-stalls, shops etc. all of which display the daily newspapers in a prominent place or a corner, to attract guests in to a leisurely wait. Visitors who occupy their idle hours avidly scanning their contents hardly feel hours roll by while their hosts finish off with exigencies and urgent appointments. Newspaper has come to be regarded as a necessary ingredient that brings the world and various events at the flash of an eye blink. It is in fact a marvelous piece of attraction that has come to be regarded as a necessity for every human being, for keeping abreast of developments in and around the country and the world in general. Newspaper is, in fact, a symbol of refreshing drink that invigorates its readers while keeping the general public updated on important events and developments. To most people, reading newspaper in the morning hours is indispensable, it forewarns the government on the pulse of the people and the people are acquainted with what the government is about.
Newspaper, besides providing ample update on political developments and summarized interviews of people and departments alike, the intermittent interviews with high profile individuals and party dignitaries bring the news alive, leaving an eerie suspense in the minds of people and opponents alike. In essence newspapers keep alive a rhythm on every front with retorts and rebuttals while the general public make individual assessments on the performance of a government or the opposition.
Going by statistics, India is said to be having approximately 5,600 dailies in circulation in various languages all over the country. The above figure may provide an insight in to the literary status and informative standards maintained by the country. The whole structure and appearance of a newspaper is designed in such a manner as to make it appealing to every generation, be it rich or poor, young or old. One salient feature of a newspaper is that its style and focus keep changing according to time and requirements. Every segment of a society relish it with avidity, so much so, many people including business men and scholars cannot go without scanning the newspaper for once during the day.
NATURE OF ITS CONTENTS
A newspaper carries various features which, in essence, adorn its pages besides carrying headlines highlighting important events or happenings relevant to the occasion or period. Modern day newspaper caters to every class of people, by means of updates on business as well as economy related topics plus inputs on political events and personalities, interviews with people of high standing, providing news of vital importance with images and illustrations, besides classified columns which dwell on day to day requirements of different categories of people. In short, a newspaper may be referred to as an ‘encyclopedia’ of daily activities both inside and outside the country.
BENEFICIARIES OF A NEWSPAPER
Generally speaking every bit of print on the newspaper benefits various sections of a society frm diplomats, politicians, professionals like doctors, lawyers, business class, office goers, besides labour class, whether employed or unemployed and alos the students who form the core group of youngsters who are to shoulder the responsibility of taking the future of the country forward. The other all encompassing features of a newspaper include, among others, advertisements of various categories, minor items like forecast of weather, cross word puzzle as also astrological inputs and other classifieds. With such vast scope of comprehensive information features with dexterity and focus, with inputs systematically added to create the required colour and flavour needed to satisfy the readers, the newspaper holds tremendous scope for the upliftment of every section of masses towards a better tomorrow and immense benefit is derived through its informative pages all of which enable a person to step on to a better tomorrow. In essence, the newspaper is a ‘daily reckoner’, which imparts education and connects a today with the coming tomorrow, thus excelling in every aspect of life. It carries with it a future for every section of the society for earning livelihood and for achieving their desired goals.
ABUSES
This medium of instruction that holds great values for people and society at large, sometimes come under manipulation by certain categories of people, who tend to abuse its usage to further their vested interests. Incidentally, some people utilize its scope and circulation for furthering the sale of their products or for providing adverse comments on the competitor’s products through unlawful means. Faced with prospects of a bleak future for their products in the dwindling market, certain categories of people resort to planting incorrect information, with a view to confuse the market. Some even use this media to plant news items that do not conform to truth or at times may even directly infringe on the rights of another individual or section of the society. Such acts and manipulations by vested interests indirectly harm the reputation, not only of the products, but the paper as well and needs to be checked.
TILTING THE BALANCE
With very large number of dailies in circulation all over the country and the world as well, there is a need to base every bit of information that is brought out in print to be founded on ethics and truth. The world is gradually slipping towards a period of anarchy and insecurity among countries. Extremism has taken the centre stage of human existence. Media too is gradually going astray by undermining the achievements of the world leaders and projecting achievements of extremists rather than censuring the same. This approach is weakening the fight against terrorism or failing to achieve the desired results. The world is practically being bent to the will of extremists who have taken the world for a ride. There is need to counter this trend and the media should come forward to project the need for a concerned fight against terrorism, or else, it would be a ‘yesterday’ for the world and a blooming tomorrow for terrorists. Any departure from these criteria could jeopardize the progress of the society and the world at large, which is being continuously slammed by inclement forces of extremism and human rights violation.
For the Greater Glory of God! 