Role of Press in
knowledge dissemination and
social awakening
DR J BALAMURUGAN

Introduction
 The term 'mass' refers to a large body of people in a compact group. The mass consists of an
audience unseen and unknown.
 Mass Media, comprises the institutions and techniques by which specialized groups employ
technological devices like Press, Radio, Television, Computer, films, Internet etc. to disseminate
knowledge: to large heterogeneous as well as widely dispersed audience.
 Mass Media has been universally characterized by four attributes these are: (1) Broad appeal (2)
Speed (3) Availability (4) Low cost.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Print media
 The industry associated with the printing and distribution of news
through papers.
 Print media refers to paper publications circulated in the form of
physical editions of books, magazines, journals, newsletters, etc.,
 Magazines, newspapers, flyers, scholarly journals and other
materials that are physically printed on paper are examples of
print media.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Press in India
 The introduction of printing press in India was an event of revolutionary significance in the life
of Indian people.
 Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the founder of the nationalist press in India.
 The awakening and growth of national consciousness among them gave rise to the nationalist
press.
 The history of the Indian Press was the history of the increasing diminution of its liberty, in
spite of minor vicissitudes.
 The history of Indian nationalism proves that the freedom of the Press in India suffered a
proportional curtailment.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Act related to press
 In 1799, Lord Wellesley appointed an official censor entrusted with the duty of passing
all matter for publication and framed drastic rules to punish those who infringed them.
 Lord Hastings repealed those restrictions in 1818.
 In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was enacted.
 This Act restricted the freedom the vernacular Press.
 The Vernacular Press Act was repealed in 1882 by Lord Ripon.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Conti..
 Till 1908, the Indian Press enjoyed considerable freedom.
 However, due to the phenomenal growth of the nationalist movement , the Newspaper
Act was passed in 1908 and the Indian Press Act in 1910.
 The Indian Press enjoyed relative freedom till 1930.
 However, the Press Law of 1932 and Foreign Relations Act of 1932 diminished the
freedom of the Indian Press.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Knowledge dissemination and social awakening
 The Press was a powerful factor in building and developing Indian nationalism and
nationalist movement, social, cultural, political and economic.
 With the Press, all India conferences of nationalist organizations prepared and held and
big political movements organized and directed.
 Since the Press was a powerful weapon of the nationalist struggles, the Indian
nationalists staunchly fought for its freedom throughout the Indian nationalist
movement.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

 The Press alone made possible exchanged of views among different social groups of
different parts of the country.
 The establishment and extension of the Press in India brought about a closer and
intellectual contact between the Indian people.
 The Press also helped the growth of provincial literatures and cultures, which were
provincial in form and national in content.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT
Knowledge dissemination and social awakening

 The Press was an effective weapons in the hands of social reform groups to expose social
evils such as caste fetters, child marriage, ban on remarriage of widows, social, legal and
other inequalities from which women suffered and others.
 It also helped them to organize propaganda against such inhuman institutions as
untouchability.
 It became a weapon in their hands to proclaim to the masses, principles, programmes, and
methods of democratic reconstruction of the Indian society.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT
Knowledge dissemination and social awakening

 Further, the Press also brought to the Indian people, knowledge of the
happenings in National and world level.
 It became a weapon to constrict solidarity ties between the progressive forces of
different countries.
 Such as the role of the Press in the building up of an increasingly strong
national sentiment and consciousness among the Indian people, in the
development and consolidation of their growing nationalist movement, in the
creation of national and provincial literatures and cultures, and in the forging
bonds of fraternity with other progressive peoples and classes in the outer worlds.
Knowledge dissemination and social awakening

Advantages of Newspaper
 Newspaper is read by huge number of population, so news or information can be made
available easily.
 Newspaper is not very expensive so anyone can buy newspaper.
 If anyone wants to publish advertisement or any useful information then he can publish
easily in any size format or any page of newspaper.
 Reader can read news any time whenever he wish and able to read information again and
again.
 Now a days newspaper is made available directly to your house by many vendors, so no
need to go and buy newspaper everyday.
 Newspaper is available in various languages so you can choose the newspaper of your
choice.

Advantages of Newspaper
 Newspapers are lighter in weight hence it is easy to carry anywhere you want.
 Almost all the latest news are covered in the newspaper which gives information about the
latest trend going on in the world.
 You can also increase vocubulary and general knowledge by reading newspaper daily and
regularly.
 Weather report, sports events, business news, local news as well as world news is available
in newspaper.
 Entertaining things like puzzles, stories and crosswords are also available in the newspaper.
 Newspaper are ecofriendly and easy to recycle.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Disadvantages of Newspaper
 In some of the newspaper the advertisement space may be expensive.
 As the Internet, Television or Radio are used widely by many people , so advertisers prefer
newspaper less for advertisement compared to Internet and other medias.
 Newspaper can be easily discarded once read, so less chances for advertiser to convert
the advertisement into leads or sale.
 Competitors can easily see the price of your product and hence they quickly react to your
prices.
 Sometimes in some newspaper the news which are shown are false. The news are even
twisted and distorted.
 Sometimes poor printed image quality is seen in the newspaper.
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Benefits of Press
 Cheap
 Back volume
 Multiple information
 Regional languages
 Door delivery or open market
 By post
 Chart, statistics, graphs with history/comparison
 Without electricity
 Easy to carry in travelling
 Via Digital
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT

Thank you
Dr J Balamurugan - 13961, VIT