Print Media

The print media in India began as a tool for social and political awakening. Its earliest role was in spreading the ideas of the social reform movement and later in mobilising support for the nationalist movement. After Independence, this tradition continued: the print media saw itself as a partner in the task of nation building. It took up developmental issues and, importantly, gave voice to the widest section of people — not just the elite or the urban literate.

A key insight into the spirit of early Indian journalism comes from an editorial in The Hindu (13 September 2003). Journalism was then regarded as a ‘calling’ — a vocation driven by patriotic and social reforming idealism, not by profit. This idealism attracted outstanding talent, especially as the freedom struggle and movements for social change intensified, and as new educational and career opportunities opened up in a modernising society. A telling detail: the calling was conspicuously underpaid. The transformation of journalism from a calling into a profession took place over a long period. This shift mirrored the change in character of a newspaper like The Hindu — from a purely societal and public service mission into a business enterprise, though one still framed by a societal and public service mission.

The gravest challenge the print media faced came with the declaration of Emergency in 1975, when censorship was imposed. Fortunately, the period ended and democracy was restored in 1977. India, with its many problems, can be justifiably proud of having a free media. …