Role of Press in 21st Century

Role of Press in 21st  Century

 What is Press  ?

The press is a broad term now; it not only includes newspapers, new weeklies and magazines but also all them journalists working in the media orient and electronic. It plays great role in the iteration of public opinion. It also acts as a regulator and reflector of the same interacting, between the people and political parties in people.Hence, if the character of the press is healthy, the democratic system will be more transparent to what are the views and reactions of the people in respect thereof.

History

Around 13B.C. in Rome there grew a practice of putting up two handwritten bulletins in the main public square. These bulletins were known as Acta Diurnaa‛. It is believed that this was the first newspaper.

By the early 19thcentury, many cities in Europe, as well as North and South America, published newspaper-type publications though not all of them developed well content was vastly shaped by regional and cultural preferences. Advances in printing technology enabled newspapers to become an even more widely circulated means of

communication.

The first newspaper in France was published in 1631-La Gazette. The first newspaper in Portugal a Gazeta da Restauracao was published in 1641. The first Spanish newspaper, Gaceta de Madrial was published in 1661. The first newspaper in India was published by James Hicky in January 1780. It was called the Bengal Gazette and it was “weekly political and commercial paper.

         The impact of media is really noteworthy. Excessive coverage or type of sensitive news has led to communal riots at times. The illiterates are prone to provocations than the literates. Constant repetition of the news especially sensational news breeds apathy and insensitivity. For instance, some actions on TV lead children to imitate and they suffer.

         Commercialization of Press has created a stiff competition. In order to outdo each other print media has often gone one step in publishing negativity.

Freedom of the press refers to freedom of speech and expression which  is and always should be fundamental right. Without this right the liberty of man is not complete.

The Press has helped to make our society a democracy by placing emphasis on issues that at one point in time would have been considered strictly private such as child birth, homosexuality, child care, domestic violence, and sexual harassment.

Press has to perform an important role in guarding democracy of the country. Through press people come to know about the government‛s working, through news, debates, panel discussion and reports.