Importance of Newspapers
Newspaper are a great power in themselves.
They are a great power to be reckoned with so much so that even very mighty and
influential persons in politics, industries or social life cannot dare to face
their hostility. Their freedom and power is of vital significance in democratic
countries. They work as the watchdogs of democracy, human rights and individual
freedom. They fill the gap between the public and the government and
administration by working as a bridge and meaningful means of dialogue. They are
not only one of the mass media but much more. They keep the public informed
about the policies programmers and planning of the government and record the
people's reactions, views, opinions etc. They help in making public opinion as
nothing else can do. Personal freedom is the essence of democracy and it
reflected in the freedom and influence of the press and the newspapers.
Newspapers should have full freedom to
criticize, condemn, warn, encourage and appreciate the workings of the
government based on their merit. It is the vigilant and investigative journalism
and brave, fearless and daring newspapers which have exposed many scandals,
scams, misdeeds and corruption of the governments throughout the globe. As such
newspapers carry a great responsibility and accountability. But there is no room
for yellow journalism, biased reporting, sensationalism, favoritism or unethical
practices. They have to be impartial, objective, fair, fearless, investigative
and responsive to public obligations. They should never try to thrive on
sensational, distorted and motivated news, views, interviews, editorials, etc.
They should never misuse their rights, privileges and powers. It is said that
power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The press should always
keep this universal truth in mind and never indulge in character assassination,
favoritism, untruths, half truths and exaggerated reporting.
Newspapers can be an instrument of great
public good or evil. Press can help in promoting communal harmony, national
unity, integrity, brotherhood, removal of superstitions and other social evils
like dowry, castes, gender-bias etc. On the other hand if abused and misused
they can be an instrument of humors, communal hatred, bloodshed, disintegration,
riots, conflicts and schism. The journalism in Pakistan has come of age and so
the newspapers have been discharging their duties and responsibilities fairly
well and appreciably.
We cannot think of life without newspapers.
They have become almost as essential as our daily morning tea or breakfast. If
there is a strike of newspapers for some reason even for a day, the readers miss
them very much. They feel a sort of void in their daily life and the uneasiness
can be seen writ large on their faces. They are the cheapest and a very rich
source of latest news, information, views, comments, commodity quotes, bullion
rates, stock market positions, government policies and programmers and much
more. They bring the whole world at the readers door steps and keep their
knowledge updated and upgraded. They are virtually an encyclopedia of day to day
knowledge. They have leading articles, editorials, interviews, comments and
reviews which are a good source pf public enlightenment. The ads about
vacancies, cultural activities, sales, marriages, hobbies, lost and found
articles etc are of great importance to the general public. Newspapers bring
people closer and nearer to one another and serve a great social, cultural and
national purpose. The news about games and sports, crimes, accidents, local
issues, books, cinema, etc is also of much value and significance. They have
become so important that even illiterate people want them to be read to them.
Many people have become literate only because they themselves wanted to read the
newspapers at their will independently.
In Pakistan today there are daily newspapers
in English, Urdu and all others regional languages. Besides daily there are
weeklies, fortnight lies and monthlies. The number of the Urdu newspapers is the
highest followed by English. The expansion in circulation, number of
publications and readership reflect their great popularity. With further
expansion of education and literacy in the coming years, their would be more and
more appreciable increase in terms of their circulation, readership, and
publication. The liberalization of economy, globalization of industries
popularity of stock markets etc augurs well for the newspapers. In spite of
electronic media like television, the hold of newspapers on the public will
remain firm and fast.
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