Journalism

and social
change
PRESENTATION BY GROUP 3:PAMELA,
SHARON,
PRINCY, PARTHIK, SHUSHMITHA
 Table of contents
01 02
A brief on journalism Media as a catalyst for
social change

03 04
How journalism changed When journalism
the world brought social change
 Journalism
• Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of
events, facts, ideas, and people that are the “news of the day” and that informs
society to at least some degree of accuracy.
• The first newspaper in India is credited to James Augustus Hickey, who launched
The Bengal Gazette, also the Calcutta General Advertiser, in 1780.
• Journalism also plays an important role in catalysing India’s development
measures, national integration and the fight for justice.
• It also acts as an interpreter for the general public by breaking down the
information in the layman’s language for consumers to understand.
• Indian media has become a critical tool in the name of power and politics to give
“voice to the voiceless” and to expose the face of the truth.
Media as a Catalyst for Social Change
In the present time of media
globalization, media is a backbone
of social growth, where everything
works due to information, it is the
media that brings all types of
changes and make according to
public opinion
• The media also continues to send information
to a society aware of rights and privileges.
• It’s called the fourth pillar of democracy.
• This allows even illiterate people to explore the
world of knowledge.
• Therefore, media, undoubtedly acts as an
catalyst for social change and growth.
 How journalism changed the world
● The world has changed journalism over the past
few decades: From exposing government
corruption all around the globe to giving a voice
to the voiceless.
● There are numerous more examples of
journalism's impact, From refugee crises all over
the world to a natural disaster in the Caribbean,
deforestation in the Amazon to ethnic tensions in
Asia, journalism has been there to cover the
events and share it to the world, raising
awareness and prompting people to take action.
● The truth is, the problems of the world cannot be
solved without journalism’s constant push for
change to come.
When journalism brought social
change
Example 1:
The leaking of the Panama papers, The
Panama Papers leak, which was as recent as
2016 a collection of personal financial
information of affluent individuals and
government officials. The whistle-blower
who leaked the papers was part of a
journalism ideal that put this exposé in the
public’s eye. In a time when many of the
affected individuals and governments
largely ignored this leak, it was journalism
that informed the public on decades-long
corruption, persuading the world to be
better.
 Example 2:
On December 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi set
himself on fire in Tunisia, protesting the
economic, political, and social turmoil's of his
nation. journalists quickly picked up the story,
and Bouazizi’s self-immolation spread like
wildfire throughout social media and news
platforms, reaching millions of people in the
Middle East and North Africa. Which gave rise to
'The Arab Spring' an anti-government protest
 Example 3

Mass media has played a very important role in the dissemination of the COVID-
related information to the general public and to follow safe practices.

Individuals who rarely read, watch, or listen to the news regularly before COVID-19
are now using it in routine. During this trying time with quarantine and isolation,
and those dealing with loss and grief, people turned to media to get information
about the pandemic.

For example, when a complete lockdown was announced in March 2020, people
were unable to come out of the shock for sometime and it was the media that
helped them to a large extent in knowing what would function and what wouldn’t
during the lockdown.

People were getting information regarding the availability of beds, oxygen supply,
vaccine through social media.

The media also helped the governments tackle the pandemic by creating a basic
awareness among the people on the disease and its spread.

The daily announcements given by the government to wear mask, to sanitize, to

check temperature, to quarantine and be safe.
The use of the internet and TV news increased during the lockdown and the use of
 Example 4:
Sati was the practice of the immolation of a Hindu
woman on the death of her husband in his funeral pyre.
Raja Rammohan Roy, the great Hindu reformer from
Bengal fought many societal evils prevalent in the Hindu
society of Bengal and Sati pratha was one of the chief
ones. He wrote articles in Sambad Kaumudi (Sambad
Kumauni was a Bengali weekly newspaper published
from Kolkata by Raja Ram Mohan Roy) advocating its
prohibition. He stressed with the East India Company
administration to ban this practice. Sambad Kaumudi
served as the principal platform for Ram Mohan Roy's
anti-Sati crusade.In it he wrote a series of editorials
condemning Sati as cruel and un-Hindu. Lord William
Bentinck became the Governor-General of India in 1828.
He helped Raja Rammohan Roy to suppress many
prevalent social evils. Sati practice in all jurisdictions of
British India was passed on December 4, 1829 by the
Governer-General Lord William Bentinck.
 Example 5:

The press played a notable role in the freedom struggle. They helped in the
dispersal of revolutionary ideas which helped in forming an opposition against
the British government. It began in 1780 with the first printed newspaper in
India, the Bengal Gazette. Run by Irishman James Augustus Hicky, the paper
was noted and had infamy for its satirical tone and repeated ridicule of the
British Raj, unfortunately the paper ceased to function in 1782,but left behind
quite the legacy.As time went on, many newspapers too note of the Raj's
stratergy of using Hindu-Muslim discord as a wepon to distract people from
revolting, in 1857 the newspaper Payam-e-Azadi took to spreading the message
that the British would continue to divide and rule if people didnt take a stand
agaisnt it. Alongside that, three newspapers Samachar Sudhavarashan,
Doorbeen and Sultan-ul-Akhbar, which were suppressed for their critical view
of the Raj. The Raj instituted a number of censorship measures from the early
1800s, at least one of which still survives to this day: the Sedition
clause( Section 124A of the IPC which states that a person will be charged with
sedition if they “bring or attempt to bring into hatred or contempt, or excite or
attempt to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in
India”)
The following acts were formulated by the British
Government to curb press:
Censorship of Press Act, 1799
Licensing Regulations, 1823
Press Act of 1835 or Metcalfe
Licensing Act, 1857
Registration Act, 1867
Vernacular Press Act,1878
Newspaper (Incitement to Offences) Act, 1908
Indian Press Act, 1910

The press in India formed the All-India

Newspapers Editors’ Conference, with the aim to
fight for the freedom of the press. Towards the
end of the Raj, though, pre-censorship continued.
The press being the ever-clever entity, continued
its resistance by using underground papers, radio,
art and graffiti ,this continued till the British
finally left from India.
References
https://manavrachna.edu.in/blog/media-as-a-catalyst-for-social-change/


https://www.youthinsights.org/post/what-role-does-journalism-play-in-today-s-s
ociety-journalism-is-the-air-we-breathe

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism

https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-Role-has-Social-Media-Played-in-C
OVID-19.aspx

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8219014/

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/how-the-press-participated-in-indias-fre
edom-struggle-873361.html

https://www.thehansindia.com/posts/index/Education-and-Careers/2015-03-
12/Role-of-the-press-in-freedom-struggle/136832
Thank you