MCM101 Lesson 14

LESSON 14: EMERGENCE OF PRINT MEDIA AROUND THE WORLD

1. Where and when did the first newssheets appear?
   Newssheets appeared in Venice, Italy, in the 1500s.
2. What was the first newspaper published in America and when?
   The first newspaper published in America was Public Occurrences in Boston in 1690.
3. Who published the Boston News-Letter and when?
   John Campbell published the Boston News-Letter in 1704.
4. What was the name of the first regular publication from the Indian subcontinent?
   Hickey’s Bengal Gazette or the Calcutta General Advertiser, started by James Augustus Hickey in 1780.
5. Which was the first newspaper published from Madras (Chennai)?
   The Madras Courier was started in 1785 in Madras.
6. What was the first Urdu daily newspaper and who started it?
   Urdu Guide was the first daily newspaper, started by Maulvi Kaberenddin from Kolkata in 1858.
7. Which Urdu newspaper was known for its high circulation and support for the freedom struggle?
   Zameendar, started in 1903 from Lahore, was known for its high circulation (30,000) and support for the freedom struggle.
8. According to the lesson, how many daily and weekly newspapers were there in the United States at the time of writing?
   In the United States, there were 1,745 daily and 7,602 weekly newspapers.
9. Explain how the print media surfaced in the Indian subcontinent.
   The print media surfaced due to foreign rulers; the English influence led to the appearance of early papers in southern cities like Calcutta and Madras before spreading to other parts.

1. Explain the significance of James Augustus Hickey’s Bengal Gazette.
   Hickey’s Bengal Gazette is regarded as the first regular publication from the Indian soil, though it specialized in scurrilous attacks on Sahibs and officials, leading to Hickey’s imprisonment and penury.
2. How did the Urdu press contribute to the movement for independence in the subcontinent?
   Newspapers like Zameendar, Khilafat, Siasat, Milap, and Partap were started to support the freedom struggle, with Zameendar highly supporting the cause and having a large circulation.
3. Describe the role of the colonial establishment in the early development of Indian newspapers.
   The colonial establishment started newspapers like the Calcutta Gazette, and designated certain publications like the Madras Courier and the merged Bombay Gazette & Herald as the purveyors of “official notifications and advertisements.”
4. Explain the business motivation behind newspapers striving for higher circulation.
   Higher circulation makes advertising more effective, allowing newspapers to attract more advertisers and charge higher rates, thus generating more revenue.
5. How has the print media specialized over the decades beyond spreading information?
   It now provides services in entertainment, education, and welfare, with the advertising business creating enormous financial and employment opportunities.
6. Explain the impact of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 in the United States.
   The Alien and Sedition Acts forbade criticism of key government officials, representing an early attempt to control and censor the press, though they were repealed in 1800.
7. How did the penny press introduce the era of mass communication?
   The penny press made newspapers affordable to the masses in the 1830s, significantly increasing circulation and democratizing access to information.
8. was one effect in the Indian subcontinent?
   One effect was that the first newspapers were started by the British or under their influence, such as Hickey’s Bengal Gazette, and were often used for official purposes or faced suppression by colonial authorities.

1. Analyze the following scenario: In 1920, a newspaper editor in India must decide whether to publish a story critical of the British government. Based on the lesson, what historical context informs this decision?
   The context includes laws like the Press (Emergency Powers) Act of 1931 and the States (Protection against Disaffection) Act of 1922, which were used to suppress criticism, meaning the editor risked legal action and imprisonment.
2. A modern media analyst notes that many newspapers now have online editions. How does this reflect a trend mentioned in the lesson about early 20th-century media?
   The lesson mentions that newspapers provided some or all content on the Internet. This reflects the ongoing trend of print media adapting to new technologies to maintain and reach audiences, just as they adapted to telegraph and telephone earlier.
3. Based on the lesson, why might a newspaper in the 19th century sacrifice higher circulation numbers for an audience with a higher income?
   Because advertising sales also market demographics; an affluent readership might be more valuable to certain advertisers, allowing the newspaper to charge a premium for ad space even with a smaller circulation.
4. Apply your knowledge: How did the introduction of the telegraph in 1864, as mentioned in the lesson, transform newspaper reporting?
   The telegraph allowed for the rapid transmission of news over long distances, enabling newspapers to report on events much more quickly and from much farther away, making the news more timely and expansive.
5. A journalist in 1900 is writing about the growth of print media in the US. Based on the lesson, what statistic about employment might they cite?
   They might cite that around 120,500 people were working in the print industry a hundred years after the first US publication, showing significant growth and job creation.
6. Why was the publication of “Relations” in France in 1605 a significant milestone?
   Because, according to the World Association of Newspapers reckoning cited in the lesson, it is considered the first newspaper, marking the beginning of a 400-year history of newspapers.
7. If you were to explain the early challenges of Urdu journalism, what would you say based on the lesson?
   Early Urdu newspapers were mostly weeklies or biweeklies with very low circulation (100-350). It took until 1858 for the first daily to emerge, and publications like Zameendar played a crucial role in supporting the freedom struggle despite challenges.
8. Based on the lesson, what is one key difference between the first newspapers in America and those in the Indian subcontinent?
   The first American newspaper, Public Occurrences, was shut down after one issue by colonial officials, while in the subcontinent, early papers like Hickey’s Bengal Gazette, though facing persecution, marked the beginning of a continuous tradition of colonial journalism.