The press performs a very important role as means of mass communication in the modern world. The press tries to inform its reader objectively about what is happening in their community, country and the world at large. To bring certain developments into focus, editorial comments on the news are also given. Newspapers also play a very important role in eliminating undesirable conditions prevailing in society. Sometimes, newspapers carry on campaigns for some highly desirable civic projects and serve society in this way.
Purpose and Functions of Journalism
There is some 8 important function of journalism to inform, to interpret and educate, to guide, to entertain. The detail of each is given below:
Information
This function includes all reports, news and happenings concerning the daily life. It does not include any information involving or concerning the pursuit of leisure. But it does cover all news regarding government politics, foreign affairs, weather, accident, business, labour, education. This function consists mostly of matter, which is given, in news broadcast on the radio and T.V. as well as in the news columns of the newspapers and magazines
Interpretation of News
The need for interpreting and explaining the news in our day and age is readily manifold because their own fields of knowledge baffle even the specialists at times. The ordinary mortal caught in a maze of economics, science or invention needs to be led by the hand through its intricacies. Accordingly, present day journalism sees to it that along with its announcement of a fact, event or theory, the reader or listener also gets explanation, background material interpretation and diagrams. These are all aimed at helping an individual to achieve a better understanding of the significance of what he reads or hears:
Entertainment
Side by side with its more serious roles as a purveyor of information, interpreter and molder of opinion, journalism lays increasing emphasis on its function as an entertainer. Under this Function can be included all types of fiction like comic strips stories amusing aspects of everyday life etc. It also includes factual material sports news, theater reviews and hobby columns, which deal with leisure. The entertainment function of the press is very important. This function not only competes for space and time with either functions but it can also exert indirect influence and impart information incidentally
Advertising
This function of the press can very easily be recognized because it is commercially oriented. Sometimes, the advertisements also have some pubic service message under the prestige advertisements regarding family planning, driving safely, childcare, health care etc. The commercially oriented advertising seeks to promote the sale of their goods.
Generally, people have to depend upon the press for the major share of their total news information because even television newscasts cannot carry that much bulk, nor could the television viewers assimilate it, if they did. Of course, information can be written and edited in such a slanted fashion that there exerts more influence than the printed editorial. Entertainment is the most important function of journalism, because it is like a magnet, which attracts and holds a large audiences. It plays a vital role in selling newspapers and magazines by the millions. The sports pages, comic strips, astrology columns advice to the lovelorn and crosswords are essential to the average newspapers survival as a mass media.
The entertainment function’s greatest threat to good journalism is its competition against information and influence for media space and time and consumer attention. Addition of an extra page of comic strips may add to circulation and accompanying advertising revenues, thus enabling the newspaper to add editorial material, or it may simply oust a few columns of news and commentary. Similarly, a second lovelorn column not only steals space from significant offerings, but also tempts more readers away from the remaining substance.
There is no doubt that information and influence play an inevitable role in the success of the largest general interest. For example, much space of Reader’s Digest is devoted to articles and opinion pieces, about government foreign affairs current morality issues, and education. Advertising also plays a very important role in the success of running a mass media. Advertising provides the largest part of the revenue to finance the most elaborate technically sophisticated press system. In fact all sorts of daily newspapers, magazines; publications depend on advertising revenue. Advertisement also supplies essential marketing information to the public and helps information businessmen of changes within their fields.
Education Function
The journalism / newspapers not only provide the information to the people but they also educate people by providing guidance on various .issues through the editorials and column. The need for interpreting and explaining the news in our day and age is readily manifold because their own field of knowledge baffled even the specialists at time. Accordingly, the present day journalism see to it that, along with its announcement of a fact, event or theory, the reader or listener also get explanation, background material, interpretation and diagrams. These are all aimed at helping an individual to achieve a better understanding of the significance of what they read or hear.
News Function
The most important and exacting function of journalism / newspaper is the provision of a daily or periodical supply of news and all the news. The provision of news to the readers is a basic concept and Ale newspaper journalism.
The function includes all reports news and happenings concerning the daily life, it does include any information involving or regarding Govt. politics, foreign affairs, weather, accidents, business, education etc.
Opinion for Motives
It means influence the opinion of the readers through editorials, articles or certain special features. In journalism people are not only informed, guided and entertained but they all influenced to have their opinion on certain issues. In certain cases, the opinion of people is diverted to another direction, sometimes, to negative and sometimes to positive direction.
Guidance
From the earliest days journalism has sought to influence mankind. Journalism endeavors to sway the minds of men through the printed words, cartoons and pictures as they appear in the newspapers, magazines, pamphlets and books and through the spoken words over the air.
Avowedly the newspaper strives to influence its readers through its articles of opinion, its editorial, its cartoons, and its signed column etc.
By Journalism we mean collection and editing of material of current interests for presentation through print media.
Now-a-days Journalism developed into a full-fledged social discipline and News is the essence of Journalism. Journalism is actually the information, education and guidance as such information is one of the constituent part of Journalism. It stands for writing for newspapers or magazines. It is the communication of information through writing in periodicals and newspapers.
Thus Journalism means communication of information regarding the events of day through written words, sound or pictures.
