Monday, 3 April 2017
: Mass Communication and Media Studies: An Introduction
Subject: Mass-Media
and communication
Roll No: 14
Topic: Mass Communication and Media
Studies: An Introduction
Introduction:
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 inform society to at least some degree. The word
applies to the occupation
(professional or not), the methods of gathering information, and the organizing
literary styles. Journalistic media include: print, television, radio, Internet, and, in the past, newsreels.
Concepts of the appropriate role
for journalism vary between countries. In some nations, the news media is
controlled by a government intervention, and is not a fully independent body. In others, the news media is
independent from the government but the profit
motive is in tension with constitutional protections of freedom of the press. Access to freely
available information gathered by independent and competing journalistic
enterprises with transparent editorial standards can enable citizens to
effectively participate in the political process. In the United States,
journalism is protected by the freedom of the press clause in the First
Amendment.
The most important thing to understand about
journalism is that its entire purpose is to serve the citizens,all the citizens,of a democratic society. When you keep that in mind,
you can better understand some of the more specific roles journalism plays.
Journalist’s first obligation is to the truth.
When
citizens have reliable access to information that they can trust is truthful
(not outright lies or propaganda), they can make better decisions and better
govern themselves. For example, citizens should be able to rely on journalists
to provide them with truthful information about candidates so they can decide
who to vote for. The same goes for all aspects of our lives in which we make
decisions, whether it's when we're buying a car, choosing a school, or even
just deciding on a movie to see.
Other important roles journalism
fulfils are to, "serve as an independent monitor of power" and
"offer a voice to the voiceless." Powerful people often try to get
away with bad things. If journalists weren't there to expose them, those
powerful people would just get away with it. On the other hand, most of the
people in this world aren't powerful, but their perspectives and
stories are still important. Journalists can be the ones to find those
powerless people and give them a voice.
Development and characteristics of
Journalism :-
Around 130 B.C. in Rome there grew a
Practice of putting up two hand written bulletins were known as 'Acta
Durna'.this was Probably the first news paper, dealing with events rather than
views.
origin of modern western style Journalism
may be traced back to Occasional news book of 17th Century England which events
which had no headlines and large type of letters were used. from 1720 Onward
news and views were kept Separate. industrial Revolution brought in so many
profitable advertisements that news gradually began to be Published into the
inside Pages. views into the expressed more widely in Pamphlets as
"Essay" like those of addision and steels in 'The Spector
Definition of Journalism:-
words
'Journal', 'journalist' their origin in french word 'Journal' meaning a book
and it has it's origin in turn in the Roman word "Durnails' meaning daily.
journalism is instant history, an account of history as it is made.
journalism
is report of things as they appear at the moment of writing not a definitive
study of a situation .
journalism is contemporary report of changing scene intended to inform
readers of what is happening around them. in the modern times, journalism
has been turned into a business and an industry.
its main function is to carry different kinds of advertisements that help it to
be financially viable and Politically indipendent it's other functions
include reporting local , national and inernational news and offering
interpretation and Opinions into a business venture, the fundamental function
remains to tell readers to advertisers.
besides, it aims at encluding and entertaining it's
readers so that they can participate fully in the affairs as well.
Types of Journalism :-
journalism helps to explain the
events that impact our lives and is developed in a number of forms and styles
uses different techniques and writes for different purpose and audiences. so
journalism can be categorized into several types as enlisted below.
1.
Advocacy Journalism
2.
Broadcast Journalism
3.
Investigative Journalism
4.
Tabloid Journalism
5.
Yellow Journalism
- Advocacy Journalism
The origins of advocacy
journalism are somewhat obscure. Interestingly, the NAACP's official magazine,
The Crisis, founded in 1910, claims to have its origin in advocacy writings of
the early 1800's.
Today, examples of advocacy journalism
are ubiquitous. One of the clearest examples of this can be found in the
published materials from major American political parties, where information is
discussed from the particular party's point of view and bias, with the intent
of influencing public opinion. Certain types of investigative reporting can be
considered as advocacy journalism. Current events, especially those that are
potentially divisive, also provide an abundance of subject material for advocacy
journalism. Presently or recently popular topics such as the use of hydraulic
fracturing ("fracking") in hydrocarbon exploration, the causes of
global climate change and the direction of public policy with regard to a
potential Ebola epidemic are all examples of good fodder materials for advocacy
journalism.
Critics of advocacy journalism argue
that the biased content produced lacks objectivity and can prejudice the
public. Some journalists reject this notion, suggesting that pure objectivity
is difficult to achieve. They would argue that receiving information from
several sources, with different points of view, is incumbent on the consumer of
journalistic content. Other journalists, however, reject this view and maintain
that it is the writer's obligation to be objective, explicitly point out bias
and opinion, and let the reader decide how to interpret the information.
2.
Broadcast Journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are
"broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods instead of the
older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods
include radio (via air, cable, and Internet), television (via air, cable, and
Internet) and the World Wide Web. Such media disperse pictures (static and moving),
visual text and sounds.
Scripts for broadcast tend to be
written differently from text to be read by the public. For instance, the
former is generally less complex and more conversational. Radio and television
are designed to be seen and heard sooner and more often than a daily or weekly.
3.
Investigative Journalism
Investigative journalism
can be defined a type of journalism that tries to discover information of
public interest that someone is trying to hide.
It also includes serious
crimes, Political corruption or corporate wrongdoing an investigative
journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report.
4.
Tabloid Journalism
Print media has played a very important role in Western
history, particularly in places like England and the United States. In American
history, for example, the ability to communicate through newspapers helped
American colonists form a national identity and spread ideas about revolution.
For nearly as long as print media has existed in the hands of private industry,
the desire to sell more papers has encouraged a degree of sensationalism. True
tabloid journalism, as we know it however, begins in the late 19th century.
tabloid first described a small and condensed newspaper, it quickly grew to
define a style of journalism based around graphic crime stories, gossip, and
even astrology
- Yellow Journalism
Yellow journalism, or the yellow press, is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched
news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers.
Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering or sensationalism. By extension, the term yellow journalism is used today as a pejorative to decry
any journalism that treats news in an unprofessional or unethical fashion.
Conclusion
Notably in the American media landscape,
news rooms have reduced their staff and covering as traditional media channels.
such as television grapple with declining audiences. for instance between
2007 and 2012, CNN edited its story Packages into nearly half of this original
time length.
This compactness in coverage has been linked to broad audience attrition,
as a large majority of respondents in recent studies show changing
Preferences in news consumption. The digital era has also ushers in a new
kind of journalism in which ordinary citizens play a greater role in the
Process of news making
https://www.google.co.in/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=types+of+journalism&*
Anti-colonial struggle in A grain f wheat.
Roll No: 13
Paper: African
Literature
Subject: Anti-colonial struggle in A grain f
wheat.
Submitted to: MK Bhavnagar University, Department of
English.
Introduction:
A
Grain of Wheat is a novel by Kenyan novelist Ngũgĩ
wa Thiong'o first published as part of the influential Heinemann African Writers
Series. It was written while he was studying at Leeds University and first published in 1967 by Heinemann. The title is
taken from the Gospel According to St. John, 12:24. The novel weaves together
several stories set during the state
of emergency in Kenya's struggle for independence (1952–59), focusing
on the quiet Mugo, whose life is ruled by a dark secret. The plot revolves
around his home village's preparations for Kenya's Independence Day
celebration, Uhuru day. This novel is his
great work. And give him a significant turn
in his literary production, as a Marxist and Fanonian militant attitude
replaces the liberal Christianism of his first works.
A Grain of wheat” chronicles the events leading up to Kenyan
independence, or Uruhu, in a Kenyan village
At the beginning
of the novel, as independence approaches, several visitors come to mugo s door.
They ask him to speak at the Uruhu celebration and become a leader, and also
ask if kihika mentioned karanja, a worker for the white government who is
suspected of betraying his friend, before his death. Kihika, a rebel fighter
from the village, was captured and publicly hanged. Mugo denies knowing
anything about kihika s death and says he ll think about making the speech.
The novel “A Grain
of wheat” reveals a number of characters experiences during the lead-up to
Kenyan independence, or Uruhu. Mugo is one of the central characters. He feels
detached from the world around him, and he is fearful of the attention given to
him by the townspeople. Mugo s connection with the woman in the hut is a
central element in the story. They are connected by their common loneliness.
Mugo has no one, and he cannot bring himself to participate in the community.
The old woman has lost her son, and she talks to no one. She lives isolated,
away from the world, sequestered by loss and trauma.
Religion is an
important element in the novel. The white men brought Christianity to Kenya,
and many blacks take up Christian religion. However. The existing religions do
not die. At the Uruhu celebration, the town will sacrifice rams in a
traditional sacrificial rite. At the same time, kihika is a devoutly religious
man, comparing the struggle of the black man in Kenya with the struggle of the
Jews to be freed from the pharaoh. His bible is full of underlined passages,
and one passage that Gikonyo reads becomes important mugo. God is on the side
of the oppressed and will save the impoverished and downtrodden. Mugo, though
not moved by kihika s abstract ideas of freedom and black unity, is moved by
the idea of the poor and the suffering. He empathizes with individual tragedy.
The
novel ends with Uruhu. Kenyan independence is the end era, and beginning of a
new one. No one knows what is coming, good or bad. Political corruption
corruption certainly exists, and the wealthy seem to remain wealthy while the
poor remain poor. Still,
Uruhu means change, and change means hope. The celebration is a coming together
of the people a time for unity in the quest to move forward.
The Representation of the Mau
Mau Movement:-
Mau Mau rebellion has been known in Africa and worldwide as an anti-colonial
movement, it has been recorded in the British memory and history as an
atavistic and fanatic movement which resisted western modernity and
civilization.
“What’s
this thing called Mau Mau?”
A grain of wheat can be called a traditional novel for Ngugi as its thematic
focuses moves toward militant nationalism. Mau Mau has long been a
controversial historical topic not only among the Europeans but the Kenyans
themselves as they argue over whether or not it was a primitive and irrational
movement lead by the religiously fanatic Gikuyu and how it should be remembered
in national history. In a nationalist reading, a grain of Wheat can be said to
be Ngugi’s project to speak for the Mau Mau movement as he tries to contest the
history of the Mau Mau as written by the British. The contestation is
significant in a sense that it aims at reconsolidating the collective identity
of Kenyans in the post-independence era.
The Mau Mau Uprising, also known as
the Mau Mau Rebellion, Mau Mau Revolt, or Kenya Emergency, was a military
conflict that took place in British
Kenya between 1952 and 1960. It
involved Kikuyu-dominated groups
summarily called Mau Mau, the
white settlers, and elements of the British
Army, including local Kenya
Regiment, mostly consisting of the British, auxiliaries, and anti-Mau Mau
Kikuyu.
The capture of rebel leader Dedan Kimathi on 21 October 1956 signalled the
defeat of the Mau Mau, and ended the British military campaign. The Mau Mau
failed to capture widespread public support,[8] partly
due to the British policy of divide
and rule, and the movement
remained internally divided, despite attempts to unify its various strands. The
British, meanwhile, could draw upon their ongoing efforts to put down another rebellion in Malaya.
What is Uhuru?
The definition of the actual meaning of Uhuru is an open political and
social question: the new Kenyan bourgeoisie sees it indeed as the possibility
to replace the colonizer without changing the existing social, political and
economical structure. Whereas for Gikuyu peasants Uruhu means a profound break
with the colonial past, a rebirth which has to bring about the restitution of
the white settlers who wants to rule over the others. So Uhuru is a struggle
for the freedom and to get individuals own existence and identity. So Uruhu is
the central question into the novel it also related with the national
conscience.
Conclusion:
By sum up I would like to say that the novel is not only indicates the
nationalism but also it reflects the sign of national epic. The Kenyan writer
offered a romantic view of a nation marching towards freedom. The sacrifice the
natives gave did go in Vain. Mugo confesses and the community is overtaken. The
novel gives us detail about the physical, psychological and political impact of
the revolt on small village people. The novel can be summarized as a
“collective act of recalling and reflecting on the past” that is a narrative of
nation. The narrative is divided between the new national bourgeoisie and the
peasants. And in this way we will say that the novel is an ant colonial
struggle of national epic.
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