Prepared for: Mahmood Hasan (MOH)

Prepared by: Tazrin Rahman 0930336015

Jasmin Juthy 1130606030
Adnan Khan
Sohail Rafique
Asif Amin 1210092030
Section 5

Role of Newspapers in
Public Awareness


NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 2

Executive Summary

A newspaper is one of the most important reading materials in the life of a literate people. In the
modern age, without a newspaper a person cannot think of his/her daily routine life. The need for
a proper marketing of the newspaper marketing has arisen because of the rapid change in the
communication process. An effective marketing strategy is required to retain the current
customers as well as to attract potential ones.

Public awareness was very important work for newspapers since before independence to till now.
No one can decline the role of newspapers in public awareness. If we see the present example of
According to Anna Hazare's newspapers has played an important role to spreading his message
to common people. While a free press is an important part of a democracy no country allows
absolute freedom of speech in newspapers. It is for example, illegal to publish things that you
know are not true. It is also illegal to promote hate speech or to publish child pornography. In
most cases these are not particularly controversial restrictions and society can agree on where the
line should be drawn. However there are some areas where this may start to become a problem.
One of the issues is that just what constitutes the press has become extremely hazy.

One of the issues that the freedom of the press is facing is that most of the rules were made for
newspapers. Unfortunately newspapers are falling out of favor and being replaced by other
mediums. In most cases these mediums have more restrictions on them than newspapers did. For
example television has restrictions because there is a limit to the number of channels that can
exist. That means that the government has to determine who gets a broadcasting license. To a
certain extent this does allow them control over what is being said. Censorship on the internet is
even more of a problem because of the fact that anybody can put anything they want online. This
means that the government has to shut down whole sites sometimes in order to protect other
rights.


Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 3

Content

1. Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
2. The origin of newspapers---------------------------------------------------------------------------5
3. Newspaper and Public Opinion----------------------------------------------------------------6
4. Newspaper before use to build opinion-------------------------------------------------------8
5. Newspaper reflects public awareness---------------------------------------------------------9
6. The Role of Newspapers in Modern Age-----------------------------------------------------10
7. Newspaper in Social Development-------------------------------------------------------------13
8. Yellow Journalism--------------------------------------------------------------------------------15
9. Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
10. Recommendation----------------------------------------------------------------------------------19
11. Bibliography----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------21
12. Appendices------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------22









Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 4

Introduction
Newspapers have become an essential part of modern life. They are printed and published in
each and every language known to man all over the world. Newspapers are called the mirrors of
the world. They reflect and report the trends and happening from all parts of the world. Usually,
they cover every aspects of life- national, international, local, social, political, cultural etc. They
design in a complete picture of our day-to-day life. This is why from the all powerful presidents,
prime ministers and CEOs to the unemployed youth and job seekers, all begin their day by
reading the dailies.
Newspapers are the guardians of democracy. They keep the general peoples well-informed to the
world about the goings on. Well-informed public is essential for the success of a democracy.
People have to be made aware of all the important happenings. Newspapers perform the duty of
making people aware of everything. They form the public opinion and turn the people for or
against the moves of the rulers. This is why even the most fears one dictator is afraid of the
press. They picture every aspect including jokes, matrimonial, huddles, scientific facts, and
cinemas etc.
Besides, newspapers also add to the knowledge of the readers by informing them about the new
discoveries, inventions and products. The magazine selections of newspapers provide a colorful
bouquet of information and entertainment. The advertisement published in the newspapers also
serves a great purpose. Matrimonial advertisements help people to find suitable life partners.
Newspapers also help people to buy and sell property.
It is doubtless true that over the centuries media attention has helped the public to monitor and
challenge elites. In time, this attention has eroded the power of some of those elites, but only at
the point when the press itself became big business, elite with secrets of its own. What the
balance sheet would show the new distribution of power, and whether the public has a right to
feel included in the power structure because of its news consciousness, should get more attention
than it has.
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 5

It is true of the past and the present and it is true of the future also. Neither the advent of the
television nor that of the Internet could affect the importance of the newspaper. The reason for
this is the width, breadth and the depth of the news provided by the newspaper, its low cost and
the ease of providing the news at our leisure and comfort as many times as we desire.
The Origin of Newspapers
Public officials in ancient Rome posted news of the day in a public space, but it was not until the
invention of the printing press in the late Middle Ages that mass-
produced printed matter became possible. One hundred fifty
years after the invention of printing from movable type by
Johann Gutenberg in 1447, the first regular newspaper, Avisa
Relation oder Zeitung, appeared in Germany in the early 17th
century. The first English-language newspaper, the Weekly
Newes, began publishing in England in 1622.It was followed in
the 1640's and 1650's by a plethora of different titles in the
similar newsbook format. The first true newspaper in English
was the London Gazette of 1666. Over the next few generations,
small pamphlets and broadsheets were the primary source of printed information in both England
and the colonies of North America, although they were generally geared toward business
matters. One of the first newspapers in the U.S. was Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and
Domestick, which began appearing in Boston in 1690.
These early prototypes of the newspaper eventually developed into
publications that appeared on a more regular basis in localized
geographic areas. At the time of the American Revolution, 35
newspapers were published in the 13 colonies. Many of these
papers and their successors over the next few generations were
concerned with political issues of the day and were rather
expensive. This changed during the 1830s, however, when
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 6

technology and publicity popularized "penny papers." The New York Sun was one of the first of
these to gain wide spread readership.
The development of quicker, more efficient printing methods led to a rapid growth of
newspapers in the U.S. during the 19th century. As the country expanded and new metropolitan
centers sprang up, so did newspapers that served the interests of the region. A growing literacy
rate among the populace also helped make such printed matter more popular and profitable. In
the latter decades of the 20th century, papers such as the New York Times and the Wall Street
Journal have become esteemed sources of news in the U.S. and have wide distribution outside of
the cities where they are produced.
Until the 1980s, many cities had more than one newspaper, and it was not uncommon for a large
city to have three or four competing dailies. By the 1990s, many papers had disappeared or
merged so that only one or two noncompeting papers coexisted in major cities. Smaller regional
newspapers provide a mix of local news with national and international items. Such papers
usually have correspondents in New York, Washington, D.C., and the major cities of the world.
Tabloid newspapers, presenting more sensational news and features such as detailed crime
stories, first appeared in the U.S. in the 1920s. The word tabloid refers to the size of the printed
page, which is generally half the size of a standard newspaper.
Newspaper and Public Opinion
Napoleon Bonaparte said: "Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly
consult." Newspaper has played a very great role in the formation of opinion. Wilcox in 1899
made an analysis of the content of a large number of newspapers. In 1924 another analysis of a
similar nature was made. Certain changes in content were evident, especially, however, the
increased space given to advertisements and the decrease in space given over to editorial and
readers' opinions. The business department of the newspaper has come to overshadow all other
aspects of it. It is today more and more a great commercial concern interested in profits and
organized with an eye single to stock dividends.
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 7

Since 1869 when the first edition came off a flatbed press in a Main Street building in downtown
Chambersburg Public Opinion has been a part of life in the Cumberland Valley, and the county's
most comprehensive source of local news and information.
Public Opinion began as a weekly newspaper and then became a daily first published in the
morning, and in 1921 it became an afternoon paper. By 1931, Public Opinion had bought two
other newspapers with long histories in Franklin County, The Franklin Repository and Valley
Spirit.
While other area media may provide a limited amount of Franklin County news, Public Opinion
is the sole news organization devoted 100 percent to covering Franklin County's diverse
communities. Moreover, we are continuing to expand our online efforts, to take advantage of
ever-evolving platforms and technology for gathering and delivering local news and information.

In all of these digital forms, and no doubt many more to come, Public Opinion's mission of
service to the community will remain the same. We have deep roots in Franklin County and an
historical standard to uphold.
Newspaper Circulation
(per 100 households)






(See appendix 1)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 8

Newspaper before use to build opinion
While readers generally turn to newspapers for unbiased factual reporting, newspapers also
typically include a fair bit of opinion. Opinion may be woven into news articles, it may appear in
specific opinion pieces written by the editor or the editorial board it may appear in the writings
of individual columnists, or it may appear in editorial cartoons or other parts of the newspaper.
Historically, some newspapers have had a particular editorial bent, leaning in one political
direction or another. In some larger communities, there might be two or more newspapers, each
with a strong affiliation with a particular political party or set of political ideals. Readers could
then choose the newspaper that they wished to read based on their own interests. Journalists
today typically strive to maintain objectivity presenting a story without bias but readers
can still choose from among many different media outlets, and there are still often distinct
differences in the ways in which different newspapers, television news channels, and radio
networks.
Examples of public opinion build by newspaper earlier on different vital issues are on World
War One, Russian revolution, Great Depression, World War Two, Decolonization, Soviet
Atomic Blast, Iranian Revolution, Chinese Revolution, Globalization , the war of liberation in
1971. Newspapers played a vital role during the Independence war of Bangladesh. All kinds of
brutally tortured & killing incidents were the lead news of all Bangladeshi newspapers During
the liberation war a number of newspapers were published from different parts of the country.
With the help of these newspapers, journalists brought out the latest information about the war &
made public unity against Pakistani militants. That time almost 36 newspapers were published.
Most of them were weekly & few of themes were dailys. Two newspapers were in English
edition. Public opinion in newspaper played a vital role to separate East Pakistan from West
Pakistan.


Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 9

Newspaper reflects public awareness
Newspaper plays a vital role in public awareness. In our country different public awareness role
played by the newspaper are about Autism, Reproductive Health, Disaster reduction ,Road safety
, environmental issues, Contamination of drinking water by arsenic ,Labor rights and safety etc.It
is due to newspaper public awareness that Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) had been
withdrawn from Bangladesh.
Awareness about health care:
The status of mens knowledge of and awareness to maternal, neonatal and child health care are
largely unknown in Bangladesh and the effect of community focused interventions in improving
mens knowledge is largely unexplored. This study identifies the extent of mens knowledge and
awareness on maternal, neonatal and child health issues between intervention and control groups.
Here newspaper played a vital role for creating awareness about our health.
Public awareness about environmental issues:
Newspaper played a very important role in creating awareness about different environmental
issues such as Sanitation, pollution, wetland management, waste management, surface water
management, forest and protected area management, natural disaster, land degradation, some
local and regional concerns, environmental management, international issues related to
environment etc. While there is now widespread agreement that urban environmental issues are
important, there is little coherence in how international agencies and others define the urban
environment and identify its critical problems. This is not just a semantic question, as it is
intimately related to how and where funds are allocated and to who can expect to benefit from
the resulting environmental improvements. Most of the confusion arises from the qualifier
environmental and what it should mean in an urban context. If urban environmental problems
are defined and pursued too broadly, then almost all urban development initiatives can be labeled
environmental. For example, Einsteins oft-cited definition of the environment as everything
that is not me, could be used to designate anything from better shopping facilities to better
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 10

televisions as urban environmental improvement. Thus the newspaper can create much
awareness about environmental issues and can give us a better life to live in.
The Role of Newspapers in Modern Age

The world today is much smaller than what it originally was, thanks largely due to the
development of communication methods and skills. The history of mankind proves that every
event has its relevance and significance with respect to the time in which it has occurred. And
these communication skills have the unique distinction of contributing so much to the
development of society that no other single sphere of human activity can boast of the same.
Newspapers form the major means of vehicle of these communication systems which have
helped the society change for better, over the years.
The society during the course of its evolution all over the world has involved people in large
numbers irrespective of their proximity to the centre of events. The people at the same time
could actively participate and bring about the changes in society and thereby in their life styles
by responding to the events in proper time. This is largely attributable to the credit of media
especially the newspapers since they are effective, economically viable and readily available to
the large section of people. The mankind has a unique want of responding to the hardships of
their breather, crossing the national, linguistic, ethnic and socio-economic barriers in times of
crises and calamities. The newspapers have always played a significant role in arousing the
awareness amongst the people to such necessities.
In a democratic set up where freedom of speech is a vanguard of parliamentary institutions, the
newspapers have almost single handedly defended the rights of the citizens when the same were
threatened and the events have shown that the newspapers were instrumental in bringing the
downfall of governments who have systematically defied the democratic institutions. The
newspapers act as watch-dog of the government administration and officials ever on the vigil for
malpractices, corruption, lethargy and indolence on the part of the government services. No other
period of human history as the present one has seen the importance of the role played by
newspapers. The unification efforts of some countries, the exposure of corrupt leaders of some
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 11

regimes, the downfall of some governments, the sufferings caused by natural calamities like
earthquakes, the pangs of separation caused by terrorist activities and the horrifying malaise of
famine in some other parts of the world are but a few example of events of every day nature that
were instantaneously brought to the millions of readership all over the world, evoking response,
arousing sympathy and paving way for emotional upheavals. The newspapers thus are the only
means of touching the hearts of mankind which is otherwise miles apart and has no palpable
impact on developments occurring in other parts of the globe. The newspapers bring the world
that much closer wherein one society responds to the needs of another, one country sympathizes
with the requirements of another thereby cultivating and installing a sense of belonging in the
process, quite imperceptibly though.
The newspapers have another unique distinction of having seen the times good, bad and
turbulent, as the history unfolded past them. They have seen countries under slavery, win
freedom, developed in all spheres of society and became powerful developing countries in the
present day society. No other innovative cataloguing of human history can be paralleled to such a
systematic and continuous logging of events. This is how the newspapers act as conduit for a
meaningful continuity of human behavior in all respects from one generation to another. The
present day newspapers educate the readership of developments in a gamut of field's viz.,
Science, Engineering. They also act as intermediaries for social activities like matrimonial,
personal advertisements etc., thereby becoming an indispensable part of human life. The amount
of readership in any society is invariably taken as a yardstick to the awareness of those citizens
of the developments taking place around them.
The absence of such an umbilical cord to the society is like producing an ultra modem limousine
without incorporating the brake system. It will affect the human sensitivity to the sufferings of
their fellow humans. The absence of newspapers will be catastrophically to the survival of
fairness in public life and half the society would not know of the developments in the other's
half. It will lead to ignorance of events occurring in one region to the other, the relevance of all
modern developments in Science and Technology would be futile simply because they cannot
reach the large sections of the people effectively. Lastly it amounts to lack of service on on-line
encyclopedia of human history and doing away with a faithful witness of ail events of human
activity.
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 12

A life without newspapers is hence a life frightfully unimaginable and incredibly hard in the
sense it takes the life styles of mankind to the pre medieval times, reducing life to a mere
existence.
However, in the new age of electronic media, the newspapers have lost significance to people
interested only in news and sports. Yet for avid readers of newspapers, these are as important as
their morning cup of tea or milk.







(See appendix 2)

Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 13

We are living in the age of communication and information explosion. The public media-Radio,
Television and press are banging and howling twenty four hours. The easy, cheap and quick
means of communication have brought the distant corners of the world closer. We can say that
world has shrunk; developing countries are in constant contact with the developed world. They
are benefiting from their experiences.
The newspaper is the main organ of communication. It contains both news and views on matters
of public and national importance. It now a day stands for mass communication it plays a
versatile role in national life and in promoting international understanding and friendship. The
newspapers enables the people to know about the happening and important events in the country,
states and the world at large. The more advanced country is the more organized and powerful in
the press. And the more educated and cultured are the people, the most they expect from the
press, if developing societies want to march on the road of progress and prosperity they must
have healthy press and newspaper. Because developing societies need advancement in all sectors
of life and that would be possible through more education and knowledge and the newspapers
are the best source of knowledge.
The newspapers are very important for developing society because they have great influence on
national life. They express views on various matters like social, political, economic, educational,
recreational and even religious. Thus they create guide, educate and shape public opinion. By
raising their power full voice against any attempted invasion on peoples rights and liberties they
act as the over watchful guardian of people.
Newspapers not only educate and enlighten public opinion but they also pay a role of educator
by publishing comments, criticism and review on various branches of knowledge. The readers
become conversant with the thought current of the world and it creates curiosity for knowledge
and love of learning. Everything is possible by knowledge and learning. The huge circulation of
daily newspaper proves what immense responsibilities the newspapers have and brings out their
versatile role in national life. In the third World and developing societies like Pakistan the
newspapers have additional responsibility since the majority of the people are illiterate and camp
followers, they depends up on the literate ones for their opinions on social issues and the press or
the journalists have to play the role of guiding and moulding the public opinion. The newspapers
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 14

not only help the people to from opinions in political field, but also in other spheres of human
activities. Thus the newspapers have great responsibility and social obligation in developing
societies.
The information provided by newspaper has a great educative value for all. In its functioning the
newspapers not only educates the thinking of the people but also guides and channelize thinking
of people in right directions. Right and healthy functioning of democracy in developing countries
depends on enlightened views and nature opinion of the people. The Demos must know what are
their rights and duties and how to exercise them without fear and favour. The electorate must
know that vote is sacred trust and it must be exercised in the best interest of nation the present
political chaos in the third world countries in general and Pakistan in particulars is due to
ignorance and indolence of the masses. Newspapers need to play their due role in order to run the
democracy smoothly.










Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 15

Yellow Journalism


Yellow journalism, in short, is biased opinion masquerading as objective fact. Moreover, the
practice of yellow journalism involved sensationalism, distorted stories, and misleading images
for the sole purpose of boosting newspaper sales and exciting public opinion. It was particularly
indicative of two papers founded and popularized in the late
19th century- The New York World, run by Joseph
Pulitzer and The New York Journal, run by William Randolph
Hearst.
It all started, some historians believe, with the onset of the rapid
industrialization that was happening all around the world. The
Industrial Revolution eventually affected the newspaper
industry, allowing newspapers access to machines that could
easily print thousands of papers in a single night. This is
believed to have brought into play one of the most important characteristics of yellow journalism
- the endless drive for circulation. And unfortunately, the publisher's greed was very often put
before ethics.
Although the actual practice of what would later become known as yellow journalism came into
being during a more extended time period (between 1880-1890), the term was first coined based
on a series of occurrences in and following the year of 1895. This was the year in which Hearst
purchased the New York Journal, quickly becoming
a key rival of Pulitzer's. The term was derived,
through a series of peculiar circumstances, from a
cartoon by the famous 19th century cartoonist,
Robert Outcault called "The Yellow Kid". This
comic strip happened to use a new special, non-
smear yellow ink, and because of the significance of
the comic strip, the term "yellow journalism" was

Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 16

coined by critics.
Sadly though, this period of sensationalist news delivery (where the so-called yellow press
routinely outsold the more honest, truthful, unbiased newspapers) does stand out as a particularly
dark era in journalistic history. The demand of the United States people for absolutely free press
allowed such aforementioned newspapers, which often appealed to the shorter attention spans
and interests of the lower class, to print whatever they so desired. This means that they could
easily steal a headline and story directly from another paper, or simply fabricate a story to fit
their particular agenda.
One of the more disturbing features involved with the former practice of yellow journalism, and
the period in which it was most active in is that there is no definite line between this period of
yellow journalism and the period afterwards. There only exists evidence that such practices were
frowned upon by the general public - by 1910, circulation had dropped off very rapidly for such
papers. But regardless, does this mean that yellow journalism simply faded away, never to
return? Or did it absorb itself into the very heart of our newspapers, where it will remain forever?
One thing is for certain - after the late 1800s, newspapers changed drastically, and still show no
sign of changing back. The modernly present newspaper appearances of catchy headlines,
humorous comic strips, special interest sections, intrusive investigative reporting, et cetera serve
as a constant reminder that one must always stay skeptical when examining our news sources.
People involved in yellow journalism always make mansions and bank balances by black
mailing the influential. They collect monthlies from corrupt officials and criminals for not
publishing news against them. In our country many journalists are involved in such activities.
This glamour of yellow journalism has attracted many criminals and corrupt people towards
journalism. Now honest persons of press are being seen as useless persons. But yellow
journalists are being counted efficient persons.
Yellow journalism is harmful for nation as well as democracy and peoples rights.If one
disregards the obvious marketing that is used to hook readers, newspapers may actually prove to
be reliable sources of information.
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 17

Conclusion
Newspaper is one of the initial communication tools of the society. Theyve been the most usual
and a generally received medium to be used in conveying the local, regional, international and
national news to readers. Ever since the beginning of the society, the newspapers were published
to convey the latest happening in different parts worldwide.
Today the major dailies employ correspondents to collect news from all over the place and also
from agencies. They write about any and every event happening at all corners of the world. They
act as the guardian of the society. They help in developing public opinion. It acts as a mirror of
the society and informs everything in minute detail, thus helps in forming a collective opinion.
In this contemporary time the role of newspapers is very significant in the promotion of trade,
commerce, and business. Big corporate houses and business houses promote their products by
putting in giving roomy ads on papers. Advertisements like the classified advertisements,
significant community announcements and communal notices also make up the chief content &
substance of newspapers. Sporting, educational as well as campus news, cultural activities, dance
drama, and fine arts are a few of the indispensable features of every primary newspaper. The
readers get the knowledge of any and every activity happening in and around the area. They read
about the opinion and reviews, the editorials and feature articles to know about the incident in
detail.
The modern day paper also has a column, the letter to the editor section, in which the reader can
write about his grievances or appreciation about any report or incident in the society. The
newspaper also informs about the political activities, the new laws or the sports and activities
happening in the society.
Apparently after reading these paragraphs it seems that the role of news paper is to convey
information and help in developing public opinion only. In reality, it is not limited to this extent.
A modern day paper has done miraculous activity in recent years and shown that even in the age
of internet and news portal, the radio and television, newspaper can still change the life, the
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 18

though and mind of the society. They can still help in creating a common opinion and work as a
corporate social responsible tool and fight for justice if needed. They can change the government
or help in punishing a criminal by simply acquiring public support and demanding justice. This is
one of the major tools of democracy.
Ever since the formation of society news paper has always helped people. Today they are doing
the same. In general level they inform people about the incidents or promote products of the
companies. It even informs about job vacancies and admission in school or colleges. You are not
sure about what to study or how to get admission just read the students corner and find all the
answers. It is easy, cheap and quickly available. The best part is it can be referred back any time
and can be documented for future reference.











Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 19

Recommendation
Newspaper publishers spend millions of dollars annually to ensure that the newspaper arrives at
the newspaper stand or the subscribers doorstep every day. Reporters track down stories and
editors diligently maintain the editorial integrity of the newspaper. The production department
meticulously guarantees that advertisements make it onto the right page. It is no small feat that
this daily production process has continued for centuries across every city and town in the world.
Therein lays the rub. With a resolute focus on both the published newspaper and production
efficiencies, newspapers have become true stalwarts of the industrial age.
The last decade has ushered in a new era, the information age, which is characterized by an
unwavering focus on customers. A newspapers most valuable asset is customer acceptance.
Today, customer service means more than delivering the newspaper on time, every time. Many
newspapers are transforming their organizations from manufacturing-oriented enterprises to
customer-centric businesses and relying on customer relationship management solutions to help
catapult newspapers into the new age (Margaret 2002).In the early of the eightys of the last
century the then government of Bangladesh had declared the newspaper sector as an industry.
Now a day it has become a wide and very important industry of the economy of our country. At
present there are about four hundreds national daily newspaper sand more than two thousand
magazines in the country [Siddique 2002]. This is one of the most dynamic sectors of our
economy. A revolutionary change has been occurring in this industry especially from the last ten
years.
Journalists are the standard bearer of truth and justice and serve the truth regardless of any race
or political philosophy. They are completely unbiased and not influenced by the vested interest
groups. Because of the fearless and truthful journalism of bold and honest media men, the world
is getting the truth about incidents happening around us. Recently I have noticed with concern
that your esteemed newspaper is showing a complete biasness about the current crisis in
Bangladesh through depicting a particular political party and their student organization in a
derogatory and a monstrous way. You may not like their political philosophy but that should not
shake and destroy your ideology and moral fabric. In a pluralistic democratic society we respect
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 20

freedom of expression and the right of every ideology to participate in the political process. It is
for the people to decide whether they would support their political agenda. In a civil society
journalists play a pivotal role to bring tolerance and understanding between opposing views. This
is more applicable under the prevailing situation in Bangladesh.

I have not seen a single newspaper article or an editorial about protecting the decision of the
judiciary about the recent war crime verdict. Journalists should not encourage any group of
youths to dictate and overstep on the decision of the country's judiciary.

Why the youth should be encouraged to hang an old man overriding the decision of the justice
system? We should learn to be compassionate not to be vindictive. Look at the history of South
African liberation. Nelson Mandela could have exacted the revenge after a brutal apartheid, but
he decided to forgive those inhuman criminals for the sake of national unity. We expect the
Bangladesh journalists to perform like that and for the truth.






Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 21

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Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 23

Appendix-1
Following an average drop of 10.6% in the last 12 months, daily newspaper circulation has fallen
to a pre-World War II low of an estimated 39.1 million, according to an analysis of industry data
released today. The first double-digit circulation decline in history means only 12.9% of the U.S.
population buys a daily newspaper. The analysis is based on data provided by the Audit Bureau
of Circulations, an industry-funded group.
Newspaper circulation now is lower than the 41.1 million papers sold in 1940, the earliest date
for which records are published by the Newspaper Association of America. Back in 1940,
newspapers were purchased by 31.1% of the population. Sunday circulation, which fell an
average of 7.5% in the last six months to an estimated 40.9 million copies per week, is at the
lowest point since 1945 when it was 39.9 million.
At that rate papers in the last six months reached only 13.5% of Americans, as compared with
28.5% in 1945, when the population was less than half the size it is today. Our circulation
estimates are calculated on the entire universe of some 1,400 dailies in the United States. In
announcing the most recent circulation decline, ABC put daily readership at 30.4 million for the
379 newspapers in its sample, which reflects most of the biggest papers. But a lot of smaller
properties are not counted in the ABC figure.
Appendix-2
The study, examining the attitudes of over 24,000 consumers, finds that the most-trusted medium
for news and information is newspapers (87% & 72%), television (85% & 81%), and then radio
(84% & 78%). Only (76% & 57%) respondents selected online news sources as most trusted .
When it comes to advertising influence, even though it falls outside the most-trusted territory,
respondents were more likely to turn to the internet for product research and recommendations
on brands to buy, with 61.1% saying it was the top source that influenced their brand-buying
decision.
Role of Newspaper in Public Awareness P a g e | 24


Traditional media lagged behind online in the realm of influence, yet still remained significant--
for example, over 28% of respondents noted TV commercials as holding the most influence.
Examining traditional media as a whole -- TV, radio, and newspapers combined influenced 64%
of consumers to buy a product or service after seeing it advertised.