FOUNDATION COURSE I SYLLABUS

 

HISTORY OF FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE

The history of freedom of the press before India’s independence was characterized by a swing between imposition and relaxation of restrictions on the press. The attitude to the press depended on the personality and values of those in power at that time. The swing from freedom of the press to control of the press has persisted in the post-independence period again depending on the personality and values of those in power.

Before independence, the attitude to the press depended on the Governor Generals and Viceroys in power and after independence, the attitude to the press depended on the Prime Minister at that time.

In the post-independence era the press enjoyed a large measure of freedom because Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minster of India was a liberal who realized that for the successful functioning of democratic set-up, the freedom of the press was absolutely necessary.

Nehru had a liberal outlook. He was a democrat and welcomed criticism, whether it was from political parties or from newspapers. During his regime, the press was tolerated as he was quite generous in overlooking and ignoring its criticism of his government’s policies and programs. To him, criticism was a way in which the working of the government could be improved and so not only to be tolerated, but also to be encouraged.

Knowing the dangers of arbitrary government in the absence of free press, Nehru once said: “To my mind the freedom of the press is not just a slogan from the larger point of view, but it is an essential attribute of the democratic process. I have no doubt that even if the Government dislikes the liberties taken by the press and considers them dangerous, it is wrong to interfere with the freedom of the press. I would rather have a completely free press with all the dangers involved in the wrong use of that freedom than a suppressed or a regulated press”

Although Nehru was a liberal and believed in freedom of the press, but he was forced to enact laws curbing freedom of the press after independence in order to check increasing writings with communal overtones. He found that the press was contributing to the already difficult situation created by the partition of India on communal lines. On October 23, 1951 he got new Act passed called “The Press Objectionable Matters Act”. It was similar to the legislation passed during the British regime in 1908, 1910, 1930 and 1931. This Act was a reflection of Nehru’s concern over the newspapers’ role in rousing communal discontent in India. Objectionable matters included any words, signs, or visible representations which were likely to incite or encourage any person to resort to violence or sabotage for the purpose of overthrowing or undermine the Government, or to interfere with supply and distribution of food or other essential commodities or services. The passaging of this act brought protest from editors and journalists throughout India. The All India Newspapers Editors’ Conference, the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ), and the Language Newspapers Association passed resolutions protesting against the Press (Objectionable Matters) Act. Delegations and protests were made to Nehru and other members of the Government. Thus, although Nehru helped the passage of the 1951Act, he did not implement it vigorously.

Finally, in order to quiet the journalists, Nehru, in October1952, announced the formation of the Press Commission composed of distinguished personalities to look into the whole issue of the press in India. The Press (Objectionable Matters) Act was allowed to lapse in 1956. The Press Commission Report issued its recommendations in 1954.

The fact that Nehru was a liberal and did not favour the imposition of restrictions was shown during the Chinese aggression. Even during the 1961Declaration of Emergency which he called to deal with the Chinese incursions on India’s borders, the imposition of restrictions was minimal applying only to news relating to India’s defences. There was no concentrated attempt made by Nehru Government to systematically censor the press.

AVERAGE FREQUENCY - MAGAZINE - SIMPLIFIED EXAMPLE

 

MAGAZINE	READERSHIP	DUPLICATION MAG A	DUPLICATION MAG B	DUPLICATION MAG C	INSERTIONS
A	40	-	15	10	3
B	50	10	-	-	2
C	45	10	5	-	2

 

Average frequency – OTS / Net readership

 

OTS = Readership X Insertions

 

Mag A = 40 X 3 = 120

Mag B = 50 X 2 = 100

Mag C = 45 X 4 = 90

 

OTS = 310

 

Net readership = Readership – Duplication

 

Mag A = 40 – 25 = 15

Mag B = 50 – 10 = 40

Mag C = 45 – 15 = 30

 

Net Readership = 85

 

 

Average Frequency = 310/85 = 3.64

MEDIA AUDIT

 Media auditing is the practice of checking that the media that a client has bought is in the right places, at competitive prices. Being in the ‘right places’ is critical here: firstly, the audit has to establish that the media was transmitted, and if that is so, then that its placements are appropriate for the target audiences, environments and tasks that the advertising client needed for his brands.

 

Why media audit?

Media is typically the single largest line-item in the marketing budget (the making of the ad itself is typically about a sixth of the size of the media spend). For some organizations, media space or time (i.e. airtime on the TV or radio) is actually the single biggest purchase they make – ahead of any single raw materials cost. Because the sums involved are large, and because they can be cost-controlled via a media audit, it is simply good business practice.

 

Who uses media auditing?

Most major advertisers use media auditors in markets where developed solutions are possible.

At the basic level, media audits help marketers to check media rates they’re paying vis a vis the competition.

At a tactical level, media audits can report on the efficacy of media plans for a given time period. This includes suggesting alternate media options available to replace / supplement the existing mix.

And finally at a process level, media audits can track processes deployed at the marketer’s end and map them vis a vis “best practices” in the industry.

Thus, a media audit can be seen as a periodic review of the constantly evolving media scene from the advertiser's viewpoint.

 

Scope of Media Audit

An independent media audit team acts as independent consultant to brand marketers to assess whether the marketer’s media agency & their offering are aligned to the business needs of the client. In order to do that a media audit team provides the following services:

· Process Audit

· Planning Audit with New Media Options

· Buying Audit

Thus, Media Audit scrutinizes processes of media buying, scheduling, planning, rates across media and compares it with a benchmark. Media Audit essentially examines whether client got what it ordered, and if you they are paying for what they intended.

 

There is various aspect of Media audit.

 

a. Financial Audit: This audit essentially examines whether client got what it ordered, and if they are paying for what was intended.

Another aspect of financial audit is the payment. Client pays Media Buying Agency (MBA), who in turn pays the media supplier. Did the client money reach them, and did it reach on the due date? That involves reconciliation between what client paid for and where it went. Apart from this, there is also a need to check if the authority is being exercised correctly.

 

b. 'Return of rebates and discounts': The second type of audit is what is called 'return of rebates and discounts', which some media owners give the MBA directly for space or airtime bookings in excess of a certain volume.

So MBAs push advertisers to spend on a given medium or channel to gain volumes, and thus rebates. It is called agency volume discount. Advertisers would want that discount passed back to them, in proportion to their spends.

 

c. Critique: The third aspect of media audit is a critique on the way media planning has been done by the agency. Media audit examines if where client advertised was correctly optimized, both in terms of cost and in terms of thinking. A critique can, therefore, go into the kind of media chosen and then make qualitative assessments and comments. The media auditor audits the media plan to examine if the plan was fair and optimum.

INDIA’S FREEDOM STRUGGLE AND ROLE OF MEDIA

At the time of the first war of independence, there were many newspapers operational in India. Many of these like Bangadoot of Ram Mohan Roy, Rastiguftar of Dadabhai Naoroji and Gyaneneshun advocated social reforms and thus helped arouse national awakening.

In 1857, Payam-e-Azadi started publication in Hindi and Urdu, calling upon the people to fight against the British. The paper was soon confiscated, and anyone found with a copy of the paper was persecuted for sedition.

The first Hindi daily, Samachar Doorbeen and Sultan-ul-Akhar, faced trial in 1957 for having published a ‘firman’ by Bahadur Shah Zafar, urging the people to drive the British out of India. This was followed by the notorious ‘Gagging Act’ of Lord Canning where restrictions were imposed on newspapers and periodicals.

Some newspapers played a notable role in the struggle against the British. The Hindi Patriot established in 1853 by Grish Chandra Ghosh became popular under the editorship of Harish Chandra Mukherjee. In 1861, the paper published a play, ‘Neel Darpan’ and launched a movement against the British, urging the people to stop cultivating the crop for the traders. This resulted in the formation of a Neel Commission. Later, the paper was taken over by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The paper strongly opposed the Government’s excesses and demanded that Indians be appointed to top government posts. The Indian Mirror was the other contemporary of this paper which was very popular among the reading public.

Another newpaper Amrita Bazar Patrika which was being published from Jessore, was critical of the government, with the result that its proprietors faced trial and conviction. In 1871, the Patrika moved to Calcutta and another Act was passed to suppress it and other native journals.

Marathi Press:

Mahadev Govind Ranade, a leading leader of Maharashtra, used to write in Gyan Prakash as well as the Indu Prakash. Both these journals helped awaken the conscience of the downtrodden masses.

Another Marathi weekly, Kesari was started by Tilak from 1 Jan 1881. He along with Agarkar and Chiplunkar started another weekly journal, Mratha in English. The editor of the ‘Deccan Star’ Nam Joshi also joined them and his paper was incorporated with Maratha.

Tilak and Agarkar were convicted for writings against the British and the Diwan of Kolhapur. Tilak’s Kesari became one of the leading media to propagate the message of freedom movement. It also made the anti-partition movement of Bengal a national issue. In 1908 Tilak opposed the Sedition ordinance. He was later exiled from the country for six years. Hindi edition of Kesari was started from Nagpur and Benaras.

 

Press and the First Session of Congress

The Editors commanded a very high reputation at the time of the birth of the Indian National Congress. One could measure the extent of this respect from the fact that those who occupied the frontline seats in the first ever Congress session held in Bombay in December 1885 included some of the editors of Indian newspapers.

The first ever resolution at this Session was proposed by the editor of The Hindu, G. Subramanya Iyer. In this resolution, it was demanded that the government should appoint a committee to enquire into the functioning of Indian administration.

The second resolution was also moved by a journalist from Poona, Chiplunkar in which the Congress was urged to demand for the abolition of India Council which ruled the country from Britain.

The third resolution was supported by Dadabhai Naoroji who was a noted journalist of his time.

The fourth resolution was proposed by Dadabhai Naoroji. There were many Congress Presidents who had either been the editors or had started the publication of one or the other newspapers. In this context, particular mention may be made of Ferozeshah Mehta who had started the Bombay Chronicle and Pandit Madan Malaviya who edited daily, Hindustan. He also helped the publication of leader from Allahabad. Moti Lal Nehru was the first Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Lala Lajpat Rai inspired the publication of three journals, the Punjabi, Bandematram and the People from Lahore.

During his stay in South Africa, Gandhiji has brought out Indian Opinion and after settling in India, he started the publication of Young India; Navjeevan, Harijan, Harijan Sevak and Harijan Bandhu.

Subash Chandra Bose and C. R. Das were not journalists but they acquired the papers like Forward and Advance which later attained national status.

Jawaharlal Nehru founded the National Herald.

Revolutionary Movement and the Press

As far as the revolutionary movement is concerned, it did not begin with guns and bombs but it started with the publication of newspapers. The first to be mentioned in this context is Yugantar publication which was started by Barindra Kumar Ghosh who edited it also.

When the Ghadar party was organized in America, Lala Hardayal started publication of the journal ‘Ghadar’. Within one year, millions of copies of this journal were published in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi and English and sent to India and to all parts of the world where Indians were residing. In the beginning the copies of the journal were concealed in parcels of foreign cloth sent to Delhi. It was also planned to smuggle the printing press into India for this purpose. But then the war broke out and it became almost impossible to import printing machinery from abroad. Lala Hardayal was arrested in America and deported to India. One of his followers Pandit Ramchandra started publishing Hindustan Ghadar in English. With the U.S. joining the war, the Ghadar party workers were arrested by the American Government. When the trial was on, one of the rivals of Pandit Ramchandra managed to obtain a gun and shoot himself in the jail. The death of Ramchandra led to the closure of this paper.

In 1905 Shyamji Krishna Verma started publication of a journal Indian Sociologist from London. It used to publish reports of political activities taking place at the India House in London. In 1909 two printers of this journal were convicted. Shyamji Krishna Verma left England for Paris from where he started the publication of the journal. Later on, he had to leave for Geneva. He continued to bring out the journal from there for two or three years more.

In Paris, Lala Hardayal, in collaboration with Madam Cama and Sardar Singhraoji Rana brought our Vandematram and Talwar. After Yugantar, it was Vandematram that played a significant role in the freedom struggle. This journal was established by Subodha Chandra Malik, C. R. Das and Bipin Chandra Pal on August 6, 1906. its editor, Aurobindo Ghosh, the editor of Sandhya B. Upadhyay and editor of Yugantar B.N.Dutt had to a face a trial for espousing the cause of freedom.

As far as the Hindi papers were concerned, they looked to government for support for some time. Bhartendu Harish Chandra was the first to start a journal Kavi Vachan Sudha in 1868. Its policy was to give vent to the miseries of the people of India. When the Prince of Wales visited India, a poem was published in his honor. The British authorities were given to understand that the poem could also mean that the Prince of Wales should get a shoe-beating. The government aid to journals like Kavi Vachan Sudha was stopped on account of publishing what was objectionable from the government point of view. Bhartendu Harish Chandra resigned from his post of an honorary Magistrate. His two friends, Pratap Narain Mishra and Bal Krishna started publication of two important political journals. Two friends, Pratap Narain Mishra and Bal Krishna Bhatt started publication of two important political journals Pradeep from Allahabad, and Brahman from Kanpur. The Pradeep was ordered to be closed down in 1910 for espousing the cause of freedom.

The Bharat-Mitra was a famous Hindi journal of Calcutta which started its publication on May 17, 1878 as a fortnightly. It contributed a lot in propagating the cause of freedom movement. The journal exposed the British conspiracy to usurp Kashmir.

Several other papers published from Calcutta which played an important role in freedom struggle included Ambika Prasad Vajpayee’s Swantrantra, Ramanand Chatterjee’s Modern Review in English, Pravasi Patra’ in Bengali and Vishal Bharat in Hindi.

One of the foremost Hindi journalist who has earned a name for his patriotism was Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi. In 1913, he brought out weekly Pratap from Kanpur. He made the supreme sacrifice in 1931 in the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity. Krishna Dutt Paliwal brought out Sainik from Agra which became a staunch propagator of nationalism in Western U.P.

The noted Congress leader, Swami Sharadhanand, started the publication of Hindi journal Vir Arjun and Urdu journal Tej. After the assassination of Swami Sharadhanand, Vidyavachaspathi and Lala Deshbandhu Gupta continued the publication of these journals. They were themselves prominent Congress leaders.

In Lahore, Mahashaya Khushal Chand brought out Milap and Mahashaya Krishna started publishing Urdu journals which helped a lot in promoting the national cause. In 1881, Sardar Dayal Singh Majitha on the advice of Surendra Nath Bannerjee brought out Tribune under the editorship of Sheetala Kant Chatterjee. Bipin Chandra Pal also edited this paper for sometime. Later in 1917, Kalinath Rai joined the paper as its editor.

A. G. Horniman made the Bombay chronicle a powerful instrument to promote militant nationalism. He himself took part in the meetings where Satyagraha used to be planned. He published vivid accounts of Jallianwala Bagh carnage for which one correspondent of his paper, Goverdhan Das, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by a military court. Horniman too was arrested and deported to London even though he was ill at that time.

Amritlal Shet brought out the Gujarati Journal Janmabhumi which was an organ of the people of the princely states of Kathiawad, but it became a mouthpiece of national struggle. Similarly another Gujarati journal Saanjvartman played a prominent role under the editorship of Sanwal Das Gandhi, who played a very significant role in the Quit India Movement in 1942. It was soon after independent formed a parallel Government in Junagarh and forced the Nawab of Junagarh to leave the country. The three editors of the Sindhi journal Hindi Jairam Das Daulatram, Dr. Choithram Gidwani and Hiranand Karamchand, were arrested, their press closed and the property of the paper confiscated.

In Bihar the tradition of national newspapers was carried forward by Sachidanand Sinha, who had started the publication of Searchlight under the editorship of Murtimanohar Sinha.

Dev Brat Shastri started publication of Nav Shakti and Rashtra Vani. The weekly Yogi and the Hunkar also contributed very much to the general awakening.

There is not a single province in India which did not produce a journal or newspaper to uphold the cause of freedom struggle

Ref: Introduction to Journalism – Troy Rebeiro

Watch the video presentation of this topic by clicking - India's Freedom Struggle and the Role of Media

COUNCIL FOR FAIR BUSINESS PRACTICES (CFBP)

Council for Fair Business Practices (CFBP)

On October 2, 1966, the Late Mr. J R D Tata, the Late Mr. Ramakrishna Bajaj, Mr. Arvind Mafatlal and Mr. F. T. Khorakiwala, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s message came together and formulated a Code of Conduct for Businessmen. Out of this desire to build bridges of understanding between manufacturers and consumer, the Fair Trade Practices Association was born and later renamed as Council for Fair Business Practices (CFBP). It represented the coming together of a section of like-minded businessmen who felt the need to safeguard consumer interests in an organized manner through a forum of Self Regulation and thereby help elevate the public image of business.

Today this organization is the only of its kind in India and has as its member in some of the Country’s leading business houses and Trade Associations. Since its inception the Council has been propagating the code of Fair Business Practices which codifies the norms of business activities that ensure justice and a fair deal to the consumer.

CFBP was set up because doubts arise sometimes in the mind of the consumer about the business community due to some elements whose dealing with the consumer has not been devoid of unfair trade practices. There is a great need for better communication, understanding and rapport between the Consumer and Business. CFBP tries to bridge this gap. It insists on not only prescribing the code, but exhorts its members to steadfastly follow the code of fair business practices.

Though the council is a body of Businessmen, its main objective is to protect the consumer’s interest. The council has remained committed to the philosophy of self – regulation and has brought about awareness that the consumer’s right must be safeguarded and protected which will ultimately promote better business. The image of the business community needs to be improved to gain greater goodwill with the consumer. A satisfied consumer is the best insurance for a businessman. A customer would prefer to deal with a member of CFBP rather than with someone outside the discipline of CFBP

 

 

CENTRAL CONSUMER PROTECTION COUNCILS

 

Central Consumer Protection Councils

1.      The central council consists of:

·         The chairperson who is the minister in charge of the consumers’ affairs in the central Government.

·         Other official & non-official members representing such interest.

2.      They meet as and when necessary. At least one meeting has to be held every year.

3.      The chairperson decides where the meeting could be held.

4.      The objective of the central council is to promote & protect the consumers.

·         To stop marketing of goods hazardous to like property.

·         To be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard & price of goods.

·         The right to be assured and have access to a variety of goods at competitive prices.

·         The right to be heard & be assured that consumers interest will receive due consideration.

·         The right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or exploitation.

·         The right to consumer education.

The State Consumer Protection Council

Same as Central Consumer Protection Disputes redressal, agencies also known as District forums are set up by the state government.

Consumer Forum – Consumer Disputes redressal agencies also known as District forums are set up by the state government in each district. There may be more than one area district council in a district if the government thinks it is necessary. The central government can set up national consumer redressal commission.

Each District forum consists of:

1.      The president will be a person who has the qualifications to be a district judge.

2.      Two other members are persons of ability, integrity and standing with adequate knowledge or experience or capacity to deal with problem relating to economics, low, consumer accountancy industry, public affairs’ administration, one will be a woman member.

3.      Every appointment will be made by the state government on the recommendation of a select committee consulting of –

a)      President of the state commission

b)      Secretary, Law department of the state

c)      Secretary in-charge of the department dealing with consumers affairs

Every member will hold office for a test of five years or up to the age of 65 years. They cannot be reappointed. The salary or honorarium, other terms & conditions as may be prescreened by the state government.

They can entertain complaints where the value does not exceed Rs. 5 lakhs. The complaint will be within the local limits with the opposite party resides or carries on business with the permission of the district forum.

The commission has the power to award compensation not only for loss or damage but also for injustice, harassment & agony suffered by consumers. A complaint has to be filed by:

ü  The consumer to whom such goods are sold.

ü  Any recognized consumer association even if the consumer is not a member of the said association.

ü  Group of consumers.

ü  Central or state government.

Procedure on the receipt of complaint

·         A copy of complaint is sent to the opposite party asking him to give his version of the case within 30 days.

·         The opposition can proceed to settle the consumers’ dispute in a manner specified.

·         If a test or analysis of the product is to be made, the sample is taken from the consumers, & sent for the necessary lest. The reports of these tests are then sent to the district forum within 55 days. An extended period may be granted if necessary.

·         The complainant has to deposit such fees as may be specified to the laboratory to carry out the analysis. The report will be given to the district forum who will send it to the opposite party with appropriate remarks.

·         If the opposite party objects to the method of testing or the correctness of the finding, the opponent has to submit in writing the objection.