Amolo emmanuel N
Role of Newspapers in a Typical Society
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| 2.1.1 Role of Newspapers in a Typical Society
Newspapers have been universally accepted as one of the most dependable and convenient instrument of communicating information ever devised by man. Information is an important element in every sector of life, be it social, economic, political, educational, industrial and technical development. In the present world, it is a very valuable commodity as it has a great influence on public perception. The newspaper is an invaluable source of information and education, and by virtue of these, everybody ought to read the newspaper daily. Manish Rajkoomar (2012) notes that Newspapers keep the people aware of the activities of the government, mobilize public opinion, and play an important role in fighting the menace of corruption. The importance of newspapers by the illustrations of Cheyney (1992) is pushed further as being the textbooks that provide up to date information on local, state, national and world affairs, the most current analysis and criticism on policies and decision making, and even column and comics to make readers laugh. Humans naturally have the need to be informed, and this is what the media (such as the print genre) tends to satisfy. The information contained in newspapers could influence the agenda of the public, by tilting it towards those issues that they decide to cover more extensively (Cohen, 1963). According to Schoenbach (2005), newspapers are known to widen the range of public topics, events and issues their audience is aware of. This information need is as innate and highly motivating, as life sustaining needs (Duff, 1950). So, having a newspaper on the table every morning is just as important as having breakfast. Babalola (2002) opined that newspapers are the most accessible written documents to the largest proportion of people of all categories, young and old, students and workers, elites and peasants, literates and illiterates. He avers that newspapers have been used as vehicles for facilitating literacy empowerment, reflective in the way people gather daily to discuss contents of newspapers, inevitably promoting critical thinking, information retention, and problem solving. Traditionally being an adult preoccupation however, newspapers make a good tool to enhance reading and vocabulary skills in children. Wagaman (2008) states that a system which boasts of a vibrant reading culture would be easily defined as one in which virtually every household subscribe to at least a newspaper; a great way to introduce children to happenings and events around them – both past and present. Similarly, newspapers affect children’s development indirectly through the publications their parents read. Books and magazines inform adults how to lead healthy and productive lives and proclaim the dangers of unhealthy practices (Barbour et al, 2008). This helps them culture their children the same way. Ayepekun (1982) writing on information utilization by policy makers in Nigeria reported that newspapers and magazines are among the five most used sources of information by policy makers. In recent times, it has also helped in serving as invaluable historical research resources (Okorafor, 1991) in many areas of study. Mills (1981) agrees by noting that the newspaper is indeed often the only source of information of the social, economic, and political development of a nation, region, or community, and as such is an indispensable resource for researchers in the social sciences and humanities. Download 261.2 Kb. Share with your friends:
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