Keywords
Awareness
Newspapers
Journalists
Vernacular Press
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
Information creation, distribution, and manipulation are crucial activities in today’s society. The unrestricted dissemination of information is a prerequisite for a vibrant democracy. In 2005, the Indian Government enacted revolutionary legislation, the Right to Information Act (RTIA), a major weapon for journalists and citizens alike. The Act grants every citizen the right to seek information from the public authorities.
This paper, recognizing the crucial role of journalists in utilizing the right to information, aims to investigate the coverage of RTIA-related issues by the vernacular press. The study has employed content analysis of two select newspapers: the Guwahati editions of Asomiya Protidin, the largest circulated Assamese-language daily, and Dainik Jugasankha, the largest circulated Bengali-language daily. The newspapers have been scanned for six months, from January to June 2022, and every month has taken into account seven days in a month, starting with Monday in the first month and Tuesday in the second month.
The researcher also conducted a survey among journalists working in vernacular dailies in Assam to understand their level of awareness about RTIA. The researchers sent a structured questionnaire to 100 journalists. Of the 100, 92 journalists responded.
The study revealed that Assam-based vernacular dailies give less importance to RTIA-related content and found no correlation between the journalists’ educational qualifications and their level of awareness about RTIA.
References
Acharjee, M. (2016). RTI Act and Its Implementation: A Study to Analyse Level of Awareness in South Assam. International Research Journal of Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies, II(V), 76–81.
Aggarwal, V. B., & Gupta, V. S. (2001). Handbook of Journalism and Mass Communication. Concept Publishing Company.
Chitra, P., & ,Neelamalar, M. (2013). Print Media Technology and Social Change: The Role and Effectiveness of Right to Information (RTI) Act. International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering, 3(5), 296–302.
Cohen, B. C. (1963). The Press and Foreign Policy. Princeton University Press. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691651156/press-and-foreign-policy
Dr.Nethravathi, C. N., & Dr Guru, B. P. M. C. (2019). Media’s Role in Implementing RTI.pdf. International Journal of Innovative Studies in Sociology and Humanities, 4(6), 110–118.
Holsti, O. R. (1969). Content analysis for the social sciences and humanities. Addison-Wesley Pub. Co, Reading, Mass. https://bac-lac.on.worldcat.org/oclc/489602701
Katherine, B. (2007). The effects of news photographs on reader’s retention. Journal of Media and Communication. http://jmc.com/1023/jmcReview.pdf
Maneka Gandhi vs Union Of India, AIR 597 (Supreme Court of India 1978). https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1766147/
McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The Agenda-Setting Function of Mass Media. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176–187.
Mishra, N. (2003). People’s Right to Information Movement:Lessons from Rajasthan.
Nayak, V. (2014, February 28). A guide to the Whistleblowers Protection Bill. Governance Now. https://www.governancenow.com/views/columns/guide-whistleblowers-protection-bill
Rai, S. K. (2016). Coverage of RTI Messages in Print Media: A Content Analysis. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2(12). https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Coverage-of-RTI-Messages-in-Print-Media%3A-A-Content-Rai/b37ff698585ac652a2ad65c2c1328cd96b59068d
Ramabrahmam, I. (2009). Implementation Process of Right to Information: Issues and Trends. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 55(3), 504–510.
Right to Information Act, 22 (2005). https://rti.gov.in/RTI%20Act,%202005%20(Amended)-English%20Version.pdf
Shendurnikar, D. N. (n.d.). Janne Ka Haq: Right to Information (RTI) Act vis a vis the Press in Gujarat. 1–14.
Siebert, F. S., Peterson, T., & Schramm, W. (1984). Four Theories of the Press: The Authoritarian, Libertarian, Social Responsibility, and Soviet Communist Concepts of What the Press Should Be and Do. University of Illinois Press. https://doi.org/10.5406/j.ctv1nhr0v
S.P. Gupta vs President Of India And Ors., AIR 1982 149 (Supreme Court of India 1981). https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1294854/
State Of U.P vs. Raj Narain & Ors, AIR 865 (Supreme Court of India 1975). https://indiankanoon.org/doc/438670/
World Summit at Geneva-Palexpo. (2004). WSIS Executive Secretariat. WSIS-03/GENEVA/9(Rev.1)-E
Yadav, S. (2017). Journalism Through RTI: Information Investigation Impact. SAGE Publications India Pvt, Limited. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=YrFJzQEACAAJ
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2024 SOUTH INDIA JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES