What are the social cultural and educational importance of newspaper?

Answer 1

A newspaper has been called the first draft of history, because it tells the important events in a culture, at the time those events took place. Years later, scholars and historians can look back and have a greater understanding of what went on at that time, and how the big stories were reported (as well as what was considered a big story). And newspapers can provide much more than just the news-- they offer various perspectives on the events.

For example, you may find there are several political viewpoints of an event: newspapers with a more conservative or Republican slant reported quite differently on the Cold War, McCarthyism, or the New Deal, as opposed to publications that were aimed at a more liberal or Democratic readership. Also, some news events mean different things to different audiences, depending on where they live. A good example is reporting on slavery. This story was covered very differently in the newspapers of the north and in the abolitionist newspapers, which focused on how terrible and harmful this practice was and how it needed to stop; the newspapers of the south reported about the plantation system quite differently, often stressing that it was a benign and necessary system and should be continued. Reading these diverse perspectives can help us to see the bigger picture and place events in a historical context; thus, newspapers can help us to understand why things happened the way they did.

Many historians believe the first newspaper was the Acta Diurna (Daily Acts), first issued around 59BCE; this publication covered the activities of Julius Caesar in ancient Rome, and of course, it was not neutral-- it mainly touted the achievements of the Roman leader. But its historical value remains great. And the first North American newspaper, Publick Occurrences, published in 1690, was of equal historical value. Newspapers (and news magazines) are one way a culture or a city or a country preserves its past and transmits the information to future generations.

Reading newspapers can be very educational. It can increase your vocabulary and it can give you something to think about, since some stories are very complicated. Some of the columnists are excellent writers and their work is so memorable it might move you to take action (some columnists focus on particular causes) or it make you want to become a writer too. Through reading newspapers, you can learn more about what the lives of typical people were like: what stories shocked them, what stories upset them, what stories were considered important to read (the most important stories were on page 1). The pages of the newspaper also give clues about what people of a particular era enjoyed, how they passed their leisure time, who were the celebrities, who were the villains, etc. You can follow what happened to a story or a trend-- did people change their attitude? Reading about Prohibition, we find that at first, many people were in favor of it, but a few years later, public opinion had shifted dramatically. Newspapers let us follow these changes and compare how things were in one era with how things turned out later on.

Even today, reading newspapers can show you which political figures are admired, who is controversial, who in the culture is considered heroic, and who are the "bad guys." And whether they are read on line or in hard copy, newspapers continue to be important cultural and historical artifacts.