Print Media during Pandemic

THE INTERVENTION OF DOWNFALL

On January 27, 2020, with the first Covid-19 case an alarming situation was alerted by the Government of  India, where it was strictly advised to keep distance in crowded places and wear masks when outside, with the growing cases Prime Minister Narendra Modi eventually announced the first complete lockdown on 25 March 2020 - 31 May 2020, limiting the public movement, which was later increased. 

This affected the work of billions of people living in India the ones who had their livelihood depending on daily wages were on the edge of depression and existential crisis. One of the aspects which were deeply affected by the lockdown was production in media, specifically Print Media. 

SURVIVAL OF PRINT MEDIA

"Everything that rises has to set off someday." 

The print media has enjoyed its glory days for more than 120 years and it is one of the most reliable and old fields of Media and sources of news. Covid-19 has severely impacted print media and has resulted in a sharp drop in the number of readerships due to disruption in circulation. The print media was trying to keep afloat financially and at the same time to keep the readers informed. 

Though we all know, that the new technologies and introduction of online media have already affected print media, the time of pandemic and the inevitable challenges have worsened the situation even more.

Along with that, some of the cascading effects of the pandemic on print media include:

• journalists being laid-off.
• cut down on the number of pages in the newspaper.
• major newspapers were drastically reduced at a national level.
• national newspapers decided to restrict the physical copies.
• all the media houses and publications faced a financial crash.

The question arises that would there be a post-pandemic "old print media" recovery? It is very doubtful and threatening to think upon the fact that the old print media houses might convert themselves to digital media which is so much more easy, convenient, and perhaps less expensive and may create more profitable situations as compared to print media. As they have gone under heavy financial loss during the period of the pandemic which has been going on for over 19 months now. 

Small states newspapers did face a horrible pandemic onslaught because of the cut on advertisements because of the lockdown, despite all of it newspapers have remained peculiar in providing a wide range of coverage of the pandemic, combating misinformation and providing public health updates, and entertainment to help the normal public cope with pandemic boredom, being locked in their houses on their own.

PRINT MEDIA AND EDUCATION

It is said that print media had played a crucial role in educating people on the precautionary measures during the time of the pandemic. It educated people all over the country through the leading newspapers, in all the languages, besides mass circulated social media as well. 

The people who are still unaware of the advancement in technology and are far from affording digital techniques of staying updated, print media for them has been and will always be reliable at any time. 

The new methods of media and coverage might be easier to manage and less expensive but print media cannot be outdone with the new evading advancements, for it holds the 120-year-old of trust which is quite resilient to shatter. 

"The quality of news coverage has diminished because the giants of the print media are no longer being nurtured properly."

 -F. Lee Bailey (an American criminal defense attorney)