Introduction
Human
being is an inquisitive creature. A person never satisfies with the achievement
he has procured in his life. As human civilization proceeds, the requirements
of subsistence also keep on changing. The people cannot get satisfied with faceto face communication because they want to keep in touch with the world's
happening constantly. To fulfil this hunger the concept of mass communication emerged.
Mass communication is the process of delivering message to every corner of the
world at a flashing speed. Mass communication is possible through mass media.
Discussion
Etymologically
the word 'Mass' stands for large number of people and 'media' which is the
plural form of medium, stands for means of communication like T.V., Radio,
Newspapers, Book. The term 'mass media', therefore, refers to various means of
carrying out information to a large scattered number of people at the same
time.
In
the words of Gamble and Gamble (1989 as cited in Saud, 2057:8) "Mass Media
are tools, instruments of communication that permit us to record and transmit
information and experiences rapidly to large, scattered, heterogeneous
audiences, as such they extend our ability to talk to each other by helping us to overcome barriers
caused by time and space".
The
present study looks into news stories published in the newspapers; the most
important component of a newspaper. The researcher studies the news stories of
different newspapers in terms of the language used in them.
Since
the development of mass communication starts form the print media, they are also
known as the oldest form of mass communication. They are so named because they
make use of printed symbols to communicate messages to the receivers. Printmedia contain books and manuals; newspapers, magazines and periodicals;
brochures and prospectuses; pamphlets, posters, banners, signboards, traffic
signs and signals; charts, graphs, diagrams, tables, caption writing, menus and
bills. Print media are composed of words inscribed on something by some sort of
ink. Print media are specially designed for reading. The reader can get benefit
simply by reading sentences over again and again until they grasp the since
print media are the cheap means of obtaining information about the events
happening all over the world and knowledge of different things as well print
media differed from the electronic media such as radio, TV in that they do not
need any technical devices at the point of decoding. Newspaper is one of the
topics discussed under print media.
Newspapers
are published at frequent interval and mainly devoted to the news. Newspapers
play an important role in modern life. They primarily include news which is the
report of an event not the event itself. There are different sections like the
news, features, articles, editorial, letters and sports news. The purpose of
the newspapers is to provide information, entertainment, informal education and
to advertise about any product our service to promote the sale of products our
services.
News Story
The
news items that appear in newspapers are called news stories. A news story is
always based on facts dealing with the things on current events. Additionally,
while writing news story, the most important facts come first followed by other
facts in order of significance i.e. written in inverted pyramid style, that is,.
According to Mencher (2000:42) a news story should meet the following
requirements.
a. Accurate : All information is verified
before it is used.
b. Properly attributed : The reporter
indentifies his or her sources of information.
c. Balanced and fair: All sides in a
controversy are presented.
d. Objective: The news writer does not
inject his or her feelings or opinions.
e. Brief and focused: The news story gets to
the point quickly and keeps to the point.
f. Well written : The stories should be
clear, direct and interesting.
There are mainly three components of a
news story. They are:
a. Head
line
b. Lead
c. Body
a. Headlines
Head
line as its name suggest is the title of a story which is printed in large
letter above the story.
b. Lead
Lead
is the first paragraph of a news story or it is the introduction or a opening
paragraph. The lead sentence often has one idea and follows the
subject-verb-object sentence structure for clarity. It should not exceed 35
words. There are two basic types of leads; They are:
i. Direct lead
It
gives the information to reader or listener the most important aspect of the
story at once. It is usually used on breaking news events.
ii. Delayed lead
It
induces the reader or listener into the story by hinting at its contents. It is
often used with feature stories.
c. The body
The
rest of a story or part of a story that follows the lead is called body of the
story. It amplifies examples and explains the beginning. It also contains
background and secondary material. The ending can sum up the story.
News
stories can basically be divided into two types. They are:
-The
single Element story
-The
Multiple Element story
Conclusion
Thus, Mass media include print and electronic media. These media are used to transmit messages to the mass. Print media include books, news-paper, magazines, journals and pamphlets. Similarly, electronic media use broadcast media like Radio, T.V., Cinema, Film etc. Electronic media are the products of progress made in the field of science and technology in the recent years. They use human voices with the help of electronic waves; even illiterate people can be benefited from them. Print media on the other hand are specially designed for reading. The readers can get benefit simply by reading sentences over again and again until they grasp the sense. The Electronic or Broadcast media lack to provide the readers with reading and re-reading facility.
The language used in mass media varies from the language used in other fields. Mass media have also been recognized as a register of language. The language used in mass media is called journalese which is the register typical only for mass media.
References
Bell, A. 1991b. The language of news media. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
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