Visual Presentation of Election Result in Hindi Newspapers: a Comparative Study
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Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Visual Presentation of Election Result in Hindi Newspapers: A Comparative Study SARVESHWARAM KRISHNAM AND CHANDI P. PAINULI* University School of Mass Communication, GGSIP University, New Delhi-110078 *Bhaskar Institute of Mass Communication and Journalism, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi-284127 (UP) INTRODUCTION When electronic media struck the Indian format of journalism, it is believed that the epoch of print media is on the brink of dying. There was a hysterical mass appeal for its brightness and appearance. However, the peak of the electronic media appears to reach its nadir, because this medium is contaminated with sensational and unscrupulous news and content. News analysts and anchors have pushed the electronic media down further. Therefore, there is a clear shift of viewers in the print media from electronic. It seems that the epoch of print media has come to stay. In the last few years there has been a significant increase in the number of newspapers and magazines. The Digital Revolution has enabled print media to enrich its content and visual communication through the use of graphics and high quality pictures. Print Media is now more innovative also due to the challenges raised by electronic media, online newspaper and social media. Print media even more experimental in terms of its content and quality. Print media is using more visuals to tide its reader with their respective newspaper. On any special activity/occasions its presentation and packaging is adopting more innovative ways unlike the publishing days of yore. In the age of social media and mobile, when information is available on reader’s finger movement, it’s very difficult challenge for print media to save itself. In past readers had to depend on print media only for any information. Till seventies only one medium i.e. Radio was available for current information apart from print media. But after seventies many mediums i.e. Television, internet, online newspaper and now social media came in existence for providing the information. Because of its different properties like visuals, fast, handy etc. these mediums getting popularity very fast. Due to its properties these medium are becoming a big challenge for print media. Now readers are getting information very fast. These media satisfies the user's appetite by providing information very fast. But in this tough time also print media tied up its reader, this is due to following two very important reasons: Volume XII, Issue II, 2020 Page No: 241 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 1. Reliability Whenever there is a crisis in the country newspapers play a very important role due to its reliability. 2. Continuous, steady and solid changes in its design In present scenario, design and graphics is playing vital role in survival of newspapers. The specialty of design elements is that it pulls the readers towards it and makes the message reach the readers quicker than the text. On any important occasion, the readers stick to the TV and other media throughout the day but apart from that they wait for the newspaper next day. The main reason behind this is reliability of print media and continuously changes in its presentation and adding newness in itself. On next day to any mega events, we find the form of newspaper very different than other day. We find the use of new words, graphics, design, illustrations etc. to attract the reader. IMPORTANCE OF GENERAL ELECTION IN INDIA India is a democratic country and for any democratic country election is very important. “By election people find a way to express their voice and opinion and they choose a person whose preferences and opinions closely match with them6”. There are different bodies of governance are there in India like union government, state government, local government (panchayat, zila parisad etc.) and for each bodies of governance elections is required in Indian democracy. In the Union Government, elections are also held for the President, Vice President, Rajya Sabha, but the general public of the entire country, who are more than 18 years of age, participate in the Lok Sabha elections in a big way. That’s why this election is also called general election. “According to the constitution of India every citizen of India over the age 18 years are qualified voter6”. Usually general election took place after every 5 years but some time midterm polls also held due to fall of government. Constitution envisaged maximum strength of the Lok Sabha is 5528. The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 5457. Out of 545 seats, on two seats member of Anglo-Indian community get nominated by the President of India and election takes place on the remaining 543 seats. ELECTION RESULTS AND PRINT MEDIA Print media played very important role during the freedom movement of India. It was a key factor in getting independence. After independence it work like watch dog and saved the Volume XII, Issue II, 2020 Page No: 242 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 democracy. Whenever there was a danger on democracy this media played an important role to protect it. During emergency, in 21- month’s period from 1975 to 1977, many sanctions had imposed on it. But apart from the sanctions it works to save the democracy. Today also apart from many challenges from the other media it is serving the Indian democracy as before. Print media covered all the major events apart from the regular coverage. General election is a major event, which held on regular interval to strengthen the democracy. Print media play vital role during the elections, it cover, election campaign organized by the political parties, election related news and election results. During the coverage of election result it use visual elements more to present it. LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Philip C. Geraci studied three newspapers USA Today, the Washington Times and the Washington Post in Comparison of Graphic Design and Illustration Use In Three Washington, D.C., Newspapers and found that in all three of the comparison newspapers, the predominant illustration was the black and white head shot. The second most used illustration was a black and white medium-range photograph of people3. 2. Theresa G. Siskind found in The Effect of Newspaper Design on Reader Preferences that respondents preferred contemporary to traditional designs and well-designed pages to those of average design. The findings of his research study lead to the tentative conclusion that in order to appeal to reader preferences, newspaper owners and staff members should be concerned with quality of design as well as contemporaneity5. 3. Kevin G. Barnhurst and John C. Nerone found in Design Trends in U.S. Front Pages, 1885-1985; that front pages had in fact changed in much the way that the conventional wisdom predicted. But they also found that the change was gradual, that is, that the ideas behind the “design revolution” had been influencing front pages for over half a century. The direction of change was toward making the front page a more efficient map of the news for readers, , implying that the sources of change were in design theory and news ideology rather than in economics or technology. The upshot of these changes has been greater uniformity among front pages15. Volume XII, Issue II, 2020 Page No: 243 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 4. Taberez Ahmed Neyazi in Politics after Vernacularisation: Hindi Media and Indian Democracy has focused on how Hindi media played an important role in Indian democracy. An overview of the literature on the Indian news media shows that the English media, which dominated the national media market from independence till the late 1990s, is no longer the dominant market player and vernacular media pose a serious challenge to the dominance and authority of English media in the public sphere16. 5. In Front Page Design: Some Trends Continue, Sandra H. Utt and Steve Pasternack found that a 20-year update of front page design found more newspapers running all photos in 4-color and using offset printing, boldface sans serif type for dominant headlines, digital imaging and computerized pagination systems17. OBJECTIVES Objectives of this paper are to find out the following in highly circulated newspapers in Delhi during election result of 17th General Election of India: To study the various design elements used frequently for election result coverage in Hindi Newspapers. To analyze the design element dominated on the front page of Hindi Newspapers during election result. METHOD The researcher selected eleven newspapers published in Hindi and which are in circulation in New Delhi. Content Analysis has been done in this research. Quantative method has been followed. Research area of this study is Delhi. In the present research, researcher has selected the publication of 24th May 2019 as the result of 17th general election announced on 23rd May 2019 and was published in the newspapers of 24th May 2019. In this research paper, researcher has tried to find out how print media covered/presented this mega event in their respective newspaper in terms of image, illustration and graphics. SAMPLE COMPOSITION Researcher has selected a total number of 11 highly circulated newspapers in Hindi. List of newspapers are given below in Table 1 with total number of pages in main newspaper. Volume XII, Issue II, 2020 Page No: 244 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Researcher didn’t include supplement pages of newspapers for his research. He included pages of main bunch only for his research. Table 1 S. No. Name of Newspaper No.