At the outset, we must assume that the print media — most notably the printed daily newspaper — holds a distinct joy for the reader that the electronic media can never boast of. There is satisfaction in reading a newspaper while sipping tea or eating toast, a satisfaction in reading just what one wants to and at the speed of one’s choice. Of course, I refer to the free press, when I say this, although one understands that an absolutely free press does not exist anymore.There are two aspects of the print media worth probing. One, does press freedom have a positive relationship with key development indicators such as per capita product, life expectance and literacy? Two, what could be the philosophy and structure of a development oriented newspaper?An organisation called ‘Reporters Without Borders’ has issued an index of press freedom for more than a hundred countries. The index does have some surprises. The US, for instance, ranks below Costa Rica and Italy scores lower than Benin. The five countries with the least press freedom also come as no surprise: North Korea, China, Burma, Turkmenistan and Bhutan. India ranks number 80 in a list of 139 economies.From the latest Human Development Report by UNDP, based on a population cut-off of 10 million, one could obtain for 60 developing economies the data on per capita GDP in purchasing power terms, life expectancy and adult literacy rates for the year 2000. For these economies, the press freedom index has the following statistical correlations: 0.004 with life expectancy, 0.176 with literacy and 0.131 with per capita GDP. These correlations do not suggest even a fair degree of relationship between development and press freedom. One must be content with press freedom as development itself rather than explore its connections to other indicators.The second issue — of detailing what could be the nature of a development oriented newspaper — is not something that can be objectively determined. We are of course not looking for an uninteresting development report with pictures of leaders laying foundation stones. If this is development reporting we want nothing of it.A development oriented newspaper keeps the development of the nation and preservation of freedom as important objectives and may follow some do’s and don’ts. The do’s could include a relative emphasis on development news: the stories, for instance, of the successful children of the poor, or of a new innovation that has come from a remote village. It is not that such news is never reported at present; it is just that it never gets front-page status.There will be emphasis too on not only reporting corruption cases but also on the speed of follow-up action. Stress will also be placed on achievements taking place in public investment and social development spheres — not on the endless daily promises ministers make. Should there be political news? Yes, but only if there is a clear policy angle involved.(The writer is an honorary research professor, GITAM Institute of Foreign Trade, Visakhapatnam)
