Arrange the following phases in the changing role of the media in Ind…

Arrange the following phases in the changing role of the media in India in the correct sequence:

(A) The market gains a greater role than the state in shaping the media.
(B) Newspapers and magazines help the spread of the freedom movement.
(C) The media faces censorship under the Emergency.
(D) The media is seen as an active partner in the development of the newly free nation.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → B, D, C, A

(B) Newspapers and magazines help the spread of the freedom movement. — First. First comes the colonial period. Newspapers and magazines spread the ideas of social reform and the nationalist movement before Independence.

(D) The media is seen as an active partner in the development of the newly free nation. — Second. Second, after Independence the media saw itself as a partner in nation building, taking up development issues and giving voice to many people.

(C) The media faces censorship under the Emergency. — Third. Third, the gravest challenge came with the Emergency of 1975, when the media was censored until democracy was restored in 1977.

(A) The market gains a greater role than the state in shaping the media. — Fourth. Last, in recent times the market has gained a bigger role than the state in shaping media content and style.

NCERT (2026-27): “Print Media
The beginnings of the print media and its role in both the spread of the social reform movement and the nationalist movement have been noted. After Independence, the print media continued to share the general approach of being a partner in the task of nation building by taking up developmental issues, as well as, giving voice to the widest section of people. …”

“The gravest challenge that the media faced was with the declaration of Emergency in 1975 and censorship of the media. Fortunately, the period ended and democracy was restored in 1977. India with its many problems can be justifiably proud of a free media.”

“At the start of the chapter we had mentioned how mass media is different from other means of communication as it requires a formal structural organisation to meet large scale capital, production and management demands. And also like any other social institution, the mass media also varies in structure and content according to different economic, political and socio-cultural context. You will now notice how at different points in time both the content and style of media changes. At some points, the state has a greater role to play. At other times the market does. In India this shift is very visible in recent times. …”