During the early phase of development of print industry, which audience had the access to the newspaper?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Literate elite
Option (2) Mass population — Incorrect. Newspapers reached a mass audience only in the mid-19th century, after further development in technology, transport and literacy; that came later, not in the early phase.
Option (3) Literate elite — Correct. With the Industrial Revolution the print industry grew, but the first products of the press were restricted to an audience of literate elites, the small group who could read and afford them.
NCERT (2025-26): “7.1 The Beginnings of Modern Mass Media … With the Industrial Revolution, the print industry also grew. The first products of the press were restricted to an audience of literate elites. It was only in the mid 19th century, with further development in technologies, transportation and literacy that newspapers began to reach out to a mass audience. People living in different corners of the country found themselves reading or hearing the same news. It has been suggested that this was in many ways responsible for people across a country to Visuals of a Printing Press and a TV Newsroom in 21st Century, India feel connected and develop a sense of belonging or ‘we feeling’.…” |