I still read newspapers in this digital era where things like newspapers seem old school and traditional. I might not depend on them entirely for information or news. I am more focused on the editorials and op-eds. And, more or less, newspapers are still a ritual in everyone’s home. They have a wide range of functionality apart from delivering information to your doorstep, especially in Indian households.
But amidst all this, the biggest concern that readers or buyers have shown is the increasing amount of advertisements in newspapers. Well, I am one of those who have always criticized newspapers for this. I have heard about the time when headlines were printed on the front page with big, bold fonts, the largest font size possible to attract readers to the latest and most sensational news. Well, this might not be the case in present times. The big headline that comes up now is an advertisement. Even though the advertisement might not be relevant to us, now we know how profitable these companies are that they can afford to be on the front page.
I was adapting to it, and then they introduced extra pages just to put advertisements. So, earlier it was the informational priority that decided the space; now it is for the highest bidder.
So, the chronological priority of the newspaper is now like this:
Advertisement, then advertisement, then advertisement; some big sensational news, advertisement, and then some murder or rape news; then advertisement, then petty editorials, and then some hidden advertisements, some integrated advertisements, some PR articles; then entertainment news, lots of advertisements, and then advertisement.
IT IS AN ENDLESS LOOP!
Newspapers shouldn’t exist merely to pass on information, but to nurture public thought, to question authority, investigate deeply, and offer genuine insight. All of this lacks in our newspapers.
But we are no one to complain. We are not paying for the information – the advertisers are. If you want value, you need to have the courage to pay more. Everyone who opens a business will find a way to earn money; if the subscribers are not paying much, they will have to use the subscribers to generate adequate revenue to afford the whole business and generate profits.
Today, information is power. Those who have better sources of information are more resourceful and stronger in society; they are the opinion leaders and are listened to, while others do not wield such control.
We pay barely ₹4–6 for a newspaper, even though printing a single black-and-white page costs almost half of that. So, it is obvious that they are selling newspapers at a very low price — they are making losses selling it at that price. Therefore, they are finding other alternative ways to generate profit, which is a very viable thing to do. But are we paying enough for the information or, better to say, the purest information? The better question is: do we even care about it? The answer is – we don’t.
And I am not defending newspapers, neither am I blaming ordinary people. I am asking a very simple question: who are we to question the amount of advertisement when we can’t think of getting information that is more unbiased, unfiltered, and uncensored?
Imagine a phone company let’s call it Company Z — that regularly buys front-page ads in Newspaper Y. One day, a scandal breaks: the company is accused of unethical practices. Do you think Newspaper Y would cover it fearlessly? Of course not. Their first instinct would be to protect the advertiser. Even if they report it, the coverage will be softened, edited, or buried. Now replace the company with a political party and the pattern remains the same.
They are not functioning as a watchdog for us anymore but for those companies.
There are news agencies like Newslaundry and The News Minute that provide news and information, doing their work totally funded by common people. But are we willing to pay for it? They are not funded by advertisements, as of now. But we make ourselves the bait if someone offers us anything much cheaper than it deserves to be paid for. I know that not everyone has the ability to afford to pay for information and the question is not for them. It is for those who can afford it and who want better quality of information. And it is not just for newspapers; every media and medium is doing the same.
So, if you don’t want better informational quality or journalism, then you have to tolerate the advertisements. So if we refuse to pay for better journalism, we must learn to live with the ads.
After all, newspapers still serve their purpose if not as sources of truth, then at least as wrapping for oily fritters or as a handy cleaner for household mess.
Below is the PDF for the detailed research related to this matter. (Note: The information and statistics provided in the PDF was aggregated by AI)
