Curriculum 2026โ€“27
Practice
Culture & Knowledge Clusterยท Domain Code MDIA

Media, Journalism & Free Speech โ€” Freedom of the Press, Ethics & Broadcasting

The history and legal framework of Indian media reflect the evolution of democratic expression and investigative journalism from the colonial era to the digital age. Starting with James Augustus Hicky's Bengal Gazette in 1780, the early press became a vital instrument of nationalist mobilization and social reform under editors like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Mahatma Gandhi, despite draconian colonial enactments like the Vernacular Press Act of 1878. In independent India, freedom of the press is implicit within Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2). Self-regulation and journalistic ethics are overseen by statutory bodies like the Press Council of India (PCI), while public service broadcasting is anchored by Prasar Bharati, overseeing Doordarshan and Akashvani across linguistic and regional spheres.

Prescribed Topics & Learning Modules

Public Sample Quizzes & Solved Questions

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Question 1History of the Indian Press in Freedom Struggle
easy

What was the name of India's first printed newspaper, founded by James Augustus Hicky in Calcutta in 1780?

Question 2Broadcasting Evolution, Prasar Bharati & Digital Media
easy

In which year was nationwide colour television broadcasting officially introduced in India by Doordarshan on the occasion of the 9th Asian Games?

Question 3Article 19(1)(a) & The Press Council of India
easy

Under which Article of the Constitution of India is the freedom of the press judicially recognized as an implicit element of the Fundamental Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression?

Question 4History of the Indian Press in Freedom Struggle
medium

Which British Viceroy promulgated the repressive Vernacular Press Act of 1878 to suppress anti-colonial agitation in Indian-language newspapers?

Question 5Article 19(1)(a) & The Press Council of India
medium

By statutory convention, who is appointed as the Chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI), established under the Press Council Act, 1978?

Question 6Broadcasting Evolution, Prasar Bharati & Digital Media
medium

The autonomous statutory corporation Prasar Bharati, which manages All India Radio and Doordarshan, was established under an Act passed in 1990 that came into legal force in which year?

Question 7History of the Indian Press in Freedom Struggle
medium

Which iconic Indian social reformer published the Persian-language weekly newspaper 'Mirat-ul-Akbar' and the Bengali weekly 'Sambad Kaumudi' in the early 1820s?

Question 8Article 19(1)(a) & The Press Council of India
hard

In which landmark 1972 judgment did the Supreme Court of India invalidate the Union Government's Newsprint Policy for imposing unconstitutional quantitative restrictions on newspaper pages?

Question 9History of the Indian Press in Freedom Struggle
hard

To evade the censorship mandates of the Vernacular Press Act of 1878, which prominent nationalist publication converted itself overnight from a Bengali weekly into an English-language newspaper?

Question 10Broadcasting Evolution, Prasar Bharati & Digital Media
hard

The renowned motto and operational ethos of All India Radio (Akashvani), 'Bahujana Hitaya, Bahujana Sukhaya' (For the good of many, for the happiness of many), is derived from which canonical philosophical corpus?

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