Press and Working Class Consciousness in Developing Societies: A Case Study of An Indian State – Kerala

The role of press in the development of political consciousness varies with the social classes to which it communicates. The press as now constituted in India is geared to preserve the status-quo which is heavily weighted in favour of the owners of the means of production; it protects their rights, promotes their interests and fortifies their political organizations. There are two approaches which explain political participation / consciousness the – functionalist and the Marxist. However, the central premise of the books is that of reconciling the two major approaches of media communication. The functionalist consider voting as the main index of political consciousness, while the Marxist hold that political consciousness is a product of social history associated with the development of productive forces and is sharpened with the contradiction between the forces and relations of production. Accordingly, the functionalist give excessive importance to the press in the development of political consciousness. On the contrary, the Marxists hold that political consciousness is a product of its historical setting of the socio-economic configuration. The press only helps in the process of consolidation of political consciousness of the people under specific condition. In addition, the study gives a cogent account of the development of the Indian Press and contains useful data on ownership, control and circulation.