WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY AND 'HICKY'S BENGAL GAZETTE'

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Context

• On World Press Freedom Day, the Indian Express featured the tale of India's inaugural newspaper, 'Hicky's Bengal Gazette'.

World Press Freedom Day

• The World Press Freedom Day is annually commemorated on May 3, in recognition of the importance of journalism in society.
• The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day.
• It is observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press.
• The day also serves as a reminder to governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression.
• This right is enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• World Press Freedom Day marks the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration. This declaration is a statement of free press principles. It was put together by African newspaper journalists in Windhoek in 1991.
• The 2024 World Press Freedom Day theme is: “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the Environmental Crisis”.

'Hicky's Bengal Gazette'

• Hicky's Bengal Gazette or the Original Calcutta General Advertiser was an English-language weekly newspaper published in Kolkata (then Calcutta), the capital of British India.
• It was the first newspaper printed in Asia, and was published for two years, between 1780 and 1782, before the East India Company seized the newspaper's types and printing press.
• Founded by James Augustus Hicky, the newspaper was a strong critic of the administration of Governor General Warren Hastings.
• The newspaper was important for its provocative journalism and its fight for free expression in India.
• The idea of printing a newspaper in India had been floated twelve years earlier by the Dutch Adventurer William Bolts, but Hicky was the first to execute the concept.
• Hicky's Bengal Gazette was renowned for its sarcastic and provocative writing style. Unlike its contemporaries, the newspaper boldly addressed taboo topics such as female masturbation and proto-class consciousness. It advocated for the rights of the poor and opposed taxation without representation. Additionally, it took a strong stance against war and colonialism, frequently mocking the East India Company leadership for their expansionist and imperialist goals.
• As 'Hicky's Bengal Gazette' became famous for its brave reporting, it made some powerful people angry. Governor General Warren Hastings and missionary Johann Zacharias Kiernander didn't like the newspaper criticizing them, so they took legal action against it.
• Although Hicky won some court cases, the constant lawsuits cost him a lot of money and eventually led to his downfall.

SOURCE: THE INDIAN EXPRESS