Special Guest Article: Journalism and Literature

Though journalism is junior to literature in terms of age they move hand in hand. They depend on each other in terms of format as well as a little bit of content. Such dependence can be compared to neighbourhood living when neighbours living together owe a lot to mutual exchange.

Journalism deals mainly with information which is supposed to be factual in nature. The legendary proverb says "facts are sacred, opinion is free". It justifies the importance of information which we expect to get from the practice of journalism. On the contrary, literature goes for elaboration of the human lives entangled with subtle niceties which are deliberately transformed into art form. When journalism paves the foundation of history with factual information, literature delves into the depth of human relationships.

When journalism tries to capture a time or a situation on the basis of factual information, literature goes to explore the factors as well as sensibilities leading to the levels of perceptions and understandings. For understanding Mahatma Gandhi, newspapers can be of immense help so far as information details are concerned. But understanding Gandhi in literary format must have to be different. Literature accommodates imagination while journalism puts no entry to the artifice to it at the expense of factual information. But ironically this contrast has failed to go against the good impact of live-in condition of journalism and literature. Today's print journalism stands greatly on the story telling techniques of literature. Print journalism has been tablodized conveying multi colours. 

About the Author-

Dr. Baidyanath Bhattacharyya is teaching journalism for about three decades. Author of five books in journalism, mass communication and guest editor of a reputed online media journal, Dr. Bhattacharyya is considered one of the experts in journalism education.