Communication
The English word communication has its root in Latin language. Communis and communicare.

Communis means common, commonality or sharing
Communicare means to make common
Communication system is a process.

The dictionary meaning of communication is "the exchange of thoughts, messages or information, as by speech, signals writing or behavior".
Types of communication:
verbal, non-verbal, intra personal, inter personal, organizational, mass communication


Defining "Mass Communication"
Term 'mass communication' came into use (coined) in the late of 1930s, but its essential features were already well known and gave not really changed since.

'Mass' is itself value laden and controversial and the term 'communication' still has no agreed definition.

'Social interaction through messages' is hard to beat for succinctness (concise, not using many words). Nevertheless, there is sufficient commonality in widely held 'common-sense perceptions to provide a working definition and a general characterization.

The term 'mass' denotes great volume, range or extent (of people or production), while 'communication' refers to the giving and taking of meaning, the transmission and reception of messages.

Mass communication comprise the institutions and techniques by which specialized groups employ technological devices (press, radio, films, TV, etc.) to disseminate symbolic content to large, heterogeneous and widely dispersed audiences. The process of 'mass communication' is not synonymous with the 'mass media' (the organized technologies which makes mass communication possible).

Mass media can also be used for individual, private or organizational purpose. The same media carry public message to large publics for public purposes can also carry personal notices, advocacy messages, charitable appeals, situation-vacant advertisements and many varied kinds of information and cultures.

These derive from the technologies of multiple reproduction and distribution and certain forms of organization, even if the particular reality of mass communication as experienced by audiences often diverges significantly from the typical form. The most obvious feature of the mass media is that they are designed to reach the many.

Relation between sender and receiver is bound to influence by this fact.
The 'sender' is often the organization itself or a professional communication (journalist, presenter, producer, entertainer, etc.)The relationship is inevitably one-sided and impersonal, and there is a social as well as a physical distance between sender and receiver..
The symbolic content or message of mass communication is typically 'manufactured' in standardized ways (mass production) and is re-used and repeated in identical forms.

The mass communication process
Large-scale distribution and reception
One-directional flow
Asymmetrical relation
Impersonal and anonymous
Calculative or market relationship
Standardized content


The 'Mass' concept
In the interpretations of the direction (positive or negative) of mass media influence show much divergence, the most persistent element in public estimation of the media has been a simple agreement on their strong influence.

Various meaning of the term 'mass'.

The concept of mass society was not fully developed until after the second word war.
The idea in fact circulating before the end of the 19th century.

Early use of the term usually carried negative associations.
It referred initially to the multitude or the "common people", uneducated, ignorant and potentially irrational, unruly and even violent (mob of rioters).

It could also be used in positive sense, however, especially in the socialist tradition, where it connotes the strength and solidarity of ordinary working people..............organized people for collective purpose (when having to bear oppression)

Whereby large people working together: 'mass support', 'mass movement', 'mass action' for positive reason.

Raymond Williams commented: 'there are no masses, only ways of seeing people as masses".

Mass reflect varying political or personal perspectives. Whether or not mass in question is legitimately constituted and acting in a rational and orderly manner.

The dominant social and cultural values of 'west' have been individualist and elitist, biased against collective action.

'Mass' applied a set of people. It suggests an amorphous collection of individuals without many individuals without much individuality.

Standard dictionary defines the "mass" as an 'aggregate in which individuality is lost".
This is close to the meaning which early sociologist sometimes gave to the media audience.

It was the large and seemingly undifferentiated audiences for the popular media that provided the clearest examples of the concept.

Concept
large aggregate
undifferentiated
mainly negative image
lacking order or organization
reflective of mass society




Elements in the communication process
a source
a process of encoding
a message
a channel
a process of decoding
a receiver
the potential for feedback
the chance of noise

Nature of mass communication
i. mass comm is produced by complex and formal organization.
ii. mass comm organizations have multiple gatekeepers.
iii. mass comm organizations need a great deal of money to operate.
iv. mass comm organizations are highly competitive.
v. mass comm organizations exist to make a profit.



Journalism – introduction
Journalism is the discipline of gathering, writing and reporting news, and broadly it includes the process of editing and presenting the news articles. Journalism applies to various media, but is not limited to newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.
While under pressure to be the first to publish its stories, each news media organization adheres to its own standards of accuracy, quality, and style — usually editing and proofreading its reports prior to publication. Many news organizations claim proud traditions of holding government officials and institutions accountable to the public, while media critics have raised questions on the accountability of the press.
The word journalism is taken from the French journal which in turn comes from the Latin diurnal or daily; The Acta Diurna, a handwritten bulletin, was put up daily in the Forum, the main public square in ancient Rome, and was the world's first newspaper.
News-oriented journalism was described by former Washington Post editor, Phil Graham, as "a first rough draft of history", because journalist often record important historical events as they are happening, but at the same time, they must produce their news articles on short deadlines.
Journalism's activities include stating What, When, Where, How, and Why, famously quoted by Rudyard Kipling (see the Five Ws), and stating the significance and effects of certain events or trends. Journalism exists in a number of media: newspapers, television, radio, magazines and, most recently, the World Wide Web through the Internet.