Assertion (A): Big newspapers of the country contain more advertisements than news and views.
Reason (R): The union government has ideas of re – introducing the price – page schedule to limit the wastage of precious newspaper space
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false
(D) (A) is false, but (R) is true
Correct Ans: (C)
Explanation:
The correct answer is (C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
Let’s begin with the assertion. Big newspapers today clearly carry more advertisements than news or editorials. This trend has become obvious, especially over the last two decades. Newspapers depend heavily on ad revenue to survive. Circulation alone doesn’t bring enough income. So, to stay profitable, they dedicate a large portion of space to advertisements—sometimes even front pages.
Now, consider the reason. It mentions the union government’s intent to reintroduce the price-page schedule to prevent wastage of newspaper space. That, however, doesn’t explain why advertisements dominate. The price-page schedule was once used to limit the number of ads per page, based on the newspaper’s price. But this rule hasn’t been enforced strictly in recent years. And most major newspapers oppose such limitations because ads bring essential revenue.
So, while the assertion holds true, the reason fails to justify it. The real cause for excessive ads isn’t government regulation. It’s the commercial model of print media. Rising costs of production, falling subscription rates, and digital competition all push newspapers to sell more ad space.
Furthermore, news organizations prioritize profit over public service more than ever. This changes editorial priorities. Stories may get cut or shortened to make room for more ad slots. This shift has affected content quality and journalistic balance.
In conclusion, newspapers definitely run more advertisements than articles. But the government’s price-page schedule has nothing to do with that current reality. Thus, the correct answer is (C).