Paper 2 · Mass Communication and Journalism · Code 63
UGC NET Mass Communication and Journalism (63)
Mass Communication and Journalism (subject code 63) is the subject paper (Paper 2) for candidates in this subject. It carries 100 questions for 200 marks (+2 per correct answer, no negative marking), attempted together with Paper 1 in the single 180-minute combined session. The syllabus below is the verified official syllabus, organised unit-wise; chapters and practice questions appear as they are published, and nothing is marked complete before it exists.
100 questions
200 marks · +2 per correct · No negative marking · Paper 2 within the 180-min combined session
10 units · 30 topics
Full syllabus below, with topic summaries
40 practice questions · 30 premium chapters
Easy 10 · Medium 20 · Hard 10 — all original practice; verified PYQs live separately in the PYQ Library
Syllabus
Complete syllabus — all units and topics
Topic summaries are the unit study material already published on NETSaathi. Weightage badges are platform estimates from past-question frequency — they are not NTA guarantees.
Unit 1: Introduction to Journalism and Mass Communication
पत्रकारिता और जनसंचार का परिचय · 4 bank questions · 3 premium chapters- Concept and history of journalism and mass communication — Concept of journalism and mass communication, mass communication in India; history, growth and development of print and electronic media; major landmarks in print and electronic media in Indian languages; media’s role in formulation of states of India.High weightage
- Media criticism, policies and theories — Media criticism and media literacy; Press Council and Press Commissions of India; status of journalism and media education in India; media policies of the Government of India since Independence; models and theories of mass communication, normative theories, administrative and critical traditions; communication and theories of socio-cultural, educational and agricultural change; technological determinism; critique of Marshall McLuhan’s views; Marxist approaches; information and knowledge societies.High weightage
- Communication traditions and media culture — Indian traditions and approaches to communication from the Vedic era to the 21st century; Western and Eastern philosophical, ethical and aesthetic perceptions of communication: Aristotle and Plato, Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic traditions; media and culture: framework for understanding culture in a globalised world; globalisation with respect to politico-economic and socio-cultural developments in India.Medium
Concept and history of journalism and mass communication → premium chapter · free preview · ~12 min
Media criticism, policies and theories → premium chapter · free preview · ~13 min
Communication traditions and media culture → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Unit 2: Communication for Development and Social Change
विकास और सामाजिक परिवर्तन हेतु संचार · 4 bank questions · 3 premium chapters- Development communication: concept and society — Concept and definition of development communication; role of media and journalism in society; characteristics of Indian society: demographic and sociological impact of communication, media and journalism; media and specific audiences.High weightage
- Development, social change and paradigms — Development and social change; issues and post-colonial conceptions; deconstruction of the dominant paradigm of communication and development; responses and critique of dominant models.High weightage
- Corporatisation, civil society and reformers — Corporatisation of development: corporate social responsibility, non-state actors in development, mass campaigns by NGOs, Government of India, international agencies and corporates; paradigms and discourse of development communication; emergence of global civil societies, public sphere, global communication system, nation-state-universal and national communication policies; leading influencers of social reform in India: Raja Rammohan Roy, Pandit Madanmohan Malviya, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Mahatma Gandhi, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Dr B. R. Ambedkar, Deendayal Upadhyay, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia.Medium
Development communication: concept and society → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Development, social change and paradigms → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Corporatisation, civil society and reformers → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Unit 3: Reporting and Editing
रिपोर्टिंग और संपादन · 4 bank questions · 3 premium chapters- News and reporting — News: concepts, determinants (values), structure and perspectives; reporting for print, radio, television and digital media; types of reporting; national and international news agencies and feature syndicates, functions and role.High weightage
- Writing, translation and editing — Writing for print, electronic and digital news media; translation and transcreation; editing and presentation techniques for print, television and digital media.High weightage
- Profession, ethics and niche reporting — Journalism as profession; reportage of contemporary issues; ethics of reporting; critique of western news values; effect of new technology on global communication flows; niche reporting.Medium
News and reporting → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Writing, translation and editing → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Profession, ethics and niche reporting → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Unit 4: Advertising and Marketing Communication
विज्ञापन और विपणन संचार · 4 bank questions · 3 premium chapters- Advertising: concept, ethics and theory — Advertising: definition, concept, functions, types, evolution; standards and ethics in advertising; theories and models of communication in advertising.High weightage
- Brand and agency management — Brand management; advertising management: agency role, structure and function, client-agency relationship, media planning and budgeting.Medium
- Creativity, campaigns and research — Advertising and creativity, language and translation; advertising campaign and marketing; advertising and marketing research.Medium
Advertising: concept, ethics and theory → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Brand and agency management → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Creativity, campaigns and research → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Unit 5: Public Relations and Corporate Communication
जनसंपर्क और कॉर्पोरेट संचार · 4 bank questions · 3 premium chapters- PR and corporate communication: foundations — Public relations and corporate communication: definition, concept and scope; structure of PR in state, public, private and non-government sectors.High weightage
- PR tools and crisis communication — Tools and techniques of PR and corporate communication; crisis communication and crisis communication management.Medium
- PR ethics and international PR — Ethics of public relations; international public relations; communication audit.Medium
PR and corporate communication: foundations → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
PR tools and crisis communication → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
PR ethics and international PR → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Unit 6: Media Laws and Ethics
मीडिया कानून और नैतिकता · 4 bank questions · 4 premium chapters- Law, ethics and the Constitution — Concept of law and ethics in India and the rest of the world; the Constitution of India: historical evolution, relevance; concept of freedom of speech and expression in the Indian Constitution.High weightage
- Media laws and famous cases — Defamation, libel, slander (IPC 499–502); sedition (IPC 124A); Contempt of Courts Act 1971; Official Secrets Act 1923; Press and Registration of Books Act 1867; Working Journalists and other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1955; wage boards; law of obscenity (IPC sections 292–294), the Miller test, the Hicklin test; Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986; Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989; parliamentary privileges; famous cases involving journalists and news media organisations.High weightage
- Regulation: RTI, copyright, IT, broadcasting — Right to Information Act 2005; Copyright Act 1957; intellectual property rights; Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act 1995; Information Technology Act (relevant) 2000 and cyber laws; Cinematograph Act 1952; film censorship; Press Council Act as amended from time to time; ASCI; Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954; regulatory bodies for print, TV, advertising, PR and internet.High weightage
- Media rules, role and human rights — Rules, regulations and guidelines for the media as recommended by Press Council of India, the Information and Broadcasting ministry and other professional organisations; adversarial role of the media; human rights and media.Medium
Law, ethics and the Constitution → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Media laws and famous cases → premium chapter · free preview · ~12 min
Regulation: RTI, copyright, IT, broadcasting → premium chapter · free preview · ~12 min
Media rules, role and human rights → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Unit 7: Media Management and Production
मीडिया प्रबंधन और उत्पादन · 4 bank questions · 2 premium chapters- Media management and production techniques — Media management: definition and concept; grammar of electronic media; communication design theories and practice; media production techniques: print and electronic; digital media production techniques.High weightage
- Media economics and industry principles — Economics and commerce of mass media in India; principles and management in the media industry post-liberalisation.Medium
Media management and production techniques → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Media economics and industry principles → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Unit 8: ICT and Media
ICT और मीडिया · 4 bank questions · 3 premium chapters- ICT and media: foundations — ICT and media: definition, characteristics and role; effect of computer-mediated communication; impact of ICT on mass media; digitisation; social networking.High weightage
- Web-enabled and mobile media — Economics and commerce of web-enabled media; mobile adaptation and new-generation telephony by media; ethics and new media.Medium
- ICT in education and animation — ICT in education and development in India; online media and e-governance; animation: concepts and techniques.Medium
ICT and media: foundations → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Web-enabled and mobile media → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
ICT in education and animation → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Unit 9: Film and Visual Communication
फ़िल्म और दृश्य संचार · 4 bank questions · 3 premium chapters- Film and television theory — Film and television theory; film and identity in Indian film studies; leading film directors of India before and after Independence; Indian cinema in the 21st century.High weightage
- Television analysis and visual communication — Approaches to analysis of Indian television; visual communication; visual analysis.Medium
- Film language and cinema movements — Basics of film language and aesthetics; the dominant film paradigm; evolution of Indian cinema: commercial and ‘non-commercial’ genres, the Hindi film song, Indian aesthetics and poetics (the theory of Rasa and Dhvani); national cinema movements: Soviet Montage, German Expressionist, Italian Neo-Realist, French New Wave, British New Wave, Indian New Wave, period cinema; cinema in the new millennium.High weightage
Film and television theory → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Television analysis and visual communication → premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min
Film language and cinema movements → premium chapter · free preview · ~12 min
Unit 10: Communication Research
संचार शोध · 4 bank questions · 3 premium chapters- Research process and designs — Communication research: definition, concept, constructs and approaches to the research process; research designs: types, structure, components; classical, experimental and quasi-experimental designs; variables and hypotheses; types and methods of research: basic, applied, descriptive, analytical, historical, case study, longitudinal studies.High weightage
- Research areas, measurement and data collection — Research in journalism, public relations, advertising, cinema, animation and graphics, television, internet, social media practices, magazines, children’s media; communication, journalism and media research in India; levels of measurement; sampling: probability and non-probability; tests of validity and reliability; scaling techniques; data collection methods: interviews, surveys, case studies, obtrusive and non-obtrusive techniques, ethnography, schedule, questionnaire, diary, internet-based tools; media-specific methods: exit polls, opinion polls, telephone, SMS surveys, voting with regard to GEC (general entertainment content).High weightage
- Data analysis, reporting and ethics — Data analysis, testing, interpretation; application of statistical tests: parametric and non-parametric, tests of variance (univariate, bivariate, multivariate), tests of significance; computer-mediated research; ethical considerations in communication, media and journalism research; writing research reports; plagiarism.Medium
Research process and designs → premium chapter · free preview · ~12 min
Research areas, measurement and data collection → premium chapter · free preview · ~12 min
Data analysis, reporting and ethics → premium chapter · free preview · ~12 min
Study material
Free sample material
Concept and history of journalism and mass communication
Premium chapter · free preview · ~12 min · Unit 1
Read free previewMedia criticism, policies and theories
Premium chapter · free preview · ~13 min · Unit 1
Read free previewCommunication traditions and media culture
Premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min · Unit 1
Read free previewDevelopment communication: concept and society
Premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min · Unit 2
Read free previewDevelopment, social change and paradigms
Premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min · Unit 2
Read free previewCorporatisation, civil society and reformers
Premium chapter · free preview · ~11 min · Unit 2
Read free previewPremium detailed material — preview
Premium chapters are published for this subject: 30 topic chapters, each with a free preview; the full chapter, diagrams, worked problems and practice questions unlock with Premium.
Mass Communication and Journalism Test Series — ₹499 ₹999 · Unlocks all premium chapters (Mass Communication and Journalism) for 365 days
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Sample MCQs from the real bank
These are original practice questions with original explanations — not official NTA questions. The full bank for this subject holds 40 questions.
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Unit-wise tests
Full mock — not published yet
A 100-question full mock needs a much larger bank than the 40 questions published for this subject today, so no full mock is linked here. Unit tests above are available wherever bank questions exist. The combined 150-question mock covers Paper 1 + CS only.
Premium question bank — preview
Premium will add difficulty-wise sets, numerical and analytical sets where the syllabus needs them, and full detailed solutions for every question. The 40 questions above are the free bank available today; premium sets are not published yet, so nothing here is locked that you already need.
Previous year questions
PYQ section
Verified official PYQs — see the live count
A question is only listed as an official PYQ when its original paper and final answer key have been verified. The PYQ Library shows the live published count and the papers themselves — open it to see what is verified for this subject. Until then, nothing here is presented as an official NTA paper, and no year or session is attached to any practice question. NetSaathi is not affiliated with NTA/UGC.
Open PYQ pageStrategy
Preparation strategy for this subject
- Start with the high-weightage topics — Concept and history of journalism and mass communication, Media criticism, policies and theories, Development communication: concept and society, Development, social change and paradigms, News and reporting — and finish their chapter previews first.
- Read one unit, then test it the same day: each unit page ends with its own unit test, so gaps show up while the material is fresh.
- Use the unit-wise result report: after every test, revise the units where accuracy is lowest before starting a new unit.
- Attempt every question in mocks: there is no negative marking, so an unattempted question is a guaranteed zero.
- Finish with unit tests: take every available unit test under timed conditions; full mocks for this subject arrive once the bank is large enough for a 100-question paper.
Revision
Important topics & revision resources
Important topics (high weightage)
- Unit 1: Concept and history of journalism and mass communication
- Unit 1: Media criticism, policies and theories
- Unit 2: Development communication: concept and society
- Unit 2: Development, social change and paradigms
- Unit 3: News and reporting
- Unit 3: Writing, translation and editing
- Unit 4: Advertising: concept, ethics and theory
- Unit 5: PR and corporate communication: foundations
- Unit 6: Law, ethics and the Constitution
- Unit 6: Media laws and famous cases
- Unit 6: Regulation: RTI, copyright, IT, broadcasting
- Unit 7: Media management and production techniques
- Unit 8: ICT and media: foundations
- Unit 9: Film and television theory
- Unit 9: Film language and cinema movements
- Unit 10: Research process and designs
- Unit 10: Research areas, measurement and data collection
Revision resources
- Premium chapters (30) → free previews; full chapters unlock with Premium.
- Study planner → plan revision around the exam countdown.