科研成果详情

This chapter explores the interplay between democracy and journalism in India, the world’s largest democracy, with one of its most complex media systems. With a brief excursion into the historical context, the chapter focuses on the transformation of the Indian news media beginning in the late 1990s, particularly in broadcasting, which has grown from a state-controlled monopoly to a multiplicity of private television news channels. The expansion and consolidation of media corporations have transformed India’s media landscape and significantly affected broadcast journalism. The chapter argues that this marketized, multi-channel television environment is dominated by a scramble for ratings, resulting in news content increasingly taking the form of infotainment. The informational role of television in India, where millions of people still cannot read or write, has been undermined by this market-led journalism and the privatization of television news is eroding the public sphere in the world’s largest democracy.