Author: Sevanti NinanPublisher: Sage PublicationsYear: 2007Language: EnglishPages: 308ISBN/UPC (if available): 9780761935803
In the 1990s, a newspaper revolution began blowing across northern and central India. When literacy levels rose, communications expanded, and purchasing power climbed in these Hindi-speaking states, newspapers followed—picking up readers in small towns and villages. Even while these newspapers surged to the top of national readership charts, they localised furiously in the race for readers. But in this universe of local news, questions arose about what localisation was doing to regional identity and consciousness.Using notes from her pioneering field-study in eight states, Sevanti Ninan brilliantly brings alive India’s ongoing Hindi newspaper revolution and its impact on politics, administration and society. Set against the socio-economic and political changes in the countryside, it is a remarkable story of how journalism flowered in unexpected and unorthodox ways, and colourful media marketing unfurled in the Hindi heartland.
List of TablesList of IllustrationsAcknowledgements1. Overview: Reinventing the Public Sphere2. The Evolution and Growth of Hindi Journalism3. A Rural Newspaper Revolution4. Creating New Media Hubs5. Local New Gatherers6. The Universe of Local News7. Media and Commerce8. Journalists and Politicians9. Caste and Communalism10. The Development Discourse11. Reconfiguring the Public sphere12. Change and Attrition Epilogue - Habermas RevisitedReferencesIndexAbout the Author