21st century journalism in India.(Book review)

Rajan, N. (ed.). (2007). 21st century journalism in India. New Delhi: 1 Sage Publications. 324 pages.

In sharp contrast to the United States where traditional media organizations are marked by declining revenues and shrinking audiences, the Indian media landscape is expanding rapidly. Critical analyses of media practices however, have so far been quite limited, and it is in this realm that this eclectic collection seeks to make a contribution, attempting, in the words of its editor, to "turn the spotlight on the journalistic profession itself."

Containing well-researched academic essays as well as first person accounts by practitioners, the book is divided into four thematic sections. The first section, "Representing the Unrepresented," offers critiques of media coverage related to women, homosexuals and untouchables, with contributors arguing that by adhering to traditional notions of objectivity such as gender-neutral coverage of news events, or "factual" reporting that does not contextualize discrimination against homosexuals, Indian media simply reinforce the status quo. Other essays in the section turn their critical gaze to Western reportage of the 2004 Socialist victory in Spain and the Danish cartoon controversy, identifying negative coverage of the election as the result of nationalistic interpretations of ideas such as "terror" and "democracy," and taking issue with the European media framing of protests against the cartoons as pitting a "humorless, intolerant Islam versus a playful Freedom."

While the first section essentially focuses on matters of representation, the second section, the "Plurality of Practice," examines coverage of economics, legal issues, science, humor, arts and culture in the Indian context. These pieces variously make a case for: more informative economic coverage; the use of narrative techniques in science writing; and introduction of greater humor in print writing, while criticizing the market-driven decline in space for arts journalism as well as the Indian press's disregard for the privacy rights of victims.

The third section, "Media in Perspective," which provides a shift from the largely print-centric focus of the previous essays, offers some insight into broadcasting, with articles detailing the challenges of working for a partisan network, teaching broadcast journalism, and an analysis of the decline of substantive content, in an era of growing media spectacle and simulation.

The final section, "Future Trends," explores the growth of new media in India, and examines how online journalism, blogging and citizen journalism not only address the shortcomings of mainstream Indian media, as laid out in the first three sections, but potentially enhance participation in the public sphere.

The common theme that thus seems to link the otherwise diverse writings in this volume, is a focus on analyzing and seeking to improve the practice of journalism in India, which is perceived as being limited (often by commercial imperatives), in its ability to inform and educate citizens. But while it raises significant questions in relation to the print medium, broadcasting, which is increasingly important in India, receives comparatively little attention. The collection could also have benefited from an examination of the structural issues underpinning contemporary journalism developments within India as well as from a better organization of materials, especially in the final section, where the articles on narrative writing seem misplaced. However despite these concerns, the book is a welcome addition to the scarce body of critical scholarship on Indian journalism.

Kalyani Chadha (Ph.D., University of Maryland) is the Director of the Media, Selt and Society program at the University of Maryland. Her research interests include globalization and media policy.

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