ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the idea of 'Murdochization' as a base to set out two major contemporary challenges: 'paid news' and the 'convergence' of interests of the ruling party and large dominant sections of news organizations after the 2014 general elections. 'Paid news' is an extreme example of the philosophy behind 'Murdochization,' which had become so widespread that it lost the element of surprise by the 2014 general election. After the general election in May, the commission reported nearly 700 cases of 'paid news.' The result was a dominating presence of Modi and BJP candidates in the pre-election news discourse, including in digital media. Large number of candidates, constituencies, parties, and issues were systematically marginalized in news discourse. A conundrum of contra trends is evident as the last 25 years have witnessed a loosening of the old British link with Indian journalism and growing adoption of American-style formats, styles, and idioms.
