ABSTRACT
In this chapter I will explore the interplay between democracy and journalism in India, the world’s largest democracy, with one of its most complex media systems. The chapter focuses on changes in the Indian news media during the late 1990s, particularly in broadcasting, which has grown from a state-controlled monopoly to a multiplicity of private television channels in what used to be one of the world’s most protected broadcasting environments. The expansion and consolidation of the operations of the mainly Western-based transnational media corporations have transformed India’s media landscape and significantly affected broadcast journalism.
