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Crossing Continents: India: Press for Sale

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India: Press for Sale

17/04/2014

BBC Radio 4 - Crossing Continents, India: Press for Sale

Shilpa Kannan investigates the phenomenon of paid news in India.

As India's general election gets under way, Shilpa Kannan investigates the phenomenon of paid news in the country. How free and fair is India's press?

India's election campaign is under way with more than 800 million voters going to the polls. But questions are being asked about the news media which will inform their choices. For several years, Indian newspapers have been dogged by the scandal of "paid news" in which apparently genuine news articles turn out to be paid-for content, aimed at manipulating public opinion. In this edition of Crossing Continents, the BBC's Shilpa Kannan - herself an Indian citizen - investigates the phenomenon, it's origins, growth and implications. As she discovers, the Indian newspaper industry in particular may be uniquely susceptible to this kind of problem. However, tackling it is likely to be difficult. Some argue that it is now impossible to believe anything is printed in good faith. As one veteran journalist despairs: "When there's so much money to be made by doing fake journalism, why do real journalism?".

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