डॉ. बी. आर. अम्बेडकर विश्‍वविद्यालय दिल्ली
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi
Established by The Government of NCT of Delhi

Course coordinator and team: SCCE Faculty

1. How does the course link with the vision of AUD?

This course aligns closely with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi’s (AUD) emphasis on interdisciplinarity, linguistic diversity, and inclusive knowledge practices. By focusing on journalism as a crucial form of public writing, civic practice, and cultural critique, the course foregrounds the plurality of literary and non-fictional traditions in India. It promotes critical awareness of how news narratives intersect with questions of caste, gender, class, and environmental distress, supporting AUD’s commitment to socially grounded, reflective, and democratically engaged learning.

2. How does the course link with the specific program (s) where it is being offered?

As a practice-infused elective within the M.A. Creative Writing programme, this course bridges the analytical-theoretical study of media with active, hands-on reporting and editorial work. It enriches students’ narrative capabilities by introducing them to diverse journalistic forms, from document-based investigation to rural reportage and digital critique, cultivating highly reflective writers who can operate ethically across diverse public platforms.

3. Does the course connect to, build on, or overlap with any other courses offered in AUD?

Yes. The course complements foundational creative writing workshops, particularly narrative non-fiction, by focusing specifically on the historical and contemporary mechanics of news reporting and public media. To ensure academic integrity, the course's reading list is completely distinct, containing zero overlaps with other workshop courses or companion comparative translation lists.

4. Specific requirements on the part of students who can be admitted to this course:
(Pre-requisites; prior knowledge level; any others – please specify): None.

None. According to the structure of the postgraduate program, this course is designed for students enrolled in the Creative Writing programme as an elective core option, or other postgraduate cohorts in the School of Culture and Creative Expressions.

5. No. of students to be admitted
(with justification if lower than the usual cohort size is proposed):

Usual cohort size.

6. Course scheduling
(semester; semester-long/half-semester course; workshop mode; seminar mode; any other – please specify):

Semester-long elective course; hybrid seminar and creative workshop mode.

7. Course Details:
a. Summary:

This postgraduate elective course offers an advanced critical study of the history, practices, and evolving socio-political role of journalism in India. Located within the interdisciplinary ecology of the School of Culture and Creative Expressions, the course addresses journalism not merely as an industry or technical craft, but as a crucial form of public writing, civic practice, and cultural critique. It traces the historic trajectory of the press in the subcontinent, examining how it has functioned as a site for anti-colonial mobilization, national imagination, constitutional advocacy, social justice struggle, and radical democratic expression.

Through a careful curricular partition, the course divides its pedagogical hours among five core modules. Students explore how structural changes—ranging from print-capitalism to the broadcast revolution, the hyper-growth of vernacular spheres, and the ongoing digital transition—have reshaped the public sphere in India. Special emphasis is laid on investigating how systemic power dynamics, institutional biases, corporate monopolies, and state regulations influence news gathering, editorial independence, and narrative framing. Readings are selected to engage students with both the historical and contemporary challenges of journalism, focusing on questions of caste representation, gender, environmental distress, and communal polarization.

Structured as a practice-infused seminar, the course bridges critical-theoretical analysis with experiential learning. Weekly workshop sessions allow students to draft investigative pieces, write media critiques, and experiment with diverse journalistic forms, culminating in a professional-grade portfolio. By analyzing the intellectual and ethical choices of pioneering journalists, students cultivate advanced competencies in critical reading, media literacy, reflective writing, and ethical authorship, preparing themselves for leadership roles in creative, editorial, and public professions.

Objectives:

• Introduce students to the historical evolution of the press in India from its colonial era to the digital age
• Cultivate critical analytical skills to evaluate news narratives, media ownership models, and representation structures.
• Equip students with advanced skills in reporting, investigative editing, and multi-platform journalistic composition.
• Foster robust ethical standards, civic responsibility, and factual accuracy in news gathering and publishing
• Enable collaborative newsroom workshops, editorial workflows, and rigorous peer review practices.
• Guide students in assembling a professional-grade creative portfolio demonstrating original investigative or critical media work.

Expected Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, it is expected that the student will have:

• CO1: Demonstrate a comprehensive, historically grounded understanding of the evolution of the press in India, from its colonial origins to contemporary digital configurations.
• CO2: Critically analyze news narratives, editorial stances, and broadcast content to evaluate how institutional frameworks, corporate ownership, and political economies shape representation and public discourse.
• CO3: Apply advanced reporting, editing, and narrative strategies to produce original, ethically grounded, and socially responsive journalistic texts across different platforms.
• CO4: Employ practice-informed methodologies to critique, revise, and refine journalistic writing, demonstrating a mastery of editorial processes and professional standards.
• CO5: Participate constructively in collective peer review, collaborative news workshops, and critical debates concerning media ethics, public responsibility, and freedom of expression.
• CO6: Formulate and present a professional-grade, publication-ready portfolio of original investigative journalism or critical media scholarship that demonstrates intellectual rigor and creative competence.

 

Module I:

The Press under Colonial Rule: Reform, Civic Expression, and Censorship (16 Hours)

Description

This module investigates the emergence of print media in the Indian subcontinent under colonial administration. It traces the complex negotiations between the colonial state, the mercantile press, and early Indian social reformers. Students examine how print became a pivotal terrain for anti-colonial mobilization, linguistic assertion, and constitutional claims. The module explores early censorship mechanisms, the rise of vernacular print spheres, and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's pioneering intervention in launching Dalit-led journals to challenge Brahmanical hegemony and construct an alternative subaltern public sphere.

Core Readings (Primary Texts):

1. Hicky, James Augustus. Selected Editorials and Trial Records. In Hicky's Bengal Gazette (1780-1782). (Excerpts exploring early satirical exposures of East India Company officials).

2. Roy, Raja Rammohan. 'Address on the Freedom of the Press' (1823) and selected editorials from Mirat-ul-Akhbar. (Pioneering defenses of the press against regulatory ordinances).

3. Tilak, Bal Gangadhar. 'Sedition and the Press.' Selected editorials from Kesari (1897-1908). (Articles analyzing Tilak's anti-colonial stance that led to his trials).

4. Ambedkar, B. R. Selected Editorials from Mooknayak (Leader of the Dumb, 1920) and Bahishkrit Bharat (Excluded India, 1927). Translated from Marathi. (Foundational essays asserting the necessity of an independent Dalit press for socio-political emancipation).

Suggested Critical Essays:

1. Barns, Marguerite Margarita. The Indian Press: A History of the Growth of Public Opinion in India. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1940, pp. 45-112.

2. Natarajan, S. A History of the Press in India. Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1962, pp. 88-143.

3. Aloysius, G. Nationalism without a Nation in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1997. Chapter 4 ('Print, Public and Caste Reformulations').

 

Module-II

Post-Independence Nation-Building, Investigative Reporting, and the Emergency (12 Hours)

Description

This module analyzes the role of journalism in the post-1947 developmental state, focusing on the tensions between developmental consensus and investigative critique. It examines the historic rupture of the Internal Emergency (1975–1977), studying state censorship, editorial compliance, and courageous models of print resilience. Students also explore the post-Emergency rise of investigative and development journalism, centering on P. Sainath's landmark rural reportage which transformed the narrative around poverty and structural distress in rural India.

Core Readings (Primary Texts):

1. Verghese, B. G. 'Our Biafra.' Selected investigative reports on famine and rural policy in The Hindustan Times (1970-1974). (Reports highlighting developmental failures and government suppression of information).

2. Nayar, Kuldip. Selected emergency reports and prison diaries from 1975-1977. (Visceral accounts of state censorship and civil rights violations under the Emergency regime).

3. Sainath, P. Everybody Loves a Good Drought: Stories from India's Poorest Districts. New Delhi: Penguin Books India, 1996. Selected chapters: 'The Livelihoods of the Poor' and 'The Trickle-Down theory.' (Masterful investigative reports on systemic rural distress and administrative apathy).

Suggested Critical Essays:

• Jeffrey, Robin. India's Newspaper Revolution: Capitalism, Politics and the Consumer. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 24-81.
• Ninan, Sevanti. Headlines From the Heartland: Reinventing the Hindi Press. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2007, pp. 62-115.
• Chandra, Bipan. India Since Independence. New Delhi: Penguin Books India, 2008. Chapter 25 ('The Emergency: Crisis of Democracy').

 

Module-III

The Broadcast Boom, Television News, and Sensationalism (16 Hours)

Description

This module explores the shift from state-controlled broadcasting (Doordarshan) to private, 24-hour satellite news channels in the early 1990s. It analyzes the political economy of commercial television, the rise of live reporting, and the structural pressures toward sensationalism, 24-hour news cycles, and prime-time drama. Students investigate the ethical dimensions of television journalism through case studies of Kargil war reporting, communal violence representation, and live crisis management, questioning the boundaries between public service and corporate entertainment.

Core Readings (Primary Texts):

1. Roy, Prannoy. 'The Live Broadcast and the Indian Public.' Selections from early NDTV production archives and live election analyses (1989-1995). (Excerpts on the design of empirical, non-partisan broadcast reporting).

2. Dutt, Barkha. Selected broadcast transcripts from the Kargil War frontline (1999) and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. (Transcripts examining live coverage mechanics, security implications, and the emotional register of war reporting).

3. Varadarajan, Siddharth, ed. Gujarat: The Making of a Tragedy. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2002. Selected reportage: 'The Media under Fire' and 'The Language of Hate.' (Crucial investigative narratives examining media bias, state collusion, and ethical failures during the 2002 violence).

Suggested Critical Essays:

1. Mehta, Nalin. India on Television: How Satellite News Channels Have Changed the Way We Think and Act. New Delhi: HarperCollins, 2008, pp. 45-110.

2. Rajagopal, Arvind. Politics After Television: Hindu Nationalism and the Resegregation of the Public Sphere. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, pp. 72-121.

3. Sonwalkar, Prasun. 'Banal Nationalism in Hindu India: The Case of Web and Satellite News.' International Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 4, no. 4, 2001, pp. 505-524.

 

Module-IV

Digital Disruptions, Corporate Media, and Alternative Publics (16 Hours)

Description

This module investigates the contemporary media landscape, shaped by corporate mergers, cross-media ownership, state coercion, and digital technologies. Students analyze the political economy of 'paid news,' corporate lobbying, and algorithmic feeds that filter contemporary public discourse. The module counterbalances this by exploring the rise of alternative, reader-funded, and digital-native news platforms. It studies Ravish Kumar's critique of mainstream broadcast media and N. Ram's classic investigative reporting on state defense procurement, mapping the contemporary struggles for democratic truth.

Core Readings (Primary Texts):

1. Ram, N. Selected investigative reports on the Bofors scandal (The Hindu, 1988-1989) and the Rafale procurement deal (The Hindu, 2018-2019). (Excerpts showing how document-based investigative reporting exposes state-level corruption).

2. Kumar, Ravish. The Free Voice: On Democracy, Culture and the Nation. Translated from Hindi. New Delhi: Speaking Tiger, 2018. Selected essays: 'The Screen of Fear' and 'The Age of the Blind Public.' (Sharp polemical critiques of corporate television and the decline of objective journalism in India).

3. Selections from Digital Investigative Portals (The Wire, Scroll.in, and Newslaundry). Selected investigative reports (2018-2025) on financial scandals, municipal corruption, and algorithmic manipulation in Indian elections.

Suggested Critical Essays:

1. Batabyal, Somnath. Making News in India: Metropolitan Journalism and Media Organisations. London: Routledge, 2012, pp. 34-92.

2. Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. New York: Pantheon Books, 1988. Chapter 1 ('A Propaganda Model').

3. Udupa, Sahana. Making News in Global India: Media, Publics, Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Chapters 1 & 2 ('The Cultural Politics of Journalism').

 

Module V

Language Press, Caste Representation, and the Ethics of Truth (16 Hours)

Description

This concluding module addresses caste discrimination, gender inequality, and the severe underrepresentation of marginalized voices in Indian media. It analyzes the corporate blindness of urban English-language newsrooms to caste and class structures, juxtaposing it with the rise of grassroots, feminist, and Dalit-led journalism platforms. The module explores the vernacular press as an active site of subaltern agency and reviews the ethical frameworks of the Press Council of India (PCI) regarding sting operations, trial by media, and paid news.

Core Readings (Primary Texts):

1. Prasad, Chandra Bhan. 'Caste in the Media: The Invisible Apartheid.' Selected columns from The Pioneer and Dalit social audits (2001-2010). (Critical columns analyzing the near-total exclusion of Scheduled Caste journalists from national newsrooms).

2. Khabar Lahariya (News Waves). Selected editorial articles, village profiles, and investigative video transcripts (2015-2025). Translated from Bundeli and Hindi. (Excerpts showcasing local investigative reports on police corruption, gender violence, and rural labor struggles led by Dalit-women journalists).

3. Press Council of India (PCI). Norms of Journalistic Conduct. New Delhi: PCI, 2020. Selected sections: 'Paid News,' 'Caste and Communal Representation,' 'Sting Operations,' and 'Trial by Media.' (The definitive regulatory handbook for ethical practice in Indian journalism).

Suggested Critical Essays:

1. Guru, Gopal. The Public Sphere in India: Structure, Dynamics and Crises. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 2012. Chapter 3 ('Caste and the Public Sphere').

2. Thorat, Sukhadeo, and Katherine Newman, eds. Blocked by Caste: Economic Discrimination in Modern India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2010. Chapter 8 ('Caste Representation in Cultural and Media Fields').

3. Jeffrey, Robin. 'Caste, Class, and the Penny Press: The Indian Press in the 1990s.' Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 56, no. 2, 1997, pp. 391-411.

 

Assessment

First Mid Sem	Analytical Essay	30%
Second Mid Sem	Presentation/ Field Work	20%
End Sem 50%	Creative Project	50%

 

Pedagogy:

Instructional strategies:

• Theoretical grounding in media political economy and public writing frameworks
• Historical progression across modules from colonial to digital architectures
• Critical analysis-based discussions of primary media sources and secondary scholarship
• Practice-led news workshops with focus on reporting, interviewing, and editorial revision