The Hoot Reader: Media Practice in Twenty-First Century India

This Reader, colleting together the best journalistic and analytical pieces webcast at the Hoot, attempts to provide insights into media practice in twenty-first century India. Addressing important issues concerning media ethics and the freedom of the press, it discusses at length how media manipulates news stories, with special reference to the news of sacking of a Navy Admiral.

It also deals with media reporting on a wide range of subjects including terror and conflict, caste and development, communalism, law and justice, women issues, community problems, religious affiliation, media business, and social media. Finally, it looks at the coverage, in 2009, of the conflict in Lalgarh, West Bengal, and how radically opposite perspectives were projected in the media.