Social Construction of International News in India: Politics of International News Agencies

Öz

This study outlines the prominence of international news reportage by the international news agencies in India. It also looks into the politics of international news in the selection process of an Indian newspaper. The most widely used sources within the mainstream media are the international news agencies due to their credibility and wealth of information drawn from a network of locations around the world. Traditionally, the news agencies are seen as the primary source for the majority of news-related information. The newspaper organization’s implicit trust on these news agencies as the single source forms a large part of the news agenda. If the volume of international news is considered, one invariably finds the balance being tilted sharply in favor of certain ‘advanced’ countries compared to the ‘developing’ countries. This article explores the role of three dominant news agencies that are sources of international news in India, such as Associated Press (AP), Agence France Presse (AFP), and Reuters in the ‘Times of India’ newspaper published from Hyderabad, India, and how they play an important role in construction of international news. The article identifies the patterns and commonalities in the news coverage with the help of statistical data gathered from the monitored newspapers. The data are collected and classified with regard to the geographical area, the type of news and the agencies that report them. Indian newspapers argue that advanced planning is an important indicator of this construction, and the information passed along by news agencies tends to drive some aspects of news coverage. If one assesses the cyclic nature of the news coverage, the newspaper organization’s own coverage is influenced by these dominant news agencies. Structures of journalism practices in the country are routinized around the production of these news agencies and the elements of news flow remains critical to the news production process
Keywords: International, news agencies, news coverage, agenda setting, social, and construction

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