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Indian Newspapers’ Digital Transition: Dainik Jagran, Hindustan Times, and Malayala Manorama

Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism;Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) (2016), 47 pp.

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"In this report, we have analysed how the Hindustan Times, Dainik Jagran, and Malayala Manorama are changing their newsroom organisation and journalistic work to adapt to an increasingly digital media environment. Our analysis shows that all three newspapers are investing in expanding their digital activities to pursue new opportunities as digital media become more important in India, and print relatively less so. All are investing significantly more effort in digital operations than they did in the past, and more than many other Indian newspapers. This includes investments in new technology and staff with new expertise, as well as training of existing staff. We find important variations in how they are changing. At the Hindustan Times, senior editorial and managerial leaders have worked together to integrate print and digital newsrooms into one cross-platform operation equally adept at serving audiences across print, website, mobile app, and social channels. At Malayala Manorama, and especially Dainik Jagran, the transition seems to have been led more exclusively by management, and the focus has been on expanding parallel digital operations that are not part of the print newspaper organisation. By creating a brand of their own, distinct from but built on that of their print newspapers, opening up new offices and hiring new personnel to perform digital news work, Jagran Online and Manorama Online partially circumvented the inertia that often hampers attempt to change an incumbent organisation where people are proud of what they have accomplished in the past. Because they are building parallel units, they do not have to deal with the issues that arise when moving from a print to a digital or platform-agnostic newsroom." (Conclusion)
Executive Summary, 5
1 Introduction, 8
2 Dainik Jagran, 18
3 Hindustan Times, 26
4 Malayala Manorama, 34
5 Conclusion, 42