Political news coverage on front page of Indian newspapers: an analysis

The quality and content of news published on front page of leading newspapers has much to do with the taste of readers and inclination of that society. A host of readership studies have found that markets depend on the demand of the readers and cater to the needs of that audience or readership. Political news has assumed a significant place when it comes to newsroom of various media organizations in India. This is one genre of news that cannot be ignored or sidelined in the country because of the huge political set up, continuously changing political scenario and proud democracy that the country has.

The present study conducts an analysis of 100 English newspaper editions of leading newspapers in the country and region to find out importance given to political news on front page. These newspapers include- The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Indian Express and The Tribune. The four newspapers were carefully selected for diverse evaluation of news coverage on front page. The study also includes analysis of various studies done in past on political coverage in different kinds of media. The paper compares the number of stories carried on front of newspapers for these 100 editions and the share of political news in that. The study includes analysis over four months and sampling has been selectively done to be evaluated statistically.