India has a thriving media environment where expression is encouraged. The internet was launched in 1995 and has grown significantly, with 278 million internet users in 2014 expected to reach 302 million. Both federal and state governments practice some level of internet censorship by blocking access to certain content or sites. Traditional media institutions like newspapers have expanded their online presence through websites and apps, while social media platforms and blogging are also popular ways for journalists and citizens to engage online.

1. New Media
• India is the world’s largest democracy with a thriving media
where expression and opinion is encouraged.
• It has a successful information technology sector.
• India has 20 official languages and most Indian blogs are written
in English.
• Blogger is most popular among Indian bloggers.

2. Internet
• Internet was launched in India by VSNL
(Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited) on 15th
August 1995. It added about 10,000
Internet users within 6 months.
• In 2004, the government formulated its
broadband policy which defined
broadband as “an always on Internet
connection with download speed of 256
kbit/s or above.”
• In 2005, the growth in broadband sector
accelerated, but remained below growth
estimate of the government.
• In 2010, this issue was resolved when
the government auctioned the 3G
spectrum followed by 4G spectrum
setting the stage for the wireless
broadband market.

3. IAMAI Report 2014
• In a research jointly conducted by Internet & Mobile Association
of India (IAMAI)and IMRB International, the internet usage in
India has gone up by 32% from October 2013-October 2014.
• As per the report there were 278 million claimed internet users
which is expected to reach 302 million by December 2014.
• The number of active Internet Users was 213 million as of October 2014,
and is expected to reach 232 million by December 2014 and 269 million
by June 2015.

4. Internet Censorship in India
• Internet censorship in India is practiced selectively by both federal and state
governments.
• There is no such policy to block access to Internet content.
• However measures for removing objectionable content or anything that harms
national security have become more common over the years.
Instances of Internet Censorship
• 1999 -After the Kargil War, the website of a Pakistani daily newspaper, Dawn was
blocked access within India.
• Rediff, a media news site claimed that that the ban was instigated by the Govt.
• Later published detailed instructions as to how one could bypass the filter and view
the site.

5. • 2003 – In September, Kynhun, a Yahoo group linked to the “Hynniewtrep
National Liberation Council”, an illegal minor separatist group in Meghalaya
which discussed the case of the Khasi tribe was banned.
• 2014 – In an order dated 23rd June 2014, the Delhi High Court upon request
made by Sony Entertainment.
• It ordered 472 file sharing and file hosting sites blocked including the Pirate
Bay, Google Docs, Google videos and Google’s URL shortener (goo.gl).
• Whistle blower Savakku’s site was blocked by Judge CT Selvam on the
petition filed by newsreader Mahalakshmi.
Usage of Internet “Kill Switch”
• In Jammu and Kashmir the govt. shut down the internet on 17-18th March
2014 to prevent separatists from addressing a UN Human Rights Council
event via video link in Geneva.
• In Vadodara, the state govt. shut down the internet from September 27th
2014 for 3 days due to communal clashes between two communities.

6. Online Presence of Media Outlets
• The online presence is strong with numerous platforms for
journalists.
• LinkedIn is a site that offers a group that targets members
that are online journalists in India with content, connections
and job opportunities unique to that segment.
• With emergence of high speed data and mobile data services
such as 3G and LTE, videos of some of India’s best TV
journalists have been made.
• NDTV and CNBC, two news reporting power houses in India,
have a strong online presence.
• Another favorite platform for journalists is Twitter.

7. Traditional Media Institutions
• After internet was made available in India, by 1998, only 48 daily newspapers
were operated online, which steadily rose to 116 by 2006.
• Initially newspapers in English adopted the online format because it had a global
readership.
• But as more internet users gained access, other Indian language papers began to
come up.
• Many of the web editions were simply replicas of the print editions and not
updated.
• They were run by minimal staff.
• A lot of the online newspapers do not receive advertising revenue for its web
editions with the exception of major newspapers.

8. The Times Of India Group
• The Times of India is the
largest media conglomerate in
India.
• Its flagship paper is Times of
India and it is the publisher of
the largest business
publication, The Economic
Times.
• The Times Of India opened its
web portal in 1999 and in
2003 they published an e-
version of their newspaper.

9. M.J.Akbar
• He is a luminary journalist
who is one to have
embraced online media
while maintaining a strong
presence in print media.
• He has worked in Times of
India since 1971 and
currently heads the Sunday
Guardian as the Editorial
director of India Today
Group and Headlines
Today.

10. Dainik Jagran
• It is India’s most read paper
for 23 years with a daily
readership of 16 million.
• It’s a flagship production of
Jagran Prakashan Limited.
• In 2008, JPL launched MMI
online to handle its digital
offerings.
• Jagran.com, another site has
recently joined with
yahoo.com where one can
see 50 updates in a day.

11. One India
• Oneindia.in, owned by
Greynium Information
Technologies Pvt. Ltd is a
leading Indian internet
portal.
• It provides content,
community and commerce
to Indian consumers,
business and the global
Indian community.
• One India launched its
Hindi Portal in 2007.

12. Social Networking
• According to a study by
eMarketer there is a record
growth of 37% in social
networking during 2013.
• With the 2nd largest Facebook
user base outside US, India is
expected to have the largest
Facebook population in the
world by 2016.
• A survey by Internet and Mobile
Association of India found that
78 billion were active users of
Facebook in early 2013, followed
by 33 million users on Twitter
and 20 million users on LinkedIn.

13. Blogging in India
• Largest news and media companies now also
include blogs in their online presence.
• The Times of India has a blog section and so
does The Economic times.
• Dainik Jagran, also runs a site dedicated to
blogs.

14. Amit Agarwal
• He runs the blog tech
inspiration at
www.labnol.org.
• He also maintains
indianbloggers.org
• He has also been
featured in the Wall
Street Journal for his
contribution to the
Indian blogging scene.

15. Conclusion
• Online journalism is now a growing field
being shared between traditional media and
dedicated bloggers.
• Traditional Media Institutions, now have a
strong online presence as well.
• However, independent bloggers are also
giving their own voice.