Anyone who visits India or China will puzzle over their vast media systems. Though they exercise immense influence, the world knows very little about the media landscape in the two countries. The world’s two most populous countries, comprising close to 40 per cent of the global population, have disputed boundaries and the legacy of the 1962 war. Mass media in both countries plays a pivotal role in domestic politics and is capable of telling provocative nationalist stories.

This book helps readers to understand the complexities of media in India and China, and their similarities and differences. It introduces the two media systems, the people who work in them, the work they produce and the pressures that influence their work. It analyses how economic forces drive media, how newsrooms work and how governments in each country manage the coverage of disasters. Media at Work in China and India fosters greater reflection, curiosity and, perhaps, even wisdom, about fast-changing media in these 21st century powerhouses.