The expansion of newspapers in Indian languages over the past 20 years is unique in history. This paper seeks to examine the potential social and political consequences of that growth by focusing on two Hindi-language newspapers and their treatment of a few items of news and comment. Through such close analysis, the essay aims to show how McLuhan's ‘subliminal charge’ — the unconscious but overpowering effect of daily newspaper consumption — might work in practice. The essay illuminates the role of newspapers in shaping language, identity and a ‘public sphere’ in small-town and rural India —processes that have great consequences for India's political future.
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