The Press Under Pressure? : A qualitative comparative case study examining changes in Indian newspaper reporting during India’s alleged autocratisation process

The third wave of autocratisation is unfolding globally, with India regarded as a striking example. Since 2014, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by nationalist-populist Narendra Modi assumed office, India has reportedly experienced a significant democratic decline. This process has allegedly followed the typical pattern observed for countries in the third wave of autocratisation, with the media as a primary target. This thesis addresses a research gap by investigating whether - and if so, how - the reporting by Indian newspapers has actually changed since the BJP and Prime Minister Modi took office. Specifically, it examines the reporting of communal riots between Hindus and Muslims in Indian English language newspapers. A comparative case study was conducted to identify changes, analysing newspaper articles from three Indian English language newspapers using Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA). Through this approach, changes in reporting were identified. The findings reveal a weakening of the media’s main democratic functions among the analysed newspapers. Post-2014 reporting was also less cautious and more transparent, with greater emphasis on intergroup tensions and identities, while maintaining neutrality in portrayal. These findings - particularly the weakening of the media’s democratic functions - suggest that India is undergoing an autocratisation process, with the media as a targeted institution. This aligns with previous reports from non-governmental organisations and scholars. By offering insights into India’s alleged autocratisation process and how the media is targeted within it, these findings could further strengthen the general theory of how the autocratisation process unfolds in the third wave.