Local News as Public Communication: The Importance of Small Hindi Newspapers in India

Abstract

This study examines how small Hindi newspapers in India function as sites of local public communication by assessing the prominence and “place orientation” of their journalistic content. The paper conceptualizes small newspapers as localized communicative arenas where everyday civic concerns local governance, neighbourhood issues and accountability become visible and discussable for ordinary citizens. Using a mixed qualitative and quantitative content analysis design the research analyzes three key newspaper forms: news stories, editorials and letters to the editor across a large multi-state sample. Two Hindi dailies were selected from 19 states/union territories and a monthly stratified sample of 12 issues per newspaper (one year) was constructed following Stempel’s technique. Findings show that local news occupies a primary position in news stories: 55.80% of stories and 58.30% of total space are local, while national stories form 38.40% with international and regional content. Trade area analysis further indicates that a substantial share of local items originates from the newspaper’s own publication zone, supporting the claim that small Hindi newspapers intensify place based civic narration. The study argues that small Hindi newspapers sustain a locally rooted public sphere through news reporting.