About the Book: Telly-Guillotined: How Television Changed India
Fist-fights in television studios, dwindling media autonomy, sensationalism,
fake news, religious hate, abusive trolls, political spin … How did we get here?
Three decades ago, before economic liberalization, came the expansion and
privatization of Indian television. Technological innovation and easing of
government controls offered the prospect of journalistic independence, artistic
creativity and an empowered citizenry. This was rendered illusory by runaway
growth and untrammelled commercialization. In that thwarted promise of the late
20th century lie the seeds of Indian democracys current crisis.
Telly-Guillotined: How Television Changed India tells the story of how
technology was usurped, first by propagandists, then