How Indian Newsrooms Pod: Studying the Practices of Journalistic Podcasting in India

Abstract

The modern digital newsrooms produce journalistic output in multiple new content formats, podcasting being one of them. This study presents different contours of podcasting as practiced in the Indian newsrooms through the study of journalistic practices associated with it. Based on fieldwork in newsrooms as well as in-depth interviews, the study tells that the news selection practices for podcasting show a different set of news values emerging. The role of the audience in podcast production as well as the headlining function was also examined. The journalists were found to employ a more interpretive, narrative style of storytelling, moving away from the old journalistic norm of objectivity. Furthermore, these journalists were found to understand podcasting as a form of ‘slow journalism and consciously employing the slow techniques in their practice, conceptualizing podcasts as a necessary break in the modern day news work that is ‘always on’.