The Challenge of Nationalism: Reuters and the Indian Press in the Aftermath of the Second World War

• In Event: Contested Ground: Globalized News and its Meaning in the 20th Century

Abstract

This paper addresses the re-ordering of the global communication order and the international news business in the aftermath of the Second World War. It does this through an examination of the changing fortunes of the international news agencies, particularly the British-based Reuters, in India in the lead up to and following Indian independence in 1947. The history of Reuters in India in this period is considered in the context of decolonisation and emerging nationalism.
Prior to the Second World War, Reuters held a dominant position in the Indian news market. Reuters was not only the major supplier of international news to the Indian press but also controlled India’s internal news service through its fully owned subsidiary, the Associated Press of India. Clearly, such a situation could not be sustained after India’s independence. In addition to local political pressure, Reuters was also facing vigorous competition from the U.S. agencies, Associated Press and United Press, which were in the process of rapid global expansion. The question arose as to whether Reuters could have any future in India after independence, given the company’s strong historical association with the British Raj.
Partly in response to this problem, Reuters sought to re-constitute itself as a ‘British Commonwealth’ agency by offering part-ownership of Reuters to India’s national press association, as well as to the press associations of other Commonwealth countries. Using the Reuters Company Archive and Indian sources, this paper examines the negotiations between Reuters and the Press Trust of India which led to the part ownership of Reuters by the Indian press. It also addresses the question of why this arrangement collapsed after just three years of operation in the face of growing demands from India that Indian national interests be reflected in news produced by Reuters.

Author

• Peter Putnis, U of Canberra