Porismita Borah

Newspaper Coverage of Dowry in India, 1999-2006: Examining Media Content Porismita Borah

The historical origins of the modern dowry system in India can be traced back to the 1800s, when dowry meant a collection of clothes, household items, furniture and cattle voluntarily given to the bride by her family at the time of marriage. However, in some parts of modern India, the traditional practice of dowry has lead to cases of domestic violence. The bride is often harassed and abused when the dowry amount is considered insufficient. This abuse could worsen to the point when the husband or his family kills the bride. This study employs three different methods to understand the newspaper coverage of dowry in India? first, the study examines the ?peak periods? to ascertain the pattern of coverage. Second, with a sample of 4,058 articles the study examines the prominent frames used by newspapers. Third, with the help of interviews of journalists from the same newspapers, the study examines the factors that influence the way these frames are created in the first place. Results show that in general, the driving force of this coverage is marketability of the stories. This is implied by the overall coverage as well as the responses of journalists.