Assertion (A): Cross-media ownership in India is a reflection of global trend in the media industry.
Reason (R): The Indian government is unable to withstand the pressure from multinational companies to legislate against media monopoly.
Codes:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true.
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Correct Ans: (C)
The assertion (A) says that cross-media ownership in India reflects a global trend. This is true. Across the world, media companies often operate in multiple sectors. For example, a company may run newspapers, television channels, and digital platforms under one name. India follows the same pattern. Large media groups such as Reliance or Times Group handle several platforms at once. So, this mirrors the global pattern of media consolidation.
On the other hand, the reason (R) claims that the Indian government fails to resist pressure from multinational companies, and this leads to media monopolies. However, this is false. Although foreign companies do influence policy to some extent, cross-media ownership in India is largely driven by local corporate interests. Indian conglomerates dominate the scene much more than international players. Hence, the government’s role has more to do with policy gaps and lack of regulation rather than foreign pressure alone.
Furthermore, the rise of cross-ownership came before intense multinational lobbying. It happened as part of India’s economic liberalization and the explosion of private media. Companies diversified to capture audiences across platforms. Therefore, the assertion remains valid, but the reason does not correctly explain it.
To sum up, the assertion is true, and the reason is false. Thus, the correct answer is (C) — (A) is true, but (R) is false.
