This research project aims at explaining and predicting differences in news content with regard to factors inherent in the political system, political culture, media system and media culture of a country. To that end, the proposed project will develop a model for measuring and explaining news content from a cross-regional perspective. The underlying assumption is that differing structural conditions favor different patterns of journalistic behavior and values. Based on the results of this analysis, the project also aims at assessing the quality of news coverage in selected regions in India with regard to normative standards for democratic quality of news. The question of what model of democracy a national media system assists and endorses lies at the heart of this study.