Historians of Partition have focused upon the bitterly polarized yet vibrant public sphere of the last days of the British Raj, wherein newspapers representing Congress, Muslim League and Akali opinion vied for influence through increasingly hostile propaganda targeted at the ‘other/s’. Such studies’ focus on ideological battles and propaganda results in relatively less attention being given to what became of these papers once the British departed and the parties these papers espoused or opposed captured power. This paper will seek to revisit such assumptions by analyzing the trials and tribulations of the significant newspaper houses unfortunate enough to be located on the geographical frontlines of Partition and in major centres of communal conflagration. Through such analyses, I will seek to show that it was a combination of initial mob action, reinforced often by state repression and even popular reproach, that forced newspapers viewed as belonging to the ‘other’ party to move to safer (and greener) pastures. In the process, late-colonial India’s once pluralist public sphere came to be partitioned into sections that broadly conformed to the ideologies that the respective Dominions’ new rulers espoused. While aligning newspapers with the majoritarian public opinion, this Partition occasioned shifts of personnel and presses that would fundamentally alter the postcolonial press industry in West and East Pakistan, and to a lesser extent, in India.

研究分治问题的历史学家将注意力集中在英属印度统治最后几天的两极分化严重但充满活力的公共领域，其中代表国大党、穆斯林联盟和阿卡利舆论的报纸通过针对“他者”的日益敌对的宣传来争夺影响力。此类研究关注意识形态斗争和宣传，因此相对较少关注英国人离开后这些报纸的去向以及这些报纸支持或反对夺取政权的政党。本文将通过分析那些不幸位于分治的地理前线和主要公共冲突中心的重要报社所经历的考验和磨难，试图重新审视这些假设。通过这样的分析，我将试图证明这是最初的暴民行动的组合，国家的镇压甚至民众的谴责往往会强化这种压力，迫使被视为属于“另一方”的报纸转向更安全（和更环保）的地方。在此过程中，殖民后期印度一度多元化的公共领域被划分为几个部分，这些部分大体上符合各自自治领新统治者所拥护的意识形态。在使报纸与多数派舆论保持一致的同时，这次分治引发了人员和媒体的变动，这将从根本上改变西巴基斯坦和东巴基斯坦的后殖民新闻业，并在较小程度上改变印度的后殖民新闻业。后殖民时代的印度一度多元化的公共领域被划分为几个部分，这些部分大体上符合各自自治领新统治者所拥护的意识形态。在使报纸与多数派舆论保持一致的同时，这次分治引发了人员和媒体的变动，这将从根本上改变西巴基斯坦和东巴基斯坦的后殖民新闻业，并在较小程度上改变印度的后殖民新闻业。后殖民时代的印度一度多元化的公共领域被划分为几个部分，这些部分大体上符合各自自治领新统治者所拥护的意识形态。在使报纸与多数派舆论保持一致的同时，这次分治引发了人员和媒体的变动，这将从根本上改变西巴基斯坦和东巴基斯坦的后殖民新闻业，并在较小程度上改变印度的后殖民新闻业。