A JOURNAL OF THE PRESS INSTITUTE OF INDIA JULYJanuary-March - SEPTEMBER 2011 2012 VOLUMEVolume 3 ISSUE 4 Issue 3 1 RS. Rs 50 50 TimeIn a worldfor introspection buoyed by hasn’t TRP ratingscome a day and too trivia, soon QUALITY JOURNALISM IS THE CASUALT Y

 Responsible journalism in the age of the Internet  UN Women: Promises to keep  Your last line of defence n Indian TV has played a role in inspiring girls n People can change things: Aruna Roy  Indian TV news must develop a sense of  The complex dynamics of rural  Measuring n Rural women take to journalism, redefine lives n Right to Education: Media’s role scepticism communication readability n Media must push for witness protection measures n When Calcutta was the cradle of journalism  Assam: Where justice has eluded journalists  Bringing humour to features  Book reviews From the Editor

Raise the bar on ‘quality of journalism’

ress Council of India chairman Justice Markandey Katju has literally shaken up everybody in the media world in India with his forthright comments, most of Pwhich have not been to the liking of members of the Fourth Estate. Strong protests were registered by senior journalists, the Indian Newspaper Society and the Editors Guild of India to some of his remarks, including his “poor opinion of the media” and his other take: “majority of media people are of poor intellectual level with no idea of economic theory or political science, philosophy, literature.” “Brilliant”, “bold” and “maverick” are some of the words being used to describe him. Whatever it is, Justice Katju has quite a pedigree – his father was a judge of the Allahabad High Court and his grandfather was a leading lawyer who had participated in the Freedom Movement. Justice Katju himself has had a two-decade-long impressive innings in the judiciary, known for disposing cases speedily. Certainly, comments made by a person with such credentials cannot be taken lightly. There is no doubt that today print and television are focused more on ‘entertaining’ rather than on ‘informing’ or educating’ the reader. Where are the feel-good real- life stories, stories of people who are fighting the odds at the grassroots and turning achievers? Also, in the mad scramble for news and bytes, ‘checking’, ‘condensing’ and ‘clarifying’ have taken a back seat. How many young reporters today thoroughly know the subject they are covering, or even make an honest attempt to understand it? How many have the patience for legwork and the desire to put in hard hours of work to get to the bottom of a story, rather than ‘Googling’ up information or using the mobile phone to network and put together a hastily written piece? Perhaps it is symbolic of the times we live in, when we do not even have time to talk or socialise with our own family members. A reporter needn’t be exceptionally intelligent, but surely he or she must have more than a passing interest and a worldview of things. So, is Justice Katju completely wrong in saying what he did? May be it was his manner of saying it all – too blunt for anybody’s liking. But his comments cannot be rubbished and buried under the carpet. A.J. Philip and veteran B.G Verghese bring perspective to some of the pertinent issues that have been raised by Justice Katju. Had the journalistic fraternity accepted the message and not attacked the messenger, it would have done the profession good, says Philip. Verghese makes the distinction between newspapers and the audio-visual media and, like Philip, feels that the status of editors has eroded considerably, reduced as they have been in some cases to “being brand managers, high level public relations men or ‘editorial advisers’”. While pushing the case for public service broadcasting, which according to Verghese can set standards and act as a benchmark, he backs Justice Katju’s view, saying “the competition for readers, listeners and viewers in order to grab advertising has led to a dumbing down of content with sensationalism, trivialisation, titillation and, sometimes, local or national chauvinism crowding out more serious and worthwhile content.” However, it’s really Ammu Joseph’s article, backed by candid opinions from Ranjona Banerjee and S. Muthiah, pieces by M.B. Lal and Suvabrata Ganguly, and a view from the Northeast as well (Nava Thakuria’s) that has provided muscle to this issue, especially while looking at the quality of journalism on offer today – language, style or substance. Joseph gets to the crux – to journalism education – and says youngsters today have good opportunities to train or apprentice. So, why is there no appreciable improvement in the quality of journalism? Accuracy, fairness and balance have taken a beating. Facts are often randomly selected for inclusion, the main points made at an event are missing,

January-March 2012 VIDURA 1 facts are rarely presented with the context necessary for a reader to make sense of them, direct quotes attributed to speakers are often not correct and sometimes even attributed to the wrong speaker. Joseph offers suggestions: précis writing, listening attentively, taking notes, doing background research. The other worrying aspect she points out is the fall in the standard of English used (other languages, too). The same is the case with editing skills. Joseph also writes about the issue of media ethics and says few journalism schools have specific courses on the subject. She urges media schools to help journalism students understand their future role in society. Banerjee agrees that there is a serious problem with the depth of knowledge and awareness apparent in young journalists today. She adds that increasing corporatisation of media houses has meant HR departments rather than editors choose employees. She feels it is better if universities concentrate on post-graduate courses in journalism. At the end of the day, the ‘nose for news’ is instinctive and cannot be acquired, she says. To be successful in this you need to be asking questions all the time and for those questions to be meaningful there has to be background knowledge, says another veteran, S. Muthiah. And that knowledge is what is missing, or thought unimportant, nowadays, he adds. Creating frenzy by appealing to the emotions, not the mind; ignoring reality and any search for uncomfortable truth ... that is the media of today, he stresses. Octogenarian Lal recalls his days as a reporter, covering every beat, reporting public speeches, interviewing people, and how two pages of every mainline newspaper was reserved for Parliament sessions and every debate covered. Referring to the Amri Hospital fire accident tragedy in Kolkata, Ganguly says mainline media needs to be more responsive to the concerns of the common man; it must play more effectively its role as a harbinger of social change. And while reporting on a condolence meeting for a veteran Assamese journalist, Thakuria opens out the world of media in that state, a world many of us might not even know exists. It is particularly distressing to know that Assamese newspapers are loosing people’s trust. Yet another pertinent point was made at a recent seminar on new media in a Kolkata college, by Ravindra Kumar: “…if you are looking for accurate news, well-edited copy, well-produced newspapers, articulate television channels which give you a multiplicity of opinions and then ask you to choose, if you do not wish propaganda to masquerade as news, then you must appreciate that there is a cost involved to effective news gathering, in having a reporter check, double-check and cross-check his facts…” Pamela Philipose draws out Aruna Roy on the RTI Act, the Jan Lok Pal Bill and a host of other issues. Roy is for participation and dialogue, and simple solutions emerge only when a problem is understood in its entirety, she says. We always tend to decry television in one way or another, but it must be said that fighting the pressures of 24/7 coverage is not easy. Sakuntala Narasimhan harks back to the days of Doordarshan and also provides examples of the present, showing the positive impact television has had on women, particularly in the area of sport. Another feel-good story is Shoma Chatterji’s piece about six women in an Andhra Pradesh village taking to journalism, bringing out a magazine and changing their lives as well as of others. However, U. Vasuki brings us back to harsh reality, with her essay on how crime against women and children in India have risen in recent years and how ghastly crimes come into the open and FIRs are registered only when women’s organisations and human rights groups intervene. She says media houses must have a policy about the way gender issues are published/portrayed. Mrinal Chatterjee has begun researching and writing a series on the history of regional language journalism in India and we get to the beginnings – in Bengal and Calcutta. To supplement it, we have C.V. Narasimha Reddi’s piece on the man who started it all – James Augustus Hicky. Here’s wishing all of you a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

Sashi Nair [email protected]

2 VIDURA January-March 2012 January-March 2012

It’s the message, don’t shoot the messenger A.J. Philip 04

Perils of untrammelled freedom of expression B.G. Verghese 08

What is worth teaching? Ammu Joseph 11

It’s the ‘hidden fear’ that needs to be addressed Ranjona Banerji 16

To the know-all media, the reader’s stupid S. Muthiah 18

A time when reporting meant something else M.B. Lal 20

‘If it’s honest news, objective views… go for it’ Sashi Nair 22

‘Editors are giving way to marketing departments’ Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari 25

A fire, some questions, some fire-fighting Suvobrata Ganguly 27

Today’s journalism seems to have lost its soul Nava Thakuria 29

Television has played a role in inspiring girls Sakuntala Narasimhan 31

Rural women take to journalism, redefine lives Shoma A. Chatterji 33

Media must push for witness protection U. Vasuki 36

I have faith people can change things: Aruna Roy Pamela Philipose 38

Right to Education: Where is media’s proactive role Alok Srivastava 40

Leveraging the creative power of youth to excel Nidhi Adlaka 42

‘Concentrate on making images that show passion’ Sashi Nair 44

Remembering James Augustus Hicky C.V. Narasimha Reddi 47

When Calcutta was the cradle of journalism Mrinal Chatterjee 48

The rhythm of headlines Nirmaldasan 52

Book reviews 54

News 58

Cover illustration by Arun Ramkumar

c o n t e n t s t n e t n o c 3 It’s the message, don’t shoot the messenger

Justice Markandey Katju’s blunt manner of speaking out his mind has grabbed the headlines in the media and, suddenly, the Press Council of India is in focus like perhaps never before. Nobody quite likes his or her intelligence to be questioned, but Katju did just that, for which he has been taking barbs from many in the media. Is it Katju’s courage of conviction or is it his love for the ancient and classic that has brought him into the limelight? Or is it his stand that media does not A.J. Philip take up the real issues concerning people at the grassroots? Whatever it is, there is no doubt that Katju has stirred up a real hornets’ nest… and, in a way, it’s just as well because some of the issues he has raised need to be discussed and debated and not rubbished

eople realised that the Election Commission existed and that the chief election commissioner (CEC) had enough powers to deal with Panyone who stood in the way of conducting an orderly and smooth election only when T.N. Seshan was appointed to the post. The government at the time wanted to clip his wings and appointed two commissioners to whittle down his powers but this made no difference to his styleof functioning. When, in due course, the two commissioners were elevated to the post of CEC, their role model was Seshan himself. Needless to say, the tradition set by him continues and it has made Indian elections freer and fairer. Similarly, the post of chairman of the Press Council of India (PCI) was considered a sinecure for retired judges of the Supreme Court. When the Council itself was considered a toothless watchdog, how could its chairman get the desired attention? But all that seems to have changed with the appointment of former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju as the new PCI chief. Within a month of his appointment, he was able to capture the headlines in the press, not for any of the rulings he made as chairman but for the comments he made about the functioning of the media. What particularly irked the mandarins of the media was the comment he made in the course of an interview he granted to Karan Thapar of Devil’s Advocate-fame in which he said the intellectual levels of some journalists were low. The comment was akin to Katju’s reference to judges in the lecture ‘From the ancient to the modern’ he delivered at the 6th Justice Causa National Law Festival in Nagpur: “There are all kinds of judges – scientific and unscientific, intelligent and dull, active and passive.” The Editors’ Guild of India and the Indian Newspaper Society were among the professional bodies which castigated him for his comments. The writer is a senior journalist based He was pilloried in the ‘live’ discussions telecast by news channels, where in New Delhi, and a member of the chatterboxes dominate. Far from subjecting themselves to an introspection Assessment and Monitoring Authority or scrutiny, even the so-called professional bodies found it convenient to of the Planning Commission, attack him personally by pointing out that he accepted the post-retirement and president of non-profit job, all too suddenly. For good measure, they also pointed out that the organisation Deepalaya. intellectual level of some judges was indeed poor. Good ripostes perhaps,

4 VIDURA January-March 2012 but they hardly answered the issues he raised. Only a generous heart can welcome criticism. In the New Year, I received a letter from a young man in Punjab, who reminded me that I had rejected him for a job in The Tribune, Chandigarh, as his command of the English language was found inadequate. He was disheartened at that time but he decided to improve his English by all means possible. He did not become a journalist but he is today an English teacher and his letter to me was impeccable. Had the journalistic fraternity accepted the message and not attacked the messenger, it would have done the profession good. Though I do not hold any brief for Katju, it is germane to mention that the post of chairman of the PCI has always been held by a retired Supreme Court judge and Illustration: Arun Ramkumar there was nothing abnormal about his appointment. While modesty is a garb for most ‘modest’ people who have a lot to be modest about, Katju is one judge who know that the novelist had written was dominated by journalists but has the courage of conviction an open, over 4000-word letter to that did not prevent Katju from to join issues that he considers the president of France, which patiently listening to all those who dear to him. So, when he heard was published in the newspaper attacked him left and right, and about the proposal to change the L’Aurore on January 13, 1898. In an then replying to their criticism. He name of Chandni Chowk in Old instant, Thapar rose in his esteem. appeared ‘alone in the crowd’, the Delhi, built by Shahjahan, after a Katju’s judgements bristle title of a cartoon serial the late film prominent cricketer, he was one of with literary quotations. In his director Aravindan did for the the first to raise his voice against judgement granting bail to Dr Mathrubhoomi Malayalam weekly. it. He also proposed that the title Raneef, who remained in police Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal of Bharat Ratna be conferred on custody for 66 days, for providing Krishna Advani, who was present, Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib, who first aid to a person who was injured said, “Courage, ethics and truth stood for composite culture. while cutting the hand of Prof are more important for reporters Katju’s love for the ancient T.J. Joseph of Newman College, than ‘intellectual level’, which is and the classic is manifest in Thodupuzha in Kerala (for setting more important for editors and his lectures and judgements. As a “blasphemous” question paper), columnists.” It is doubtful whether he confessed in a statement, he he wrote, “A doctor incarcerated such a distinction can be made did not have a great opinion of for a long period may end up like between reporters and editors. Karan Thapar till the day he was Dr Manette in Charles Dickens’s Today’s reporters are tomorrow’s interviewed. Something dramatic novel A Tale of Two Cities, who editors as much as today’s editors happened, when a few minutes forgot his profession and even his were yesterday’s reporters. before the interview they had a name in the Bastille.” The day after the awards casual conversation over a cup of The organisers of the Ramnath function, the Kerala Club at tea. Katju casually mentioned the Goenka Journalism Awards Rajiv Chowk in New Delhi name of the French novelist Emile function thought it fit to have a organised a function to felicitate Zola to which Thapar responded debate on the subject, ‘The majority journalists from Kerala, such as with “J’accuse (I accuse)”. He of media people are of poor J. Gopikrishnan of The Pioneer probably did not expect Thapar to intellectual level’. The programme and Rajina of Madhyamam, a

January-March 2012 VIDURA 5 Malayalam daily; both had won the intended to be consumed like the Western model while claiming Goenka awards. While felicitating food, forgotten and replaced by a all the while that it stands for the the two, I asked whether anyone new dish.” ‘freedom of the press’. However, in the audience -- all residents Despite salary levels going in India, such freedom has of Delhi and readers of English up, journalism is still not able to degenerated to freedom of the newspapers -- could remember attract the best talent. Sad to say, editor and the manager. In the the names of the editors of the two it continues to be a refuge for US, infamous for its hire-and- English dailies of the capital, each those who failed to make it to the fire policy, journalists enjoy some of which claims to be the ‘leader’. civil service. As a recruiter once, I measure of security, whereas in Nobody came forward with the preferred them because they had India even a cub reporter in his names of the editors. at least roots in some subjects, early twenties is presented with a Ironically, in the hall where gained over the years preparing one-sided job contract, the period the meeting took place hung the for the civil services examination. of which barely exceeds two years. portrait of Sardar K.M. Panikker, When the mediocre rules the roost, Of course, such contracts are all writer, historian and diplomat, it is a distinct disadvantage to be right in the case of editors and who was the first editor of the ‘intellectually high’. others in senior positions. Hindustan Times. Incidentally, at I do not know whether the lady The Bard has said that “security the Goenka awards’ function, (a senior journalist) who “speaks is mortal’s chiefest enemy” but Vice-President Hamid Ansari had too much” was stumped when the insecurity inherent in the spoken about the devaluation of Katju asked her at the awards’ present system keeps journalists the editor. function whether she had read perpetually at the mercy of their When an editor writes only Tulsidas’s Ramacharitamanas. When bosses. about a particular brand of I heard the query, I remembered It is now nearly two decades Western music and nothing about Katju’s judgement letting porn since the contract system came politics, economics, social issues, star Sunny Leone take part in the into vogue in media organisations or Carnatic and Hindustani music, television reality show, Big Boss, in India but nobody has so far and the editor’s name is printed in which he said: “Lord Buddha studied how it has impacted in the smallest and faintest fonts stayed with courtesan Amrapali the morale of journalists and possible in the statutory imprint and ate food served by her, and the standards of the profession. line, is it any wonder then that she later became his disciple. Surely, no one would ever study editors today remain an enigma Similarly, Mary Magdalene was the problems of those journalists wrapped in mystery? a fallen woman (according to the who had ‘burnt out’ even when At one time, editors were as Gospel of Luke, as interpreted by they were supposed to be in the famous as the newspapers they Pope Gregory) and Jesus allowed prime of their health! edited and it was common for her to wash his feet and she later Katju was hauled over the coals general knowledge question became his disciple”. for demanding that the PCI be setters to ask students who the It’s puerile to claim intellectual allowed to hear complaints about top newspaper editors were. superiority and yet not have read the electronic media. Whatever Today, editors of big newspapers Tulsidas’s work that transformed print journalists may say, fewer get corporate-style fabulous the Hindu religion in much of north and fewer people are reading salaries for doing precious little India. Allow me a little digression newspapers as they increasingly and allowing managers to call the here. I once attended the cremation get news from other sources such shots. In comparison, editors of of a Hindu journalist at Kalka in as mobile phones, the Internet and the eminence of S. Mulgaonkar Haryana. news channels. drew pittance by way of salary. Unfortunately, the priest Section 14(1) of the relevant As far as the intellectual level of did not turn up. Since the few Act empowers the PCI to editors is concerned, there was a pallbearers, mostly journalists, “warn, admonish or censure the time when editors such as Sham who were present wanted to newspaper, news agency, editor Lal and Girilal Jain wrote columns attend office, it was decided to go or journalist”. It’s true the Council and articles on books they read; ahead with the cremation. Then cannot punish a recalcitrant today’s editors write about the someone said, “Let’s recite at least publication or journalist. But food they eat and the wine they Gayatri Mantra.” Unfortunately, then the fact that a complainant drink. Their writings remind what nobody knew the mantra. Then can approach it at little cost is W.H. Auden once said: “What the I, a Christian, stepped in, said a great morale-booster. That is mass media offers is not popular the mantra, and the pyre was lit. why thousands of people have art but entertainment which is Indian media often tries to follow taken their complaints to the

6 VIDURA January-March 2012 Council. Often, a notice from the as a result of the Puritan movement arrested. Yet, whenever an attack PCI is enough for a responsible in Britain and which spread to happens, the police claim to have editor to attend to the complaint the US, played a major role in the received an e-mail message from and sort out the issue. When the process. In India, William Carrey a Muslim organisation and the Council was set up, the electronic (one of the founder-members of newspapers dutifully report it. media was virtually non-existent. the Baptist Missionary Society) Have such reports served any Otherwise, the PCI would have and Raja Rammohan Roy played a purpose? Recently, in BJP-ruled been given jurisdiction over the major role in bringing about social Karnataka, it was found that the electronic media, too. reforms, such as the abolition of people who hoisted a Pakistani The American Constitution sati. Katju’s arguments can be flag in a Muslim locality and then empowers the government to summarised as: protested against the flag-hoisting constitute ‘armies’ and ‘navies’, 1) the media does not take up were not Muslims. They are all in but not the air force because the real issues of the people jail now. Wright Brothers who invented the 2) the media divides people The point is that the media aircraft in 1903 were not born at the 3) the media promotes should not become a pawn in the time. Since in America, amending superstition hands of either the state or anyone the Constitution was a laborious While generalisation is else. When superstition is peddled and time-consuming process dangerous, there is increasing as culture, it would be difficult involving all the states, it was not evidence that many editors think for journalists to write about it. deemed necessary to do so while their primary duty is to entertain, However, they should at least try forming the air force. In the case rather than educate the reader to promote a scientific temper, of the Press Council, the Act can or the viewer. And that they can as mandated by the Directive easily be amended to include the go to any extent to achieve that Principles of the Constitution. electronic media. The argument purpose. The issues Markandey Katju has put forth by the Broadcast Editors Recently, the Prime Minister raised need to be discussed and Association, that the electronic mentioned that it was “a national debated and not rubbished as

media has evolved its own system shame” that 42 per cent of Indian some seem to believe. After all, of self-regulation, will not work. children were malnourished. the message is more important< In fact, self-regulation seldom Except for The Hindu, no than the messenger. works. When doctors, lawyers, newspaper found it shocking accountants and architects have enough to publish it as the lead bodies that can deal with erring story. professionals, why should So, when Katju asks with the electronic media remain statistical evidence why so many ‘sovereign’? journalists received accreditation The other day I watched to cover a fashion show in Mumbai a programme called ‘Van when an NGO, which wanted to Veezhchakal’ (The Great Fall). take a press party from Mumbai It depicted the story of the Kim to cover the suicides of farmers in dynasty in North Korea. There the Vidarbha region, failed to find was no fall I could discern. enough journalists, he cannot be The title was totally blamed. inappropriate. The same channel Decades ago, a study found had once mentioned: “… that 85 per cent of ‘Indian news’ Santiniketan University set up by that appeared in an English Rabindranath Tagore”. I wrote to newspaper published from New the channel to make the correction: Delhi emanated from an area, that Santiniketan is the name of hardly three km from Parliament the place where Viswa Bharti Street. It is in the rest of the news University is situated. However, it (15 per cent) that the rest of India chose to ignore the letter. finds a place. The situation has Katju’s pet theme is that India is still not changed. passing through a transformative There were two bomb blasts period like the one Europe went in the vicinity of the Delhi High through from the 16th to the 19th Court. Till today, the perpetrators century. The press, which evolved of the blasts have not been

January-March 2012 VIDURA 7 Perils of untrammelled freedom of expression

he new Press Council chairman, Justice Markandey Katju, has thrown a cat among the pigeons. Many would agree with much of This criticism of the print and electronic media. It was his somewhat intemperate tone and seeming generalisations that caused avoidable offence, damning all for the sins of more than a few. Nor was it justified to curtly dismiss the Independent National Broadcast Authority, set up by the National Broadcasters’ Association, headed by Justice J.S. Verma, which has begun to put together some valuable case law. However, all that is hopefully behind us and there is no reason why Justice Katju should not B.G. Verghese have a constructive innings at the Press Council, a somewhat moribund body which could certainly do with toning up. Its charter and membership need review and it does need punitive powers to a degree that does not render its true role as a court of ethics and honour to become subservient to the appellate jurisdiction of the superior courts. There are two views about the merits of an overall Media Council with jurisdiction over both the print and electronic media. Both these deal with news and public affairs, but the audio-visual media has a wider remit and enters homes and minds involuntarily and indiscriminately unlike newspapers and magazines that have deliberately to be read. Further, the audio-visual media is instant and can create virtual reality unlike the print media, news agency tickers excepted, which, because of lagged publication, has more time to be mediated or checked, backgrounded, filtered and edited. The sheer size and continuing growth of all genres of Indian media in multiple languages also makes it difficult for it to be overseen by a single, central agency. Having multiple benches would also tend to alter the character of the entire exercise. Newspapers are required to have editors who, under the Press Registration Act, carry primary responsibility for all the matter printed, whether news, pictures, editorials, cartoons, letters, articles, commentaries or advertisements. However, editors have altogether disappeared, as in the case of the Times of India (Bennett Coleman) Group, or have in some cases been reduced to being brand managers, high level public relations men or ‘editorial advisers’. They have no real editorial authority, which they have lost or willingly bartered for grandiose titles and fat pay packets. TV news channels have no legally designated editors though somebody or other The writer has been with the may perform that role. New-Delhi-based Centre for Policy Newspapers once had a mission. Rising circulation and viewership Research since 1986. Starting his have been facilitated by the communications revolution and technological career with The Times of India, change but rising costs and competition for readers and viewers to attract he became editor of the Hindustan advertising have transformed mission to commerce. Any enterprise must Times and the Indian Express. He of course earn its keep. However, when the media becomes business, was information advisor to the Prime media barons prefer balance sheets to news content and are inclined Minister (1966-69) and a recipient to want news slanted to cater to corporate needs and cultivation of the of the Magsaysay Award in 1975. political influence that goes with the territory. This article has appeared in Deccan One reform that is needed, maybe by an amendment to the company Herald and The Tribune and is being law or other relevant legislation, is compulsorily to entrench the editor reproduced here with so that he may play his traditional role as the voice and conscience of the writer’s permission. the paper or channel. Another reform that might guard against family

8 VIDURA January-March 2012 Illustration: Arun Ramkumar

or corporate cabals dominating token, media organs and agencies more extreme forms of ‘guerrilla’ media boards of directors would are trustees of the public weal journalism. There may be scope be to mandate that every media though they may have declared for this but not so much in house shall have a body of public policies and ideologies. Facts general interest newspapers and interest directors whom it may and information are sacred and news channels as in opinion and choose from a list of national and must be portrayed as objectively campaign journals and through regional personalities selected as possible, leaving opinions pamphleteering, for their standing, experience to commentary and editorials, The competition for readers, and integrity. Stricter measures distinctly labelled as such. Today, listeners and viewers in order are also required to prevent the many newspapers and channels to grab advertising has led to a creation of horizontal and vertical have highly opinionated news dumbing down of content with monopolies and conglomerates columns and newscasts with facts sensationalism, trivialisation, that reduce freedom of choice and and essential background and titillation and, sometimes, local expression. perspective taking a back seat. or national chauvinism crowding The fundamental freedom of Some would argue that the role out more serious and worthwhile speech and expression is that of of the media is not just to purvey content. Trial by the press the citizen for whom the media news and investigate what may and publication of unverified provides a collective voice. By this lie behind it, but advocacy and allegations against people,

January-March 2012 VIDURA 9 communities and institutions has The demand for more and more democratic regulation this critique become commonplace. Publish access through the very valuable envisages will mean censorship, and be dammed, it is, with little RTI Act is also in some danger usurpation of democratic rights regard to privacy, the right of of going overboard. If every and muzzling freedom of reply or correction. The restraints comment, noting or difference of expression. Nothing of the kind. enjoined by Article 19(2), that opinion leading up to decisions is Freedom that degenerates into permit “reasonable restrictions” ex post facto dug up to insinuate licence is dangerous. We need for listed reasons, has been motives, corrupt intent or other to steer clear of this before it ignored. These are all unhealthy mala fides in hindsight, it will only happens. and even dangerous trends and drive the process underground. Finally, all such discussion Justice Sawant vs Times Now will, The result could be double-entry invariably steers clear of reference hopefully lead to a more robust bookkeeping of another kind, with to the importance and role of defamation regime. sanitised, cosmetic minutes for the public service broadcasting which, Media violations of privacy record while the real deliberations being state or public funded, is and legitimate frameworks of are hidden away, making for not dependent on advertising and confidentiality with impunity, secret governance and evasion of ratings and can set standards and sometime even while official or responsibility. act as a benchmark. It caters to criminal reports are still work- Democracy does mean open the citizen and not merely to the in-progress, are also a matter and participative government. consumer. Prasar Bharati has been for concern. Highly sensitive But open government cannot wilfully driven to the ground material is selectively leaked or mean concurrent discussion by Parliament, government, the planted, often by disgruntled in the marketplace – and the media and public to the detriment

elements rather than genuine subtle interference this invites of freedom of expression and whistleblowers, to serve an from populist pressures, foreign higher media ideals that serve the< agenda and disrupt the decision- chanceries, intelligence agencies public interest. making process. Such ‘breaking and rival company boardrooms. news’ amounts to breaking faith. Many will say that the kind of

The highest standards of ethics must be upheld The circulation of a ‘largest circulated’ daily started going down. It was being fast overtaken by another daily, though not very popular. The first daily’s special correspondent who had worked there for about 25 years was asked to analyse and suggest ways to increase circulation by making the paper more reader-friendly. His curt reply: “It’s not my job. I only do one or two stories a day, send them to the chief of bureau and then I am free. Circulation is none of my business.” What he did not understand was that the media exists because of the people – indeed, it acts as a bridge between those in power and those affected by their policies and programmes. Media has changed the fortunes of many. Heads of states have had to go thanks to media exposés. We have seen how in the past one year Egypt, Yemen and Libya made headlines in the print and electronic media, eventually leading to change of guard at the top. Whether it is science and technology or human relationships, information today can be conveyed in a jiffy. Both government and people have great stakes in the proper functioning of the media. Thus, media’s responsibility has increased manifold. In recent years, with the media in India playing a major role in unearthing wrongdoings by the corrupt, it has emerged as an important instrument in putting public accountability to the test, and also educating people about their rights. The electronic media, especially, has given a new dimension to public accountability. Discussion on television during prime time, of issues that are important to the people, brings perspective and background information to news stories. Whatever said, people do have faith in the print and broadcast media. Indeed, there are many instances when even top ministers in government have acknowledged that the media has been their source of information. However, today, with questions being raised about the media working on the basis of commercial considerations, passing judgements unnecessarily, and not really performing its ‘watchdog of democracy’ role, there is a need for self-introspection. The media must acts in a professional and upright manner, upholding the highest standards of ethics in journalism.

C.K. Sardana (The writer is a PR practitioner-turned-media teacher, and former head, Department of PR, Advertising and Management, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism & Communication, Bhopal.)

10 VIDURA January-March 2012 What is worth teaching?

“With due apologies to Dr Krishna Kumar (the well- known educationist),” says the writer, because she wishes to acknowledge having borrowed the title of one of his books. That may well be, but the question she poses is pertinent, especially in the light of some of the statements Justice Markandey Katju, Press Council of India chief, has made in recent weeks. Ironically, despite the fact that many of those entering the field today have had the benefit of professional training, there is no Ammu Joseph appreciable improvement in the quality of journalism. In fact, there is widespread agreement both within the profession and among the public that media output has been deteriorating in terms of language and substance

he proliferation of media and jobs in the media over the past couple of decades, especially since the mid-1990s, has created unprecedented Topportunities and options for both media professionals and media audiences in India. The growth in the demand for media practitioners has led to the mushrooming of institutions offering media education/training, especially in the private sector. The quality and scope of the courses offered by these institutes are variable. While some impart mainly theoretical knowledge, others focus on purely technical skills. However, a significant number do attempt to provide fairly all-around education. Several institutes offering journalism education are well-equipped and give their students hands-on training in print, broadcast and/or ‘new’ media, with easy access to the relevant technologies. Some also offer a variety of courses on different areas of media coverage (business, sports, culture, development, etc.). Of course, the high fees for such programmes place them out of the reach of the majority of young people (although some do offer scholarships to deserving students who require financial assistance). With campus recruitment becoming common practice in the media field and student placement rates becoming markers of success in a competitive market, there is obviously considerable synergy between the media industry and institutes of media education. Even if some seniors in the field still dismiss the utility of professional courses in journalism and continue to promote the good old apprenticeship The writer is an route, the fact is that a wider range of youngsters interested in media careers independent journalist and author now have the opportunity to explore the field through such courses, many based in Bangalore, writing offering at least short-term internships in media houses. The full-fledged, primarily on issues relating to post-graduate programmes are increasingly serving as useful stepping gender, human development and stones into the profession. Although in-house, on-the-job training is the media. She began her career vital, few new recruits today have the benefit of systematic orientation or with Eve’s Weekly in Bombay in mentoring programmes within the media houses they join – so what they 1977. In her last full-time job learn at journalism school (J-school) is generally what they have to fall back within the press, she was editor of on. the Sunday magazine of The Indian Ironically, despite the fact that many of those entering the field today Post, Mumbai. She has been on have had the benefit of professional training, there is no appreciable the visiting faculty of several media improvement in the quality of journalism. In fact, there is widespread schools. This article is based on her agreement both within the profession and among the public that media presentation at a UNESCO-IGNOU output has been deteriorating in terms of both language and substance. symposium on media education If journalism education is to tackle this overall problem, it is important to some time ago. identify the specific areas – ranging from the apparently mundane to the

January-March 2012 VIDURA 11 on news television, how to ask questions concisely and precisely. The importance of doing some background research before setting out on an assignment and clarifying doubts and cross- checking facts before submitting reports may appear elementary but few reporters seem to do any of this, despite the easy access to information in the age of Google et al. And, of course, it would seem that few editors insist on the journalistic equivalent of due diligence. The need to avoid one- source stories as far as possible is another basic canon related to accuracy, fairness and balance that is invariably flouted in our media today. This, too, may need more emphasis in J-schools

Illustration: Arun Ramkumar if the widespread tendency that ultimately diminishes the credibility of the media is to be effectively countered. Another major problem more sublime or even ‘sexy’ – that misquoted, quoted out of context, afflicting the Indian media today call for attention. It is widely etc – and such complaints are not is the standard of the language accepted that the fundamental restricted to those attempting to used, certainly in the English tenets of good journalism are evade responsibility for what they press (though some say things accuracy, fairness and balance. did actually say. are not much better in Indian Unfortunately, the record of our The problem is so endemic that language media). There is little news media on accuracy even at one cannot help wondering what is doubt that language proficiency the most basic level of journalism taught at J-schools (and, of course, has become a rare quality today, – reporting on a routine event – is in educational institutions down even among those who have not very inspiring. the line, starting with regular studied in prestigious schools and Anyone who has attended a schools). One of my pet theories is colleges. Many students seem meeting and then read about that much of what is wrong with oblivious of the most elementary it in more than one newspaper journalism today – at this level – rules of grammar even at the post- the next day would surely agree can be attributed to the apparent graduate level. Some of the writing that, more often than not, there devaluation of précis writing in in the press suggests that a kind of is little in common between the school education. Strange, even dumb charades journalism is being various renderings. In many such archaic, as that might sound, it practised, with words evidently reports, facts appear to have been is a fact that the skills required used just because they sound like randomly selected for inclusion. for and acquired through the the right ones. It may be too much Often the main points made at précis are essential for accurate, to expect media education to set the event are missing. Even when meaningful reporting. If students right the deep-rooted problem the facts are more or less accurate, today don’t learn them earlier in caused by poor language teaching they are rarely presented with the the educational process, perhaps at the school level but perhaps context necessary for a reader who they would be worth teaching in J-schools could do more to make was not present to make sense of media schools. What may be also students aware of the importance them. The direct quotes attributed worth teaching – to get around the of using language correctly – to speakers are often not correct pervasive and persistent problem by encouraging critical reading and, to make matters worse, they of inaccurate reporting and offset as well as the dictionary and are sometimes attributed to the obvious gaps in school and college thesaurus habit. Sadly, reading wrong speaker. Similarly, people education – are lessons on how does not seem to be top priority who are interviewed by journalists to listen attentively, how to take at most media schools here. Quite frequently complain about being notes properly and, especially a few journalism students do not

12 VIDURA January-March 2012 seem to find the time to read even aspect of journalism, few media the world. Otherwise, a book the morning paper (or watch the students today aspire to jobs on like Eats, Shoots and Leaves would previous evening’s news bulletin) the desk. And, of course, many of not have become an international before turning up in class. those who do wind up on the desk bestseller. And the classic book, Journalism education can also seem to be sleeping on the job, Elements of Style – which I first contribute to better language judging by the glaring mistakes – acquired in journalism school in levels in the media by paying both factual and linguistic – that the 1970s – would not be going more attention to teaching editing get past them, especially in daily strong even now. Its new editions skills. Unfortunately, little value newspapers. continue to find a place in the seems to be attached to the crucial There is a tendency among survival kit recommended to function of sub-editing (or copy many in the profession to dismiss students in prestigious J-schools editing), especially in the print complaints about the quality of abroad, along with an up-to- media. With little appreciation language as nit-picking. Yet the date, comprehensive dictionary of the fact that good subbing is importance of using language and a thesaurus to supplement a vital and potentially creative correctly is still recognised across the rather basic spell-check and

A sting operation in the early 20th Century

We talk a lot about sting operations today conducted by the TV channels, which not only show their responsibility to the society but also to increase their TRP ratings. But think of the early years of the 20th Century, when a journalist who is not widely remembered today made a sting operation that really mattered to the society, despite the fact that he suffered due to the effort. William Thomas Stead was a contributing author to Northern Echo, a journal published from Darlington and in 1871 became its editor. His series of articles against the atrocities during the suppression of the Bulgarian uprising made him a well-read author, and even drew the attention of Prime Minister Gladstone who congratulated the journal. When he became popular, London’s Pall Mall invited him to join as assistant editor. Here, he started writing about the life and sufferings in the slums of London. The government had to take notice of his writings. London was at the time notorious for child prostitution. Young and poor girls could be purchased and sent to Europe to work as prostitutes. When Stead wrote an article on the subject, he was rebuked and discouraged. He wanted to prove that it was possible to buy a young girl in England, and sought the help of an earlier brothel keeper, Rebecca Jarret. With her assistance, Stead could actually purchase a girl, Eliza Armstrong, for 5 pounds. The price was to be paid in two installments: 3 pounds as down payment and 2 pounds after she was proved a virgin. Stead was the purchaser and all the happenings were written graphically by Stead. The story appeared with a lot more colour to it in the journal and at once proved sensational, taking the journal’s circulation to dizzy heights. It was said that even Bernard Shaw volunteered to be a paper boy for distributing the journal as even second-hand copies were sold for a premium. However, the establishment not being able to stand the onslaught, turned the heat on Stead himself, saying that he was the perpetrator of the crime and charged him with the offence of kidnapping a minor girl. Stead’s purchasing the child was a serious crime since he had done it without the consent of the parents. The judge sentenced Stead to three months imprisonment and Jarret to six months. However, there Stead scored a partial victory when the government took notice of the happenings and increased the age of consent of girls from 13 to 16. When Armstrong heard that Stead was arrested, she was in hospital, but wanted a shilling she possessed to be given to Stead to fight his case. It appears that Stead valued the shilling so much that he always carried it with him. Unfortunately, he sailed in the Titanic for America, and when it went down, he did too, and along with him went the shilling as well.

K.R.A. Narasiah (Part of this was years earlier published as a letter in The Hindu. The writer is an author and historian based in Chennai.)

January-March 2012 VIDURA 13 thesaurus that come with word- you suggest to them that they are to even attempt to surmount processing software. are anything but impartial and preconceptions and examine Getting back to accuracy, objective. The problem with events and issues from multiple fairness and balance, there has those words ‘impartiality’ and points of view in order to ensure been considerable public debate ‘objectivity’ is that they have lost fairness and balance in their work. about the fairness doctrine in the their dictionary meaning. They’ve For example, when students today wake of recent media excesses, been taken over. ‘Impartially’ are asked who they mean when especially in the reporting of and ‘objectivity’ now mean the they refer to ‘the common man’, sensational crimes and terrorist establishment point of view.” their answers invariably suggest attacks, besides the phenomenon An interesting example of such that many of them think ‘people of sting operations. Even the bias was recorded on the media- like us’ – that is, the urban middle courts have been criticising watch Web site, The Hoot, in class – constitute the majority of the media for over-stepping October 2009 under the headline, Indians. The idea that we do not is, professional limits in this respect. ‘Creative editing’. It involved a apparently, a stunning revelation. However, there are also other less letter to the editor from several Then there is the all-important discernible, more insidious forms individuals across the country issue of media ethics. Few of bias and distortion that erode about the government’s plans journalism schools appear to have the concept of fairness, which is to tackle Maoist violence with specific courses on the subject. a fundamental aspect of media redoubled, officially sanctioned Although quite a few maintain professionalism. violence. The letter appeared in that they attempt to integrate One example is the bias in a major national daily but some ethics into the entire curriculum, reporting what is seen as the possibly well-meaning soul there it is difficult to figure out how Maoist or Naxalite ‘threat’. had added several sentences, this is done, especially in the The common use of the term, presumably to make it more many institutions that depend on ‘naxalite-infested’, reveals the ‘politically correct’, even though visiting lecturers and do not really prevailing attitude towards what the interpolation amounted to keep track of the actual content of is essentially a militant political distorting the intended meaning, lectures by such itinerant faculty. grouping. That kind of bias may not to mention putting words in The old days when journalists be what well-known journalist the letter-writers’ collective mouth. on what was then called the John Pilger was referring to in an Students of journalism need to be commerce beat accepted favours interview about what is wrong sensitised to the inherent biases in the form of suit pieces and other with journalism today. According that all human beings naturally such goodies have since given to him, “Many journalists now have, based on our socio-economic way to more sophisticated and are no more than channelers and background and the political as insidious practices such as insider echoers of what Orwell called the well as cultural environment in trading. When the chairperson official truth… Many journalists which we have grown up. Such of the Securities Exchange Board become very defensive when awareness is essential if journalists of India (SEBI) has gone public with questions about the media’s – and individual journalists’ – role in ‘talking up’ or ‘talking down’ Final call for WAN-IFRA’s stocks, calling for more open and strict disclosure norms, it is clear that the problem of ethics in the Asian Media Awards media has become quite serious. Competing for WAN-IFRA's Asian Media Awards is a good The influence of ‘private opportunity to stimulate newspaper and magazine staff from all treaties’ between media houses departments and to reward their efforts for improving the publication's and business corporations on quality day after day. Two new categories are open to competition this media content is part of this year: Best in Newspaper Marketing and Best in Community Service. trend. The phenomenon of ‘paid Registration is available through online submission and the deadline news’ – of various kinds – that is 10 February 2012. The competition is open to all publishers in Asia has come to public attention over Pacific, South Asia and the Middle East. Registration is fully online. the past couple of years is another Award winners will be honoured at the Publish Asia 2012 convention worrying development. The which will take place in Bali (Indonesia) on 10-12 April. disturbingly cosy relationship For more information, please email to Mr. Wilson Leong at wilson. between journalists and public [email protected] or call him at +65 6562 8446 relations practitioners and corporate lobbyists, brought out

14 VIDURA January-March 2012 of the closet by the so-called Radia to open-source the debate about expanded choice for the public, Tapes, is yet another. journalism ethics”. What an idea, but the lack of diversity in content With the crisis of ethics that Sirji! – in terms of both style and is evident in many forms in the In these days of paid news, substance – is becoming more and Indian media today, it is surely coverage packages and private more evident. The harnessing of incumbent on journalism schools treaties it may seem futile concepts like citizen journalism, to play a far more active role and unreasonable to burden the deployment of devices such in helping to strengthen the individual young journalists with as SMS polls and the presence of ethical foundations of the news a heightened sense of ethics that studio audiences in TV discussions media. Future journalists need they may find difficult to put into on current affairs suggest more to understand the increasingly practice. It is, of course, important public participation even in the so- complex issues involved and the for journalists in the making to be called traditional media (print and new, subtle ways in which media made aware of the current realities broadcast). Yet, such participation ethics are being subverted by of the profession they are about to is largely illusory. multiple players. Only with such enter. But it is equally important What’s more, many important awareness can they try to figure for them to understand the role aspects of the media business, out how they can strive to remain and responsibilities of the media including factors that determine true to ethical conduct at least at in a democracy and to internalise media content in general and the the personal/professional level the principles and values that need news agenda in particular, remain even if they cannot, as individuals, to be upheld if the media are to beyond the ken of even otherwise transform the larger environment live up to their role as the Fourth informed and discerning citizens. in which they have to function. Estate. And it is surely worth The same is true of media policy: In this context an innovative equipping them with negotiation not only the general public but teaching tool used by a professor skills so that they have some idea active members of civil society teaching the compulsory course of how to deal with situations and even the majority of media on media ethics at the J-school where there is a conflict between professionals have little say in of New York University is worth their own professional and ethical the formulation of public policies thinking about. When I came principles and those of their bosses relating to the media. across his method a few years or organisations. Finally, it is important for media ago, he required his students to It is also important for media schools to help journalism students contribute to a group blog called schools to enable students to understand their future role in Press Ethics at least twice or thrice a to understand the media society. If politicians are supposed week, highlighting and discussing environment as a whole, by to be representatives of the people ethical issues that occur to them helping them keep track of the and bureaucrats are meant to be as they read, view or listen to the development of media-related servants of the people, journalists media. This struck me at the time laws and policies, including the are the eyes and ears of the people, as a brilliant device, yielding at concept and practice of media meant to keep a close and critical least three highly desirable results: regulation. Despite the sound watch on the government as well first, it forces students to critically and fury over the government’s as on various aspects of society examine media content on a consistently ham-handed, – on behalf of the people and in regular basis; secondly, it makes periodic efforts to regulate the their interest. This purpose cannot them conscious of and sensitive broadcast sector, there has been be served by crony journalism, to some of the ethical dilemmas little discussion about the pros where journalists and people involved in media coverage; and and cons, ways and means, of who wield power – whether in thirdly, it helps them to articulate media regulation in the public government or in other areas of life their thoughts on such issues. interest among the community – interact like members of a cosy, By providing students with the of journalists. Issues relating exclusive club. It is surely worth opportunity to identify, analyse to media policy need to be teaching media students that real and express their views on incorporated into media literacy journalism is about speaking truth ethical issues on a regular basis programmes, too, since citizens to power. And that the power of

he probably achieved more than need to be aware of the context in the pen or the keyboard, the mike several lectures on the subject can which media content is produced and the airwaves are meant to be< ever do. I see now that the same if they are to be able to decode used for the public good. professor has initiated an online media messages. The abundance, NYU Journalism Handbook, availability and accessibility of covering ethics, law and good news media in multiple forms and practice, in a pioneering “effort languages today have ostensibly

January-March 2012 VIDURA 15 It’s the ‘hidden fear’ that needs to be addressed

ustice Markandey Katju, the new chairperson of the Press Council of India, started his tenure with a bang. In a bold swoop, he announced Jthat not only were journalists half-educated and ill-informed, they were also doing the nation a disservice by concentrating on frivolous issues like Bollywood while India was starving to death. There was, hardly surprisingly, a lot of public anger from journalists at Katju’s diatribe. But most of it had to do with the fact that he was now head of a print media watchdog. The unacceptable implication of his attacks was that Katju felt that journalists didn’t know what they were doing and it was his job to Ranjona Banerji set them straight. And to make his intentions clear, he added that he also wanted to bring TV news under the Press Council’s ambit, so he could judge over the entire media and its unintelligent, shallow nature. Suppose we set aside the outrage for now: we accept that the good judge over-stepped his brief a bit. And he did certainly make some sweeping generalisations about all journalists being uneducated, ignorant and frivolous (what? me?). And he also seemed to imply that EPW (Economic and Political Weekly) was the only worthwhile publication in the country. One might also point out that antagonising the entire journalistic community in one move just when you take over as Press Council chairperson was not perhaps the most diplomatic of strategies. However, having gone through all that and rapped the judge on his knuckles (and his fellow judge J.S. Verma refused to hand over TV to him either), let’s give Katju’s views a chance. Yes, there is a serious problem with the depth of knowledge and awareness apparent in young journalists today. And yes, there are times when Bollywood and trivialities get more than their fair share of attention. The problem with Katju’s diatribe is that he didn’t consider the larger role that the media plays and the considerations of the audience. He saw the media only as a pillar of democracy with the sole duty of working towards the uplift of the underprivileged and the discussion of issues affecting the nation. He also looked at the media as one homogenous entity rather than a seething mass of competing publications, journals and channels. They may appear to the reader to be the same when in fact they’re desperate to be different. And they know that they have to appeal to different kinds of readers. It’s not a simple ‘lets-improve-India-at-any- cost’ audience out there either. But there is one area which Katju got absolutely right, but rather than implying that only ignorant and stupid people become journalists (can that be true?), he should have looked at our education system itself. It is hard to find a journalist over the age of 45 who does not bemoan falling standards. It sounds like woolly-headed liberalism but as long as journalism was a vocation and not a career, people who were passionate and interested were those admitted into the fold. Not just about anyone with a specious degree or a questionable diploma in mass comm. The writer is a Mumbai-based freelance The increasing corporatisation of media houses has meant that human journalist and former senior editor, resources departments rather than editors choose their employees and DNA, and deputy resident editor, where would HR departments look but at journalism schools? And so, The Times of India. ladies and gentlemen, the crux of the problem that Mr Katju has so kindly

16 VIDURA January-March 2012 pointed out – the appalling lack of depth and knowledge in the average young journalist. Let this be clear – the hopeful journalist is the primary victim here. He or she is pulled into a ‘media’ degree at the undergraduate level because that is what career counsellors advise and HR departments want. But an undergraduate media degree in India usually means that your education is largely incomplete – you are in effect a school certificate pass with a diploma. Katju wants journalists to understand philosophy, science, the arts, political science and economics. No media degree teaches you any of those. Even worse, as far as the nuts and bolts of journalism itself are concerned, it’s usually a re-training programme that has

to be conducted once the young Illustration: Arun Ramkumar hopeful is employed. Katju may have been talking through his hat but he certainly let the cat out of of a movie star. There is no room good bloodhound skills or were its bag – how’s that for a mixed for philosophy, the humanities language dictators or have the gift metaphor? or science here, or even hard of writing. Sadly, few such talents The few small forays I have slog up the ranks here. It would would get even a passing glance made into a few journalism be preferable if universities stop by the regimented system of courses and have picked up from offering undergraduate courses in hiring media houses follow today. braver colleagues tell a similar journalism in India and concentrate The ‘nose for news’ is instinctive; story. Courses are woefully short on post-graduate courses instead. it cannot be acquired. Yet it is an on theory and are often hopelessly This way, a potential journalist can essential component of a news- old-fashioned. They are often run get a regular degree, thus ensuring based organisation. It is the ability by people who have been nowhere some minimal education. He or to smell out a story but also to sniff near a newspaper or magazine in she can then pick up additional out a lie and a cover-up. It is the years and thus are limited by their skills in a post-graduate degree knack of being able to turn a simple own lack of experience. Usually, or diploma. One year should be report into a large investigation. It mass communication means that enough to cover whatever needs is not only about experience: there everything is massed together to be learnt. The essence of being are some who just seem to have it leaving the student a bit confused. a journalist is to be curious about with no experience at all. It is not Working journalists do not have things around you. This cannot the Press Council’s job to look at the time to devote to teaching so be taught and no amount of the quality of journalists. But it is practical advice is in short supply. knowledge can make up for it. something which should concern Some course creators refuse A few years ago, newspaper and journalists. Managements will be to engage with senior working magazine offices were full of what much happier with cookie-cutter journalists for fear perhaps would be considered oddities editors and assembly-line lower that their authority would be today – people who had wandered orders. It makes their jobs easier. challenged. Parents pay big bucks, in from other professions or who But journalism was never about either coerced by their children had abandoned their education making anyone’s life easy. There is or hopeful that their genius on a whim or just had a passion always time to reclaim lost ground offspring will become a world for the job. as far as journalists are concerned. famous television news reader. Some of these made the best So Katju may have gone about it

Many budding journalists want journalists – whether on the the wrong way, but he has pointed to jump straight into television desk or as reporters or later, out a hidden fear. How we address< and stick a microphone in the face as editors. They may have had it is now our problems.

January-March 2012 VIDURA 17 To the know-all media, the reader’s stupid

’ll never forget a lesson I learnt many moons ago in two different ways. Sixty years ago, in a country where there was a more mature media, but Ione divided on bi-party lines, the Gallup polls had Dewey a runaway winner. Truman won in a canter, when even the more respected pundits of analysis in the papers that backed his party had thought he was running a losing race. Ten years later, in another clime, the media went overboard in supporting the party in power. The English language press gave 70.90 per cent of its space for political and electoral coverage to the incumbency. The language press was just a little better – mainly because the columnists S. Muthiah were occasionally allowed to air a slightly more cautious, or should I say balanced, view. Such coverage, backed by blasphemous tirades against the opposition, only reflected wheat a heap of official ‘monitors’ who were supposed to have their ears to the ground told their ministers and other Parliamentary representatives – “You will definitely win”. When the results were announced, the leading opposition party had won in a landslide. The electorate had voted the way it wanted to, uninfluenced by the media, least of all the English media. The lesson I learnt from both those occasions was that the public is not stupid; it has a mind of its own, and will do exactly what it wants to do, no matter what the pundits urge it to do. Being a betting man in those long ago days, I made a bit of money in both instances. That, however, was gambler’s luck, the result of backing the odds. But at the same time, being one of those ponderous journalists who had always found it impossible to embrace what was supposed to be obvious, who enjoyed being a Doubting Thomas, and who loved asking questions and playing Devil’s advocate – much to the chagrin of colleagues – I had on both occasions written for the foreign journals. I ‘stringed’ for a few pieces doubting the common media wisdom. And to this day I think that is what responsible journalists should be doing – asking questions, doubting, debating both sides. To be successful in this you need to be asking questions all the time and The writer has been in journalism for those questions to be meaningful there has to be background knowledge. for more than 60 years. He is editor, And that knowledge is what is missing, or thought unimportant, nowadays. Madras Musings, and author of Not so long ago I was asked to prepare the syllabus for an undergraduate several books on Chennai as well course in journalism. as biographies, including those on Our school of thought, led by one of the best-known names in companies and institutions. His journalism in the country, came up with the view that journalism did not weekly column, Madras Miscellany, need undergraduate courses. Another group felt that half my syllabus has been running in The Hindu had nothing to do with journalism and that the focus of that half on history Metro Plus for over ten years. He was unnecessary. The result was a change of the syllabus by the college has taught journalism and print to suit the media of today: the writing of soft stories or sensational stories production at the Bharatiya Vidya and a forgetting of in-depth writing. Bhavan, Anna University and the This approach goes beyond the media. In discussions on the civil war in University of Madras. In March Sri Lanka, I’ve never heard of or read a military analysis in the early days 2002, he was awarded the MBE of the fourth phase that pointed out that the Sri Lankan forces’ strategy in by the Queen of England for his the first place was to capture the northwest coast of the island and sever work on heritage and environment LTTE’s links with the Indian coast from where its supplies came and then, conservation in Chennai. through sheer numbers, push the LTTE to the northeast coast from where

18 VIDURA January-March 2012 they had no place to go. Again, there have been statements like “no country has ever bombed its citizens”. The speakers had forgotten their history: The Spanish Civil War, the wars in the Balkans, the strafing of drug- runners in Colombia etc. History forgotten has also led to oft- repeated statements about India’s concerns about Sri Lanka falling into the Chinese lap. Sri Lanka’s friendship with China dates to at least 1952 when China gave the island rice India had refused and Ceylon sold China rubber, even after that item was embargoed. And then even the most sober of analysts have favoured the word ‘genocide’, forgetting that ten times more Tamil-speakers live out of LTTE control in the country and, though they may not Illustration: Arun Ramkumar be living in the most emotionally comfortable of environments, they have faced no threat of decimation; in fact, in Colombo, at then forgotten; and at the state least half the population is Tamil- making sure the package is level, buildings are pulled down, speaking! entertaining... That is the media people are displaced, hundreds It was bad enough that analyses of today. And it is only going to of crores are spent on unfinished of the Sri Lanka situation in get worse until realisation dawns schemes, finished schemes the last days of the conflict not that with money there needs to be produce little results, but where is only did not look at such things maturity too and an appreciation the investigation and analysis of as these but, worse, it did not of the fact that readers are not any of this? consider the lack of commitment stupid. I could go on and on in this to implementing the Provincial It is time the media realises that vein, but it’s time to wonder why Councils even in Sinhala areas, the its role is to present ALL the facts this state of affairs. rise of militarism and intolerance and analyse them dispassionately The fact of the matter is that with and not from any pre-conceived of dissent in the Island etc. None television’s instant approach to angle, letting the reader make of this was done in the media overkill you with Breaking News, up his mind. No amount of because the obvious and the no matter how insignificant, and pontificating to the reader or sensational, the killing fields, were with the world of consumerism presenting of slanted facts is what were being looked at. The giving advertisers a field day – going to influence him, no matter

future of the Tamils in the island even in times of recession – the what editors in their ivory towers< was ignored. media has begun to revel in news think. This is true of event after event bytes and not the substantial, in recent times. Split in the Indian soft stories where even a critical team, not lack of technique did restaurant review has no place, the Indian T-20 team in; Bombay and a focus on appearance and burning and other strikes after titillation. that, but no analysis about how Creating frenzy by appealing the US has kept terror away after to the emotions, not the mind; 9/11; the 180 districts with little ignoring reality and any search government control area not for uncomfortable truths; studied, but a violent incident reveling in propaganda because like Lalbagh is focused on and the propagandist pays; and

January-March 2012 VIDURA 19 A time when reporting meant something else

f I was asked to name the most exciting night that I had spent during my sixty years in journalism, my mind would immediately fly back 55 Iyears in time to an October 1956 night when I joined an intrepid team of about thirty student doctors and nurses of the Christian Medial College, Ludhiana, who were engaged in rescuing and providing relief to people in flood-ravaged villages not far from the city. Army motor boats as well as smaller craft were plying over flooded fields and roads in complete darkness relieved by a petromax or lantern that could barely enable us to see each other. M.B. Lal The young medicos led by a professor, a man of unbounded zeal, had set up a tent on dry ground near a large open air camp the district administration had created for people who had fled their villages to escape the flood. The only luxury in the tent was a kerosene stove placed on a table where you could take tea or coffee served in a beaker. The Bhakra and Beas dams had not been built by then to contain the surplus water and all Punjab rivers and their tributaries had drowned half of Punjab. I toured the whole state without a photographer. Everyday, my stories were splashed on the front page of The Tribune. My reports on the poor relief work in Amritsar which I contrasted with Ludhiana created a furore and I had to face a barrage of contradictions. It was there that I learnt that in great calamities voluntary agencies can do little unless the administration provides them with the infrastructure. A year later, I joined The Statesman in Delhi (a job I got purely on the strength of my flood reports in The Tribune). It fell to my lot to cover the floods in Rohtak town in September 1960, this time with a photographer. For about 20 days the Rohtak flood was front page news. Reporters and photographers from all English dailies of Delhi drove out to Rohtak about 70 kilometres away, and returned in the evening to file their reports, The writer, after an M.A including box items and side stories of human interest. For a few days we in English from Allahabad had to take a 30-kilometre detour each way when the direct route was cut University in 1951, joined off by the flood. the Nagpur Times as staff From floods to communal riots was but a small step. In the 1950s and reporter the following 60s, the trauma of Partition had not died from the minds of the people. year. In 1955, he moved A riot between Hindus and Muslims within 150 kilometres would draw to The Tribune as special teams of reporters and photographers from all English dailies of Delhi to staff reporter. In 1957, that city. Naming communities in a riot news report is forbidden by law. he joined The Statesman What we did was to report the atmosphere in the tension-ridden town. where he would spend 31 Deserted streets, panic and fear on people’s faces, closed markets, police years, serving the paper everywhere and the victims of the terror, dead or alive, in the hospitals. as staff reporter, special On one occasion, I was led to the scene of action in the heart of Meerut correspondent, chief- city by the sound of police firing. Aligarh and its world-famous Muslim of-bureau, development University was another place I frequently visited. At times, a riot spot correspondent and assistant looked no better than a war zone with streets littered with stones, police on editor. His studies of various the ready to shoot and panic-stricken people looking at the scene through aspects of the Indian chinks and railings on the upper floor. There was indeed a lot to report in economy first appeared in a riot without naming the communities involved. The Statesman. After But, ironically, though I have lived for more than half-a-century in retirement, he has authored Delhi, the scenes I remember most from my reporting days are mostly four books. rural. The most memorable of these was a night visit to a village in

20 VIDURA January-March 2012 Yeotmal District of Maharashtra From Sikkim to Kanyakumari to newspaper were reserved for its in December 1965. It was a hamlet Surat to Pathankot, I have scoured coverage. Practically every debate of a few stone huts atop a shallow the Indian countryside time and was covered and important MPs gorge about 100 feet deep. I was again, and written long reports of later interviewed for further being taken in a jeep from Nagpur my visits in The Statesman. elucidation of the points they had to Adilabad in Andhra for a But all this was just by the made. Attending Parliament was drive through the worst famine- way. My main job was the daily both a pleasure and privilege for stricken parts of Maharashtra by grind of reporting speeches and a reporter. I was present in the a rustic looking district planning interviewing people in Delhi. Lok Sabha press gallery when, officer who appeared to be every Most of the time we interviewed in 1963, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia inch a farmer himself, when my ordinary people. M.L. Kotru, threw his famous and historic attention was drawn by the sound a colleague of mine, won the “three-anna challenge” at Nehru. of music in the wilderness and I Magsaysay Award for his series of “Panditji,” he said, shouting at the asked my guide to stop for a look about 50 stories, called ‘The other top of his voice, “for all your talk at the scene. half’. He interviewed the poor of progress, the average income With light from the headlights people in different vocations and of the Indian farmer is still three of the jeep we could see men, wrote about their everyday life. I annas (nineteen paise) per day. women and children trudging up and a colleague did a long series You can ask your officials to check and down a narrow hill track in the of about 30 stories, titled ‘Crime their figures. I shall resign my gorge. They were carrying water in Delhi’. It was not about murder seat in Parliament if I am proved in their small pots and pans to and rape but ordinary everyday wrong.” The government never water their cooperative vegetable crime in different parts of Delhi. refuted Lohia’s figure. farm near their houses from the We identified pockets where the In fact, speech reporting and narrow strip of water they called criminals lived and the way they interviewing experts were the a stream. It was their only lifeline operated by taking advantage of primary activities in a newspaper. against hunger and thirst. They the chinks in the police armour. All conferences, from UNCTAD sang a folk tune as they walked. But our primary job as reporters to the various subject conferences Perhaps it helped them to stick was reporting speeches. In addition like the All India History, Science together in the dark. We were led to covering his beat, every reporter and Education conferences had to a small and empty panchayat had to attend a public speech in to be covered in detail. Simple ghar by a lantern and treated to tea the evening and report it in fair coverage was not enough. The by the villagers. detail. Amongst my reports was papers competed with each other We were not far from our a speech by Dr Rajendra Prasad, in interviewing subject specialists destination, the village of Chief a few months before he retired attending the conference and Minister V.P. Naik, who had told as the president of India. It was featuring their work or point of me only a few hours earlier in a printed speech on the need to view. All interviews, small or Nagpur “Hang me if I fail. I shall change the Constitution and give big, were face-to-face and not, as make Maharashtra self-sufficient more powers to the president to now, over the telephone. They in food-grains within two years.” over-rule the prime minister in often yielded big surprise stories With such hardy and determined certain matters and even question we were not looking for. This is people at his back which chief decisions of the Parliament which how I got some of my scoops, like minister could fail? The line quoted the president thought were everyone else in my line. above was a banner headline over partisan and not in the national My eighteen year-old my story published a week later interest. Prime Minister Jawaharlal granddaughter calls me “a on an inside page in the Calcutta Nehru was present at the hour-long walking encyclopedia”. With and Delhi Statesman. function. Leaders and intellectuals all the education imbibed from (A few years later, when he freely used such forums to make speeches and interviews, besides became deputy chairman of important announcements since visits to projects, labs, factories the Planning Commission, I they were sure newspapers would ­­and farms –– all fully reported asked the late Ashok Mehta why report them. Reports of similar –– who would not become "a the cooperative experiment of meetings and conferences from walking encyclopedia”? But from Maharashtra and Gujarat could the now extinct species of district the 1920s to the 60s, apart from not be introduced in backward east correspondents lent variety to the its primary duty of giving the U.P. and Bihar, “Lal, I have staked paper, which one misses these day’s news, then the main role

my whole political career trying to days. of the newspaper was that of an do just that and failed. You can take It was the same with Parliament. “educator”, and not as now, of an< a horse to the water but you cannot When Parliament was in session, “entertainer”. make him drink,” he replied.) two whole pages of every

January-March 2012 VIDURA 21 ‘If it’s honest news, objective views… go for it’

Once upon a time, radio was ‘new media’. the process in the sense that you must understand When black-and-white television arrived, what drives a news or media organisation or whether it brought a whole new experience in you can repose your faith and trust in that media communication. The advent of colour organisation. The problem with media explosion as we call it is that everybody is groping for a revenue television rooted viewers to the drawing model, including those who practise conventional rooms in many Indian homes. When CNN media, like newspapers. And surely, if you are beamed the Gulf War live in 1991, it heralded looking for accurate news, well-edited copy, well- a new dawn in terms of television viewing produced newspapers, articulate television channels experience. And then, of course, the Internet which give you a multiplicity of opinions and then changed human habits like never before. ask you to choose, if you do not wish propaganda to Yet, the newspaper continues to hold out. At masquerade as news, then you must appreciate that a recent seminar on new media in Kolkata, there is a cost involved to effective news gathering, some pertinent points affecting news in having a reporter check, double-check and cross- dissemination were made, with the chief check his facts, to have a fact checker within a media guest driving home some truths: there is a organisation. And what is the cost that you wish to pay? You wish to pay indirect costs; you wish to cost involved to effective news gathering, merge the cost that you pay to be educated, or to be there has been a steady breakdown in informed or to be presented with analysis, you wish professional standards, the institution of the to merge that cost with the cost you are quite happy editor has been destroyed, and speak the to pay for entertainment.” truth at all times. Sashi Nair reports Today, many people follow a certain media cycle. There is some place you look for news or gossip – ick up on things that interest you so that the iPad, the computer, the mobile phone. Where your understanding of what happens is is the news coming from? Referring to the raid on “Pfocused rather than diffused by an overload Osama’s hideout, Kumar said neither social media of information.” That was Ravindra Kumar, editor nor conventional media had to this day been able and managing director, The Statesman, addressing to provide the complete inside story of what really students of the Surendranath College for Women, happened on that raid, who the source was, where who formed the bulk of the packed audience at the the information came from, how it was planned, who inaugural of a seminar in Kolkata in January titled the people were. “It leaves you with a frightening ‘Journalism in the age of New Media’. Picking up thought: whether in the process of embracing on thoughts shared earlier (by the other speakers), multiplicity of media, we are in qualitative terms Kumar, the chief guest, having been in the journalism emasculating every media. Why? Because we have for more than three decades, said that if he were gotten used to paying peanuts.” in their shoes today he would be hugely confused Kumar drew a comparison between the evolution (because of the media explosion). of cost, of consumer products and the newspaper. A “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys,” Kumar tube of Colgate toothpaste, for example, cost 12 annas stressed, pointing out that there was a cost involved once; today, the same tube costs Rs 25. Cinema ticket in providing credible, worthwhile information. prices have soared more than hundred-fold over the “You are paying peanuts, therefore you are getting years – from Rs 3.50 to anything between Rs 350 and monkeys,” he emphasized again, going on to Rs 500. All this, while the newspaper still sells at Rs explain: “You’ve had a monkey in the form of the 2.50 paise or thereabouts. Why is the cost important? Nira Radia affair, and monkeys in various forms and “Even to this day, it is the print media which has sizes. Unless the citizenry decides to engage itself the maximum number of professional journalists with the process of dissemination – and I don’t mean out in the field. Whether in Raipur or Dantewada or each one of you being a citizen journalist, you’d be Chhattisgarh, the majority of news stories are still falling over each other… You have to be engaged in broken by print and if they are important they are

22 VIDURA January-March 2012 picked up by television and then or the US, or India because we they reach a national audience. have prided ourselves on having If you analyse, some of the big a free press. To the extent we stories that have not come out of do, there should have been an Delhi – Delhi is a city that thrives improvement in standards. And on leaks – if you are talking about yet we are bemoaning the drop genuine news breaks, the majority in standards. How do we explain of them are still coming out of this paradox?” print. Perhaps in some obscure Kumar was convinced that just newspaper you haven’t heard of… because there was a social media By effectively trying to analyse its site, it did not mean that the (story’s) implications, print comes information needs were met. “What

back into the story.” we need to do is to arm ourselves Photos: SN Over a period of 20 years with channels and avenues that through a gradual process, are properly equipped to meet Prof B.K. Kuthiala, vice chancellor, Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Evam largely self-inflicted by media our needs. And that is our task Sanchar Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal, lights owners, as a consequence of as a responsible citizen and that the traditional lamp as (from left) Girija an active collaboration of the is where engagement of people Shankar Sharma, head, Department of reading community, there had with media must come. There is Mass Communication and Journalism, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Agra; been a steady breakdown in a huge cost involved in collecting Prof M.R. Dua, former professor, Indian professional standards, Kumar information. We try to give you Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi; said. “Newspapers of the day a reasonable approximation of Prof V.L. Dharurkar, professor, Department are not what they were. Great news as we can… and an honest of Journalism and Mass Communication, newspapers, great titles carry a set of opinions as we can. This Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad; Ravindra Kumar, a great deal of heritage with must be the challenge before any editor and managing director, The Statesman; them but are mostly unable to form of media. Honest news, Prof Sachchidananda Joshi, vice chancellor, replicate the achievements of their or objective views, go for it… it Kushabhau Thakre Patrakarita Avam predecessors. The institution of doesn’t really matter whether it’s Jansanchar Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur (partly seen); Prof Tapati Basu, head, Department the editor has been destroyed. It Facebook or Twitter. If the media of Journalism and Mass Communication, doesn’t matter anymore. And this of your choice gives you all this, University of Calcutta; Sashi Nair, editor, process of dumbing down didn’t there will be a cost involved. And Press Institute of India; and Uma Shankar happen as a one-sided transaction. if you want it, you will have to pay Pandey, head, Department of Journalism and Somebody was dumbing down for it,” he said. Mass Communication, Surendranath College for Women, Kolkata and the seminar convener the media agenda, somebody Prof B.K. Kuthiala, vice look on. was collaborating in being made chancellor, Makhanlal Chaturvedi dumber by the day.” National University of Journalism, What are the consequences, Bhopal, said that ethics and people, even affecting voting Kumar asked. “We talk about the freedom of the media was an patterns. When the Internet came, Arab Spring and social media issue that had not been settled the same questions were asked lighting that spark of freedom. over many years and was unlikely – whether it would impact print Let’s look at the places where to be resolved with the conduct of readership.” we’ve already had that spark of a few seminars and workshops. Prof Kuthiala made a distinction freedom. Because that is where the “It is necessary to have a between circulation figures that process of the media cycle must be thorough understanding of the may be increasing because there seen and understood. To say that entire process of mass as well as are new markets for readership, Egypt has suddenly discovered digital communication. After the and the time spent on reading a the virtues of social media… tells printing press came, it took many newspaper, which according to only a small part of the story. years for newspapers to arrive him (based on research studies) What has it done to countries and disseminate information. had reduced to about a fourth, which already have freedom of People then, too, would have compared to 15 years ago. “The expression? By several processes discussed about ‘new media’ in evolution of the media is not going of reasoning what it ought to mean that age. Then came the radio that to stop. Technology will grow and is, that countries that already have enabled faster communication, so will technological applications. freedom of expression and a free then cinema, television – all ‘new Students must ponder about press, the quality of media ought media’ as and when each came demystifying media technology, to have taken a quantum jump, about. Weeklies and fortnightlies and the aspect of people being able whether it is the Western world were having a great impact on to ‘communicate back’ instead of

January-March 2012 VIDURA 23 being recipients all along,” he to a study, he said that about 50 said, adding, “Today, it is more per cent of readers come from about one-to-one communication traditional media, 23 per cent and not news and views being relied on traditional as well as new disseminated by a few to many. media, and 18-20 per cent relied The decline of print media, as in only on new media. “We cannot the West, is likely to affect India, deny the fact that new media too.” Dwelling on media ethics, has an important role to play in Prof Kuthiala, referring to a society and its importance is ever Punjabi parable, said that three increasing. It is cost-effective and questions need to be asked: Am economical compared to print I speaking the truth, have I said media, which needs more people something immoral, have I said and other resources. The Internet anything that creates friction keeps the reader involved and among people? And the answer news is updated almost on an must be ‘no’ in each case. “That hourly basis. is the kind of ethics needed,” The interesting thing is a he stressed, and added that the lot of interactivity or two-way adage, ‘politics is too serious a communication is possible, the thing to be left to the politicians response is often immediate and alone’ must apply it to the media spontaneous, and there are links also. Structure, ownership pattern, you can easily refer to. People content, self-regulation were some are free to express their views. of the pertinent issues that needed However, there is unwanted discussion and debate, he said. Ravindra Kumar, editor and managing director, content which sometimes can The Statesman, stresses a point during his Prof Sachchidananda Joshi, vice create problems.” Prof Joshi inaugural address. chancellor, Kushabhau Thakre foresaw a sort of converged Patrakarita Avam Jansanchar media in the future and saw the Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, felt audience being happier and more Others who spoke included that new media was more comfortable. Prof Enakshi Choudhury, teacher- responsive, more reciprocating, Earlier, president of the in-charge, Surendranath College and more broad-based. “We have governing body of the college for Women, Kolkata, Prof Tapati a responsive audience that can Sikha Choudhury, releasing the Basu, professor and head, equally participate, communicate Book of Abstracts prepared for the Department of Journalism and

and comment on the situation, seminar, said, “It’s a responsible Mass Communication, University and is vigilant,” he said. Referring profession and students must of Calcutta, and the editor of this< understand what print, electronic journal. and new media is all about, as well as the need to report facts and stick to the truth at all times.” Yellow journalism was not quite right, she felt. “Somewhere, journalists have lost the ability to speak and write the truth. Their role is to present the facts, especially of the reality of the poor, downtrodden and the weak and to give them a voice,” she added. This was not really happening today, she felt. “The media today is more concerned about political movements and trivial issues or gossip,” said Sikha Choudhury releasing the Book of Abstracts. Choudhury.

24 VIDURA January-March 2012 ‘Editors are giving way to marketing departments’

Vice President of India and unavoidable, more so in a even nations. It is a harsh reality M. Hamid Ansari made a few democracy that eschews arbitrary that media entrepreneurship is pertinent observations while exercise of power. Another truism now a necessary condition for a inaugurating the National is that some form of media has business enterprise, a political been integral to human civilisation party and even individuals seeking Press Day celebrations at the since time immemorial. Its to leverage public influence for India International Centre in principal purpose, to inform, private gain. November 2011. Excerpts: remains unchanged. Technological In December 2000, the innovations like the invention of United Kingdom published a n over 45 years of its existence, paper and the printing press, radio White Paper entitled A New the Council (Press Council transmission, TV broadcasting, Future for Communications in Iof India) has fulfilled to a and the World Wide Web have Britain. It suggested conceptual significant extent its mandate, as a spawned new media platforms restructuring to bring together the quasi judicial body, of preserving and devices for consumption. five sectors of telecommunications, the freedom of the press and of Today, the convergence between television, radio, broadcasting maintaining and improving the news media, entertainment standards and radio spectrum standards of press in India, and and telecom has meant that the allocations under a single- adjudicating complaints. demarcation between journalism, umbrella communications The theme of today's celebration public relations, advertising and regulator. In addition, it proposed is media as an instrument of entertainment has been eroded. covering access, choice, content public accountability. A useful The new trends in technological and competition. The White starting point of discussion development and media Paper proposed a new three- would be to enquire into the basic conglomeration characterised by tiered regulation of broadcasting premise of being a democracy. An an emphasis on commercial values so as to provide a level playing essential feature of a democracy is and outcomes, pose challenges to field between the broadcasters, constraint on unlimited exercise of traditional public service values in depending on the extent of their power. Democratic practice seeks news broadcasting. How do they public service role. It stressed to bring about accountability impact the lofty ideal of journalism that all broadcasters be subject to of actions of institutions and -- of communicating reliable, minimum standards, impartiality individuals in an objective, accurate facts in a meaningful in news, provision of protection of verifiable and transparent manner. context? minors and access of people with While common understanding of This aspect is of relevance disabilities. constraints on power is limited because the media is the fourth Emanating from this, The to exercise of ‘public power’ by estate in a democracy. It plays a Communications Act 2003 state actors, it is important to major role in informing the public established the Office of remember that it also extends to and thereby shape perceptions and Communications (OFCOM) as the ‘private power’, of non-public through it the national agenda. Its regulator for all communications authorities, especially when such centrality is enhanced manifold industries to further the interests entities acquire or exercise power by increased literacy levels and by of citizens and consumers. It was traditionally associated with state the technological revolution of the tasked with ensuring optimal use structures. last two decades and its impact of electro-magnetic spectrum, It is a truism that humans are on the generation, processing, availability of electronic social creatures who formulate dissemination and consumption communication services, a wide rules of interaction aimed at of news. Media outlets today range of TV and radio services of furtherance of harmony and assume importance not only for high quality, maintaining plurality common good and avoidance of marketing and advertisement but in broadcasting, applying anarchy. Rules and rule-based also for the ‘soft power’ aspects adequate protection for audiences regulations are thus essential of businesses, organisations and against offensive or harmful

January-March 2012 VIDURA 25 material, and against unfairness The regulator enforces statutory be used to evade regulation of or infringement of privacy. control rules based on license area the commercial persona of media The British experience of and audience reach, limitations corporates and groups? Where transition from a multi regulator on multiple and cross-ownership, does public interest end and to a single umbrella regulator, limits on foreign control of the private interest begin? accountable to Parliament, and mass media, regulations on The experience of other covering telecommunications, transfer of media operations and countries shows us the way. broadcast media and wireless media groups, and determines The ongoing national debate on spectrum, indicates that turf acceptability or otherwise of the subject should involve all battles between economic sectors, media diversity. It seeks to bring stakeholders leading perhaps government departments and about programme diversity, help to the publication of a White individual companies have to be foster a national cultural identity, Paper. This should lead to further carefully managed in the midst of bring about fair reporting of news consultations and evolution of building a national consensus and and ensure respect for community a broad national consensus so enacting legislation. standards. that appropriate frameworks The experience of the You would notice that the can be put in place combining United States and its Federal experience and practice of other voluntary initiative, executive Communication Commission in democracies indicates that media regulation and legislative action, regulating communications by licensing and regulation is seen as appropriate. Such an effort Radio, Television, Wire, Satellite as a normal and essential activity can cover issues of multiple- and Cable for over 75 years is to help its functioning as the ownership and cross-ownership, also instructive. It promotes watchdog of public interest. One content and diversity, and a cogent competition, innovation and is reminded of Gandhiji's dictum national communications policy investment in communications, that “an uncontrolled pen serves that covers print, radio, television, encourages the best use of spectrum but to destroy”. cable, DTH platforms, video and and revises media regulations so Collective self-regulation, film industry, internet and mobile that new technologies can flourish however, has yet to succeed in telephony, and electro-magnetic alongside diversity and localism. substantive measure because it is spectrum. American law imposes limitations neither universal nor enforceable. Finally, I venture to hope that on multiple ownerships and Individual self-regulation has also your debate would also focus cross-ownership of media failed due to personal predilection on the erosion of the institution establishments across radio, and the prevailing of personal of the editor in our media television and print media to interest over public interest. In an organisations. When media prevent emergence of monopolies address at the Indore Press Club space is treated as real estate or and to ensure adequacy of earlier this year, I had mentioned as airline seats for purpose of independent media voices in the that while economic deregulation revenue maximisation, and when market that could serve public has been the dominant trend of media products are sold as jeans interests, localization of news and the recent past, it is premised on or soaps for marketing purposes, bring about diversity. a dynamic market place with a editors end up giving way to In the case of Australia, it is system of independent regulation, marketing departments. I would The Australian Communications especially competition regulation, like to conclude by saying that all and Media Authority which is to prevent cartelisation, abusive stakeholders -- the government, responsible for the regulation behaviour by dominant firms and the media organisations and the of broadcasting, the Internet, corporate transactions that derail industry, civil society, advertisers radio communications and the competitive processes in the and sponsors, and the audience telecommunications sectors. market. and readership of the media In its role as a broadcast Two questions arise here. In –- must address the various regulator, the ACMA plans the the first place, who will step in concerns regarding the profession

to address the gap when the and work towards securing channels that radio and television < services use, issues and renews government, the polity, the market and defending the public good. licenses, regulates the content and the industry are unable to of radio and television services, provide for full-spectrum systemic including digital services, and regulation that protects consumer administers the ownership and welfare and citizen interest? control rules for broadcasting Secondly, can the constitutional services. safeguards on freedom of speech

26 VIDURA January-March 2012 A fire, some questions, some fire-fighting

nother tragedy. Another catastrophe leading to the loss of innocent lives. Another ‘breaking news’ event. Another opportunity for Athe electronic media to beam gruesome images – of mutilated bodies and wailing relatives – straight into your drawing rooms. Another opportunity for the print media to go ballistic, picking up from where the electronic media has left and dressing up the news to its gory best. And yet another opportunity for the social media to bay for blood, some genuine, some purely hysteric. Yes, indeed, I am talking about the AMRI Hospital inferno and the media reactions. While the media’s right to report facts is Suvobrata Ganguly in no way questionable, the way we have been going about firing from the hip only to move on, leaves ample space for retrospection. It is now established beyond doubt that the owners of AMRI, politically connected businessmen, right honourable gentlemen all, had flouted norms, broken rules and bent strictures at will. They represent a certain breed of fortune hunters who believe that the right connections and the right amount of money can buy them anything – including impunity from the laws of the land. They are not concerned about the loss of lives, the untold suffering of the deceased and their families – andWith as is theirthe insensitivity,Indian till the last moment, were busy boasting that they had “surrendered” to the police as opposed to being arrested. media opening Their holier-than-thou attitude stems from the knowledge, that whatever the media may shout from the rooftops,up thelike laws never are different for the rich and the mighty of the land. Two otherbefore, stirring it’s cases time in the recent past – the shocking death of Rizwanur Rehman and the Stephen Court fire – bear testimony to this. While Rizwanur’sour soul journalism is still crying for justice, the accused are back in business building their banyan empire – a court full of lawyers pleading their case and keepingclasses their interestsevolve secure, invoking the power of the labyrinth of rules and law. The owner of Stephen Court, where a tragedy claimed numerous lives, is sitting pretty, ensconced in the knowledge that “justice will he done” – his way. Here are questions about the role of the media that are being raised by certain quarters. A senior police officer asked, “Is the media’s role just restricted to reporting? What stops you from doing detailed follow-up stories? Why aren’t you bothered even when the guilty slip through? Why don’t you highlight the ways used by the guilty to wriggle out? Why can’t the media take a holistic view, instead of trying to be sensational?” Tough questions those. But the fact is we have to provide readers/viewers what The writer, based in Kolkata, they want. And they do not want the same boring news to be dished as is the editor of Core Sector daily fare. Besides, in today’s world, you have to be on the edge, breaking Communiqué, a monthly that news and doing ‘exclusives’, else you may cease to matter. provides a micro view of the “So, in effect what you are saying is,” continued the policeman, smug Indian economy. He also in his complacency, “that it is the market dynamics that egg you on. Fine. contributes to top English and Then desist from taking “we’re the fourth estate” stand. You are no better Bengali dailies. than the profiteers and businessmen you write stories about.”

January-March 2012 VIDURA 27 While things cannot be over-simplified to such an extent, there is certainly some substance in what he said and it is about time the media took a hard look at not only what it does, but also at the how’s and whys. I am also enthused by another emerging trend – the continuing rise of social media and the way people are using the space to suggest that profiteers are hit only when there is a boycott of the goods and services they seek to peddle. Mainline media needs to be more responsive to the concerns of the common man; it must play more effectively its role as a harbinger of social change. If Facebook and Twitter

Illustration: Arun Ramkumar can bring this about, so be< it.

Applications invited for master’s in communication The Department of Media Sciences, Anna University, Chennai invites applications for its MSc (Science and Technology Communication) degree course. The eligibility criteria: any degree, including BA/BSc, with Physics and Chemistry at the Plus-2 level. The study focuses on diverse media, with a slight science tilt. The degree programme covers areas such as Journalism, TV, Radio, Technical Writing, Environmental Science, and Animation. Students have been placed in newspapers, television channels, PR companies etc. Application forms can be collected from the Examination Centre, Anna University on payment by DD of Rs 600 (Rs 300 for SC/ST candidates), or in person. The forms are to be submitted in May. The forms can also be downloaded from the Web site (www.annauniv.edu or www.annauniv. edu/msc2012) and sent along with a DD to the director, admissions, Anna University, Chennai. The fee per semester is Rs 22000. More details from I. Arul Aram: 044-22358231/41 or +919789072466.

28 VIDURA January-March 2012 VIEW FROM THE NORTHEAST

Today’s journalism seems to have lost its soul

t was a small meeting in memory of a veteran Assamese journalist who had died (on October 5 at the age of 87). The various speakers, after Ipaying rich tributes to the freedom fighter-journalist Kamal Gogoi, drew a bleak picture of journalism in Assam as well as in the country. Organised by the Journalist Forum Assam at the Guwahati Press Club in October 2011, the meeting was attended by a number of reporters and journalists of different ages and they heard the speakers talk about Gogoi´s commitment and dedication to the profession and the society. Hailing from Narayanpur in eastern Assam, Gogoi retired from the Nava Thakuria Assamese daily Dainik Asom as deputy editor and functioned as the founder editor of Sadiniya Prahari for some months. He was associated with the last phase of India´s freedom struggle and imprisoned. Gogoi also contributed to Assamese literature with short stories, novels and travelogues. “The daily newspapers have gone glossy to face the competition of colourful television channels. But the content of the news report, the editorial and other articles remains shallow and many times anti- social. In-depth, analytical and comprehensive articles are not welcome today by newspaper proprietors, and most editors can do a little,” said Hiten Mahanta, a senior journalist based in Guwahati, at the meeting. Assam has a history of more than 150 years of newspaper reading, and the tiny state with a population of about 30 million (nearly 70 per cent are literate) supports over 25 morning dailies and hundreds of periodicals and magazines. Unhealthy competition has resulted in more of speculative stories, shallow edit pages and more of supplements. Daily newspapers have lost credibility in the eyes of the enlightened reader. The Indian Readership Survey second quarter 2011 survey indicates that Asomiya Pratidin, which is the highest-circulated (150000 copies) daily in the entire Northeast, has lost 2.2 per cent readership in the past few months. The present readership of the daily, which is published from Guwahati, Dibrugarh, North Lakhimpur and Bongaigaon, is over 15 lakh. The second in terms of circulation as well as readership, Asomiya Khabar, too, has readership. The other major vernacular dailies Dainik Janmabhumi, Dainik Agradoot, Amar Asom, Dainik Asom, and Dainik Janasadharan also recorded loss of a vast readership. The exception is The Assam Tribune (with nearly 75,000 print-orders every day), the oldest an increase in the number of readers. The Telegraph and The Times of India, too, have lost readership since the early months of 2011. Media pundits based in Guwahati believe that the random growth of daily newspapers since the 1980s in Assam has led to the decreasing circulations. Here is a comment on a blog: “I don’t find a single Assamese language newspaper reporting impartially or fairly. Assamese newspapers are loosing people’s trust to a large extent and hence their readership is diminishing. The local media is pre-meditated and politically motivated.” Of course, most proprietors of regional newspapers claim they have gained readers on the Web. Indeed, two prominent news portals dedicated to the The writer is a freelance journalist region www.assamtimes.org and www.timesofassam.com have recorded a based in Assam. high growth of visitors.

January-March 2012 VIDURA 29 Assam has seen the sudden Tripura, Meghalaya and Sikkim. vanishing. Robbed of authenticity, increase of television viewers Newspapers have had a fair run reliability and credibility, the in the last few years. The state in India and many are doing well. media will cease to matter to large supports six satellite news However, it may be worthwhile numbers of people except as a channels beaming news and other to listen to what senior journalist source of cheap entertainment programmes from Guwahati in Praful Bidwai had to say. “It and titillation. That would be English, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese (Indian media) is considered the a grave tragedy and a terrible and other regional languages. world’s most dynamic media disservice both to democracy and Starting with NE Television, industry and one of the fastest to the causes of enlightening and Assam has seen the emergence growing anywhere. The media’s empowering the public.” of satellite channels such as worth is equivalent to half the value Others who spoke and raised NewsLive, DY365, NewsTime of India’s famously successful the aspect of “the biggest casualty Assam, Frontier TV and Prime computer software exports… in today´s journalism is its News, which cater the need of the despite massive growth in the credibility issue” included former population of northeast India. Indian media industry, the lack editor of Dainik Janambhumi, Except Guwahati, no other of quality and diversity shows an Prafulla Barua; former editor state capital in the region has increasing disconnect with the real of Dainik Asom, J.P. Saikia; the a satellite news channel. In lives of people in the country and chief editor of Prag News, a local addition, more than 50 cable the most important issues they news channel, Jatindra Kumar news channels telecast local face. Borgohain; and journalists Ranen

news and entertaining The Indian media now faces Kumar Goswami, Sabita Lahkar, programmes to cater to the needs a serious crisis of credibility. If Chakreswar Goswami and< of around 60 million people living it does not reform itself, it will Jagadindra Raichoudhury. in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, find its greatest asset getting Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, rapidly devalued and eventually

WAN-IFRA’s Women in News programme open for applications

The Women in News programme, launched by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in 2010, is now accepting applications from women media professionals from either the business or editorial side of newspapers in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. WIN is a capacity building programme that equips participants with the skills, strategies and support networks to progress to leading roles within their news organisations. According to a WAN-IFRA release, almost 50 per cent of the women enrolled in the programme have progressed to higher levels of responsibility within their organisations, or made a lateral move of their choosing. “We are delighted to see the WIN programme continue to its third year. As part of our strategic partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, WAN-IFRA has spent the past two years investing significantly in creating models of excellence that canbe replicated in other markets with relative ease,” says Larry Kilman, deputy CEO of WAN-IFRA. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and WAN-IFRA established a partnership in 2010 to advance media development and press freedom worldwide. The partnership allows WAN-IFRA to broaden and develop its press freedom and media development activities to support free and financially sustainable media worldwide. For more on this work, please consult http://www.wan-ifra.org/microsites/media-development.

30 VIDURA January-March 2012 Television has played a role in inspiring girls

Role models in sports, like Sania and Saina today help legitimise – and glamorise – women’s time on the playing field, where once, a generation ago, it was almost forbidden territory, at least for the average small-town Indian girl and even for the urban middle class. It was television that broke the barrier, in the guise of entertainment, to promote gender equity, not only in terms of professions previously known as male bastions but also in terms of hobbies, pastimes and even Sakuntala Narasimhan professional pursuits, in sports. Live telecasts and beaming many a global picture to millions of homes has helped change a conservative outlook

fter the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games in October 2010, there were some comments, both editorially and as features and Ablogs on the Internet, about the significant performance of Indian sportswomen, in terms of medal tallies. One South Asian observer has worked out that the percentage of women participants among Indian medal winners has risen from 0 (out of 32 medal winners) in 1990, to 12 (3 out of 25 medallists) in 1998, to a significant 37 per cent (37 out of 101 medal winners) at the latest games (2010). The percentage is far better than what we have in politics (women in Parliament) which is interesting, given that getting into Parliament (‘serving the nation’) is seen, in most Indian communities, as more ‘respectable’ than pursuing sports (especially for girls). What lies behind the improvement by women in sports, compared The writer, based in Bangalore, gave to two decades ago, and did the media have any role to play in making up a job (1978-84) with the Times sports attractive to Indian women? A random check among college and of India Group in Mumbai to write school girls, sports trainers and parents (metropolitan as well as small- her columns, acquire two PhDs and town families) shows that television could have played a significant role become an activist for consumer in shaping girls’ aspirations, post-1990. The decade of the 1990s saw TV rights. A recipient of the Media coverage in terms of viewership growing phenomenally, so that by the end Foundation’s Chameli Devi Award of the millennium almost every family even in the villages was watching for Outstanding Woman Journalist of TV, even if it was just a community set around which several families the Year (1983), a national award for gathered in the evenings, to watch popular family serials or films. Live her writings on consumer protection telecasts of national and international sports events thus got beamed right (1994), the PUCL National Award into homes even in the interior. Watching women athletes and gymnasts for Human Rights Journalism from overseas put up spectacular feats, triggered dreams in many a young (2000), the Deepalaya National girl, of being able to run, dive and win laurels. The events also helped Award for Child Rights Journalism parents with conservative ideas about what ‘a girl should, and shouldn’t (2000) and the K.S. Aiyar Memorial do’ re-examine their socio-culturally restrictive attitudes, if not openly, at award for Outstanding Writing on least sub-consciously. Socially Relevant Issues (1993), “Watching P.T. Usha, I used to wish that I could also sprint with the wind she has published more than in my face,” one conservative, middle-aged mother confessed, “so when I 2900 articles in leading Indian noticed that my daughter enjoyed tossing a ball with my son, I suppressed newspapers and is the author of my instinctive response to thwart her – ‘Go and do your music practice’ – 11 books. Her fortnightly columns and she has gone on to win trophies for her college. In Usha’s time, in the on gender issues and consumer 1980s, there was not much TV coverage, and in any case we did not have rights ran in the Deccan Herald for a TV set at home, or even in our building. Telecasts have really helped 27 years, till 2008. spur interest,” she added. Her younger brother, age 40, says he dreams of

January-March 2012 VIDURA 31 enabled even those away from the metropolitan centres to watch ball-by-ball strategies?” says one proud cricket enthusiast who says he is hoping that his progeny (daughter as well as sons) will win sports awards. Schoolteacher Parul Das points out that some of the Indian women medal winners who were interviewed on TV channels during the CWG were not comfortable with English and chose to speak in their regional languages – and that carried a message of its own, in terms of national and international honours not being beyond the reach of girls who were not exposed to city life or English medium education. If sports is about creating enthusiasm through role models, then the media – and TV in Illustration: Arun Ramkumar particular – can claim to have played a major role in projecting achievers as role models, through visuals, pictures and news reports. having a daughter who will “win explains. That includes swimwear We may bemoan the soaps that Wimbledon”. Why a daughter, – two decades ago, many a family most channels carry, to hook not a son? He shrugs in answer. “I would have frowned upon a viewers, especially housebound don’t know. Why not? I was a fan daughter putting on a swim women, but watching sports of Steffi Graf, but when I was in suit. TV has helped bring global events, especially when it is turned college I never thought about an pictures into homes that upheld into a spectacle, does help deliver Indian girl winning at Wimbledon. conservative norms. “I switched a message, however devious, After seeing Sania Mirza playing, on to watch the CWG telecasts about gender perceptions. Some on TV, I tell myself, why not...” If because my friend’s daughter was years ago, Doordarshan telecast a young girl from a Muslim family in the swimming competition,” a serial titled Udaan, about a girl can wear shorts and beat world- says Radhika, a Bangalore-based who becomes a police officer and class players like the Williams homemaker. Those who would helps fight corruption. “Kavita sisters, that’s something to be have not gone to watch a live in the role of that character in proud of, as an Indian, he adds. sports event, watched TV from the Udaan, inspired me and many of Sports is also about dress – “I confines of their living rooms and, my friends in college,” says Ratna, used to play tennis in my college as another housewife commented, a university lecturer and mother days, but in a sari,” reminisces a “After watching the telecasts with of two teenage daughters. “I knew grandmother in her 60s. “When I me, my 10-year-old daughter said about Kiran Bedi of course, but put on salwar kameez on a south she wanted to enrol for badminton it was not the same as watching Indian campus, to go to the tennis at the neighbourhood club.” the TV story, because Bedi was courts (to play with boys – no girls Another Saina in the making? somewhere far away, in Delhi, played tennis on the campus) it Perhaps, who knows? whom I did know, and she was was seen as scandalous, and of An analysis is not yet available, from a privileged background, course I had to give up my interest of how many of our women medal whereas this very feminine in sports, but today the leeway in winners are from small towns or looking girl from an ordinary dress codes has helped women rural areas. Among our current family, in the serial, who put on take to sports, and watching crop of cricket test players (men), a police uniform and a cap, and young women in sports attire, a significant number have small- twirled a baton with panache, on TV and on magazine covers, town backgrounds. “Where would became more real, because I heard

holding aloft their trophies, they have got exposed to the game, her speak and watched her every has legitimised the relaxation if there had been no telecast of move... I wanted my daughter

32 VIDURA January-March 2012 Rural women take to journalism, redefine lives

It’s been ten years since a ‘new dawn’ arose in a district in Andhra Pradesh, when six poor women in Chittoor decided to bring out a newsletter filled with women’s voices and then take it to the villages. They believed that informing rural women who knew nothing, and giving them a voice, was empowerment. From 750 copies, Navodayam is today a monthly magazine with a circulation of 30000, and a readership well past two lakh. From reporting and writing to editing and Shoma A. Chatterji laying out the pages, it’s all the handiwork of women. Stories drive home pertinent messages, special issues focus on specific subjects, and semi-literate women have been trained to gather news, file copy, even shoot a video. It’s been quite a remarkable initiative that has benefited the marginalised and oppressed communities of Andhra Pradesh.

avodayam is the merging of two words – nava, meaning ‘new’ and udayam, meaning ‘dawn’. It is the name of a community magazine Nthat has realised the dreams of hundreds of women of Chittoor District in Andhra Pradesh, run, edited, published, marketed and distributed by women, for women and of women. It realises the democratic spirit laid down in the Indian Constitution. Over time, Navodayam has become a strong link between village women and the government by spreading awareness about official schemes and programmes targeted at women who can benefit from the programmes. At the other end, it informs the government and its agencies about the needs and concerns of the women. The women do not come from sophisticated, affluent and urban backgrounds backed by university degrees. None of them have ever been The writer is a freelance to a journalism school. Most of them cannot even journalist, author and film scholar speak English, leave alone read or write it. But all based in Kolkata. She writes widely that has not caused hurdles for their growth. They on cinema, gender issues, media have taken running the magazine on, as a learning and human rights for print and experience, as a commitment and as a career. The online media, including Navodayam Project began as part of the World The Tribune, The Statesman and Bank’s Poverty Alleviation Programme. The first The Free Press Journal. She has issue of the newsletter, aimed at empowering authored 17 books and contributed women through communication, called to many edited compilations on Navodayam, was published on August 15, 2001. cinema, family and gender. She The main aim: to take the newspaper to the has won the national award for village. Six poor and semi-educated women Best Writing on Cinema twice, living in Chittoor District in Tirupati gathered the Bengal Film Journalists strength from within themselves to write, Association Award, and a lifetime edit, lay out, print, publish and distribute achievement award from the newsletter in Telugu all by themselves. Laadli-UNFPA in 2010. Picking and laying out photographs, and

A cover page of Navodayam. January-March 2012 VIDURA 33 running a cartoon strip done and managed to get advertising writing and editing skills. They by one member of the staff who support for the magazine and the have been so effective that they happens to be a good artist are all amount contributed to the corpus have acquired the courage and within a day’s work for the gritty fund. The advertisement rates integrity needed to deal with the young women whose lives have were worked out beforehand by consequences of conscientious changed since they began the the team. reporting and critical writing,” project. “Our reporters are semi-literate informs Manjula. Navodayam was born in the and poor women from the villages. The technical logistics and form of a newsletter with the They have undergone training financial issues of publishing purpose of putting into action in newsgathering and filing the magazine is taken care of by ‘Information for Empowerment’. copy. We have also picked out a core committee formed from The four major aims are to – (a) the artists among them. We have within the reporters’ pool, which give ‘voice’ to the rural and poor put them through basic training manages the total budget. The women, (b) place rural women in in journalism that has improved Zilla Samakhya (district-level charge of news coverage, (c) reach their language, writing and federation of self-help groups) information out to touch, influence editing skills. They have been so was requested to provide its and inspire the rural poor, and effective that they have acquired services to help the ongoing (d) adapt journalism so that it the courage and integrity needed publication, distribution and sales becomes a tool to empower rural, to deal with the consequences of the magazine. Nine members poor, oppressed and uneducated of conscientious reporting and formed the Navodayam Planning girls and women. In the process, critical writing,” informs Manjula, Commission – six were reporters the six women who began the who began her career as editor of and three representatives of the newsletter have been able to Navodayam. Zilla Samakhya. The president redefine their own lives and look Mallika, one of the first six and is the editor of Navodayam. The at their involvement with it as a a member of the core group, says reporters began networking great learning process. that they would receive death with regional newspapers to Initially launched as a quarterly threats for covering issues directly gain training and experience as newsletter in Telugu with eight dealing with local women, from professional journalists. Reporters pages of printed matter (the vested interests who do not are encouraged to contribute inaugural issue printed only 750 want Navodayam to deal with the issue-specific features, reports copies), Navodayam today is a problems of the women. “We bring and articles linked to a particular powerful, 24-page monthly paper out a special issue on the basis of area of the district. For example, that has grown to 30,000 copies, a survey we conduct ourselves. if alcoholism is rampant in one all of which are sold out. Eighty We publish our findings in the area, there is a detailed piece on reporters, all of them from poor form of a report in an issue. We the impact of alcoholism on the families settled in rural areas, have also approach the local collector, family and ways to resolve the learnt reporting, writing, editing ask him for his views and publish problem. and layout since the newsletter his side of the story as well. In this “There was one touching case of first came out. Navodayam has a way, we move one step ahead of a woman who committed suicide readership of 200,000 – that can news per se. For example, we went and we brought this to public view easily beat the readership figures to cover four cases of rape, of four by writing about it. It happened of some of the leading dailies in girls. We discovered that in one because the woman had taken a Andhra Pradesh. It began with case, a 14-year-old girl had been loan from an NGO that offered six core women. Today, it has raped by a 50-year-old man and micro loans to rural women. But around ten staff reporters and 20 she had left school because of the the woman did not know anything contributors. They have initiated social stigma. We not only brought about the interest payable. So, a system of annual subscription. pressure on the perpetrator but when she saw the interest that had The community coordinators and also persuaded the girl to get back accumulated after some time, she sanghamitras (village-level activists to school,” recounts Mallika. was shocked and this drove her of the Indira Kranthi Patham “Our reporters are semi- to suicide. Our aim was to drive programme) motivated self-help literate and poor women from the home the point that since village groups to pay the subscription. villages. They have undergone women were illiterate, all details The reporters were instrumental training in newsgathering and needed to be spelt out for them in in facilitating annul subscription filing copy. We have also picked the future so that such tragic cases to the magazine by the line out the artists among them. We did not happen again,” Manjula departments and NGOs. The have put them through basic elaborates. reporters personally approached training in journalism that In January 2010, Navodayam the line departments in the district has improved their language, brought out a special issue against

34 VIDURA January-March 2012 child marriage to coincide with the Shivaratri Festival. “The idea was to spread awareness Statement about ownership and other particulars among people about the evils of child marriage. about“VIDURA” the English Quarterly Newspaper, The special issue carried comparative interviews Chennai, as required to be published under Section of women married off as children and interviews 19-D Sub-Section (b) of the Press and Registration of with women whose marriages were stopped Books Act read with the Rule 8 of the Registration of when they were kids and now were happier for Newspapers (Central Rules) 1956 the stoppage,” says Manjula. Why Shivaratri? Villagers of Srikalahasti in Chittoor District Form IV believe that the night is auspicious for giving VIDURA - Quarterly away the girl-child in marriage because they last longer than normal marriages and it is the night of Devudu Pelli (God’s Marriage). It is 1. Place of publication : Chennai an age-old custom associated with the festivities 2. Periodicity of Publication : Quarterly surrounding Shivaratri. Around 2000 marriages 3. Printer’s Name : V.B.S. Mony are performed in February of which, many are Nationality : Indian child brides and grooms putting a stop to the Address girls’ schooling. No. 10/2 Second Loop Street Navodayam has trained seven women over a Kottur Gardens ten-month long span in video journalism. The Chennai 600 085 trained video journalists have made over 100 4. Publisher’s Name : V. Murali documentary films and are even providing Nationality : Indian video clips to major television networks, a source of revenue for them. A video film on Address child marriage was shown across villages where Plot No. 10 child marriage was rampant. The women of Lake View, 5th Street, Iyyappa Nagar Navodayam have persuaded women of self-help Madippakkam, Chennai 600 091 groups to put the children they had taken out of 5. Editor’s Name : Sashi Nair schools to join the growing mass of child labour, Nationality : Indian back to school. In addition, each woman who Address subscribes to the magazine sees to it that every Gayathri Enclave Ground Floor member of her family also reads it. 873-B, Ramaswami Salai The Navodayam women are convinced that K.K. Nagar, Chennai 600 078 their poor, marginalised and oppressed readers, 6. Names and addresses of individuals who own have gathered the courage and faith to talk freely about personal problems, about health, the newspaper/magazine and partners or domestic violence, the pressure to get their small shareholders holding more than one per cent girls out of school and married off, family peace of the total capital: being threatened by chronic alcoholism among The Press Institute of India - Research Institute the men and so on. The Navodayam women often for Newspaper Development intervene personally to settle such disputes and RIND Premises, Taramani, CPT Campus resolve some of the problems. They then narrate Chennai 600 113 their success stories through the magazine, to Shareholding of more than one percent of the capital inspire and encourage other women to come does not arise as the The Press Institute of India - forward and discuss their problems, too. Research Institute for Newspaper Development, is Navodayam has also spread its journalistic a non-profit society registered under the Societies wings towards a revival of cultural roots that are getting lost to time and modernistic Act No. XXI of 1860. interventions such as the cinema, television and so on. Journalists visit senior people in I, V. Murali, hereby declare that the particulars given the villages to collect oral cultural forms of above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. performance such as traditional songs, proverbs, grandmother’s tales, and so on and publish them in the magazine to inform, educate and entertain V. Murali the readers of the younger generation. The Publisher Navodayam Community Magazine (Telugu) won

the UNFPA-Laadli Media Special Jury Award 01.02.2012 for 2009. It has been a source of inspiration for< similar media initiatives like radio and films.

January-March 2012 VIDURA 35 Media must push for witness protection

ccording to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau, crime against women during 2010 (213585) went up by 4.8 per cent Acompared to 203804 cases recorded in 2009. Crime against children went up by 10.3 per cent (26694) as against 24201 cases in 2009. It is indeed a shocking situation in a democratic society. Any number of campaigns by Save Family Foundations cannot hide this pathetic reality. Many ghastly crimes come into the open and FIRs are registered only through the intervention of women’s organisations and human rights groups. Exposure in the media forces the hands of the police to register a U. Vasuki case. If it is a high-profile case, then the media exposure normally gathers strength and would be on-going till a breakthrough is achieved. Many other cases of violence against ordinary, poor women do not have such fortunate endings. There could be exceptions, but I’m stating here the normal happenings. It all depends on the editorial priority, and class and caste play a crucial role in determining such priority. Women’s organisations face a lot of problems while making interventions in instances of violence against women. The main problem is relating to victim/witness protection. Our country does not have a proper legislation towards protection of victims and witnesses, whereas they need protection at various stages. For example, the accused may threaten them; the police may be indifferent and insensitive; there can be inordinate delay in court proceedings; media exposure can cause embarrassment to them; there is the issue of social stigma; they may need medical attention; or may need a decent place to stay. At every level, the situation is so intimidating. In the case of sexual harassment of girl students in a rural area of Tamil Nadu by the headmaster of the school, the investigating officer (a woman inspector) went to the location in the night when there was no electricity. She was standing in the middle of the road and calling the children for enquiry! In Kerala, an inspector forcibly brought a child-rape victim to make a statement in front of the accused, in a public place! Is this the way to handle a sensitive case? Due to the struggle of the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the investigating officer was changed in the schoolchildren’s case. Now that the investigation is over, there is a cause for worry over the way in which the trial is going to be conducted. Instead of bringing more than 100 girls to the court, video conferencing can be used. Their studies will not be affected that way. The press in the area was sensitive enough not to publish photographs of the victims. But is this possible everywhere? Parents are always in a dilemma, from the time of complaining to the time they see justice through the court. Anytime they may stop cooperating, fearing for the future of the children. Publishing photos and details of the victims may certainly lead to such The writer is vice president, a situation. At times, sections of the media have a tendency to show the All India Democratic Women’s victim in a provocative light to make the readers conclude: “Yes, she Association, Tamil Nadu. deserves the violence”.

36 VIDURA January-March 2012 Illustration: Arun Ramkumar

There are of course guidelines petition to Press Council since policy, just like they have an from Press Council of India, but the news maligned the concept of editorial policy. They must have does anybody care? Even if one emancipation. The Council fixed self-regulation about the way in makes a complaint for violation up the hearing, you know where, which gender issues are published of the guidelines, there are still in Delhi! Will everybody have and portrayed. They need to take problems. A few years ago, a money to travel up and down initiative in promoting victim/ Tamil newspaper published a through the length and breadth witness protection measures. picture of a few women standing of the country? The organisation Along with the struggles of in a liquor shop and also a news could not go and that was the end the democratic movement, the

item linking it to a conference of the matter. positive role of the media will of a women’s organisation. The The Press Council must have go a long way in getting gender< caption read: ‘Long live women’s more teeth to take action and more justice. emancipation’. The concerned funds to help victims get justice. women’s organisation sent a Media houses must have a gender

January-March 2012 VIDURA 37 I have faith people can change things: Aruna Roy

These are busy days for Aruna Roy, founder member of the National Campaign for the People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) and the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), with the Jan Lok Pal and the need to check corruption emerging as big concerns in India. The woman, who traded a promising career in the bureaucracy for an activist’s existence in 1975, is presently intensely involved in the issue. Pamela Philipose interviewed Roy recently Pamela Philipose Q: Many see the Right to Information (RTI) movement as the mother of many new social movements we see today. A: The RTI movement was significant for many reasons. First, because it redefined the relationship between the people and the state. It established that there is a continuing engagement between the people, the government and the state, of which people and the state had two different but equally important obligations. The state had the obligation to inform the people it serves about what it is doing, why it is doing it, and how it is doing it. The people came to understand that in a democracy, governments, government policy and institutions do not run independent of them and so they have a role to educate, monitor and demand changes in policy, programmes, the day-to-day running of activities that involve – for want of a better word – ‘governance’. The RTI also established two more things: One, that social policy and social security are as important to the larger well-being of India as is growth. Second, it established that the right to information is actually a transformatory right because it translated all the rights under the Constitution into practice.

Q: But isn’t ensuring full popular participation in the true sense of the term difficult? A: There will always be questions about participation. We may never have anything like ‘full participation’ in absolute terms. But participation in various parts of the process of taking decisions and creating platforms for genuine debate to further a deeper understanding of issues should be a part of any campaign. The old argument that has often got framed The New Delhi-based writer is as a feminist versus non-feminist debate is whether the process is more director, Women’s Feature Service, important than the final outcome, or whether the final outcome is more a features agency mandated to important than the process. make visible gender in media This is a bit like the chicken-and-egg story. I feel this dialectic is very (www.wfsnews,org). important for delivering a finished product; however, you may want to Earlier, she was senior associate define it. Participation arises from the process of people getting space to editor with The Indian Express. articulate what they feel is the necessary bottom line of development, or She has been awarded the Chameli of rights, or of anything else, in a systematic and logical manner. And this Devi Jain Award for Outstanding information will ultimately be used with understanding, with knowledge, Woman Journalist and the to form instruments of governance. Zee-Asthiva Award Very simple things have come out of hours of listening to people’s for her journalism. definitions and understanding their needs during the RTI campaign.

38 VIDURA January-March 2012 First, there was the fact that you Pal will address the corruption in need information up in the public the system of governance, which domain visibly. The view that if if it functioned well, will bring it was there just implicitly was down some of the obvious aspects enough, came to be completely put of corruption. But let’s not forget aside. People wanted viewable, that when we talk of corruption transparent governance. we are also looking at huge amounts of corruption outside Q: So does this experience government today. Because of the inform your approach to the Jan kind of economic stratagems – Lok Pal Bill? thanks to the dominant economic A: My approach to a Jan Lok Pal paradigm that we have accepted – is a very organic one. Arguments much of the money and much of for a Jan Lok Pal are very simple. the decision-making has shifted Because we are trying to set up a from the government to the body to monitor and oversee the private sector. Big money and big

processes that check corruption business has come into the media, Photo: WFS and the denial of rights to it has come into corporations, it has These are busy days for former different people; this law, by its come into NGOs, and many other bureaucrat and now activist Aruna very nature, will have to address structures, including professional Roy, with the Jan Lok Pal and the need to check corruption emerging as big a large number of issues. groups like doctors and the like. concerns in India. The malaise in the system is red So you actually have to see how tape, bureaucratic corruption, the democracy can make equality and denial of equality to people outside equal access important norms for we would have been completely the system, the denial, in fact, of every Indian, no matter where he smothered. Of course, it doesn’t their right to question. Creating an or she is placed. Given that, I think, end there, because people keep edifice that is bigger than the sum the need today is for accepting getting co-opted into the power of the parts of the solutions we are and facing issues centrally and system. So the process is a cyclical trying to come up with, would not have these black-and-white – one. It could change from issue be self-defeating. One institution simplistic actually – definitions of to issue. But it is a process that to oversee all three institutions corruption. There is also the need could energise India provided it is of bureaucracy, judiciary and for the internalisation of ethics, tethered to a sense of justice and legislature would be gigantic. the internalisation of the need fairness. And being so gigantic, it will fail to share, especially among those It would disquiet me as a in the process of monitoring itself who are now madly following human being if I cannot speak out and the three others it is meant to their dream of affluence. about whatever I think is going monitor. Q: What makes you hopeful? wrong. I may not be able to do My mother, who used to be a A: If I did not have faith that anything about it, but I would student of science and was always people can change things, I would need to articulate it. I think that preoccupied until she died with pack my bags and leave. There is what keeps me going. I say physics and mathematics, would are so many beautiful examples this with a sense of humility: always tell me that if there is a of this, but they never get media Change cannot be brought about really acute problem and the attention so we don’t know about by one individual or even a set solution proposed for it is very them. The challenge is to get those of individuals. But what every complex, then it will not be a small battles won every day. And I set of individuals can contribute solution. The more simple the live in the middle of those people. is to make that little difference, solution, the more thought has When I see them full of hope, I which together with other efforts

gone into it. If you haven’t seen the have absolutely no business to can turn many wheels, so that problem in its entirety, you can't nurture feelings of hopelessness. the larger wheel will be forced

January-March 2012 VIDURA 39 Right to Education: Where is media’s proactive role?

he Right to Education legislation is a historic one in terms of making education a Fundamental Right of children. How inclusive will Tthe legislation prove to be considering the fact that there are so many categories of children who require special protection? Will ‘needy’ children be benefited in any way and will they be able to access education? Most children who are out of school are working, mainly due to poverty. The compulsion to work instead of studying is a stumbling block in the realisation of a child’s rights. Clearly, the media has a role to play in making deprived people aware about their rights Alok Srivastava A recent research study by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS Social) shows that in Delhi a large proportion of the families belonging to socio- economically poor and marginalised section of the society are unaware of the provision under the Section 12 of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which mandates reservation of 25 per cent of the entry-level seats in private schools. Low awareness about the RTE Act in Delhi despite the fact that it is not only the national capital of India but also the centre of political activity and media coverage should be of great concern for all. One can imagine the situation in other metropolitan and big cities, where population and size of urban slums that have a concentration of the socio- economically poor families is ever increasing. According to Census 2001 figures, around 15 per cent of India’s urban population lives in slums, a figure that is likely to double by 2012. The media has an important role to play in making the deprived population aware about its rights. Both print and electronic media must realise that owing to circumstances, socio-economically poor families may not be aware of education being a right, or for that matter, what a right is, or even their having any rights in the first place. It is time media played a proactive role in case of the RTE Act, to be seen in positive light and dispel criticism about pandering to commercial and sensational issues. The absence of any focus on the RTE Act in the media is not just an assumption but based on analysis of data generated by the CMS Media Lab, which shows that even during the peak school admission period/ months, news/stories related to the RTE Act was negligible in both print and electronic media. Between October 2010 and June 2011, the coverage of education, leaving aside the RTE Act for a moment, was negligible. Encouragingly, in newspapers, particularly in Hindi newspapers, during May-June, some coverage of news items to do with education on the front page (around 5 per cent) was noticeable but that had more to do with The writer is a team leader of undergraduate admission process and cut-off marks than with the RTE CMS Social - a team dedicated to Act. On TV news channels, between 7 and 11 pm, considered to be the social research at the prime time, hardly any news story/discussion/debate on the RTE Act and Centre for Media Studies (CMS), its status took place. Is it something to do with revenue prospects? The New Delhi. He has conducted premise is yet to be explored. research and assessment studies In fact, media should take up the Right to Education as a cause. If the on a wide range of development subject is kept high on its priority list, it will keep duty-bearers (officials/ issues, including child labour, schools) as well as right-holders (parents/communities) on their toes. The poverty and livelihood. media should not wait to highlight the lapses and failures of government

40 VIDURA January-March 2012 and schools in making the Act at the kindergarten level. It children, promising to return the achieve its objective, but discuss is possible that children from fees once they were reimbursed the possible loopholes and ways economically well-off families get by the government. Media must to mend it. It is possible that for in through the 25 per cent quota track such developments. many in media, making the RTE reserved for socio-economically Another aspect that needs Act a subject of discussion and poor families under the RTE Act monitoring by the media is the news might look ‘unsaleble’ or by providing fake documents. utilisation of the budget allocated. ‘non-glamorous’. But a second So, admission procedures must There are chances of duplication thought is required. As a be investigated and the media of resources, since many families responsible constituent of society, should take a lead. The CMS Social migrate from one locality to the media should not ignore study also reveals that in some another within a city. the great service it can do to the schools, school authorities, in order Unless a strong system to check

poor and the common man by to fill the seats meant for the poor duplication of resources isn’t taking up the issue of RTE. In fact, under the RTE, had forwarded developed, the resources might< education should be considered the names of already enrolled not even get used at all. the backbone of all measures taken to reduce corruption and bring more transparency and accountability in the public service delivery system. The media’s role is important caring for the aged because there are stakeholders with vested interest such as school authorities and employers of child labour who are not willing to see is still a distant dream the execution of the RTE Act in its true sense. The media should be playing the responsible role of sensitising and creating awareness in the community about the RTE Act and its provisions. Convincing parents to send children to school is no doubt a challenging task, more so if the children are from households with parents who have lower educational attainment or who Annual were working as child labourers earlier. For instance, in many poor Subscription and developing economies such as Bangladesh, where primary Rs. 180 education has been declared free and compulsory, due to financial and social pressures parents are unable to send children to school. Get to know the real face of India. Subscribe today! The country also faces the problem of dropouts as children get into the informal sector as labourers. The challenges are similar in India. Another area of concern and grassroots for media to keep track of is the money-game involved in admission process. Particularly RIND Premises Second Main Road, Taramani CPT Campus, in metropolitan and big cities, Chennai - 600 113 Ph: 044 2254 2344 Fax: 044 2254 2323 money/ donation plays a major Mobile: 98400 93131 E-Mail: [email protected] role in getting a child admission

January-March 2012 VIDURA 41 Leveraging the creative power of youth to excel

With its main newspaper edition in part-time,” Ananda added. The reportage of the Surabaya, 12 regional editions across East entire section is based on surveys and their findings. Java, Central Java, Jogjakarta and Bali, A range of topics that interest the youth are analysed and with 199 newspapers, tabloids and and the stories are based on the same. Reinvention is a prime philosophy of the magazines in its basket, Indonesia’s Jawa organisation, and its slogan ‘Selalu ada yang baru’, Pos Group is a significant media player in meaning, ‘We always have something new’, is apt. the country. But what sets it apart is not its A new section in the paper is launched every year size or range of products. It is its steadfast and it runs for a year, till another new one takes over. focus on youth, using exclusive youth It has given people something new to look forward power to run its editions. The stories are to each year, and with the sections dedicated to a all based on what interests GenNext. When particular segment of the population, readership is newspapers the world over are desperately guaranteed. For instance, editions launched with a trying to attract the young reader, Jaw Pos focus on young families, or the elderly, have been seems to have already been there, done that. popular in the region. This report by Nidhi Adlakha is based on a Another success has been Jawa Pos – for Her, a section dedicated to women. “As more than 50 per case study of the Jawa Pos Group presented cent of the population is women, we needed to create by the group’s director, Azrul Ananda, at the a shift in the thinking process and treat women WAN-IFRA 2011 Conference in Chennai as a majority, not a minority. All employees are encouraged to attend women-oriented seminars,” f there’s one thing that sets apart the Jawa Pos Ananda pointed out. Ensuring there is a picture of newspaper from most of the others in the world, it a woman, with at least one story on each page of the Iis its high degree of innovation and youth-oriented edition, is a strategy the group has adopted, and it strategy. Another significant thing is that the average has helped increase readership. employee age is only 20. Indeed, the astonishing Overall, the Jawa Pos strategy has been to ensure success of Jawa Pos has been in large measure due to that news always has a fresh and zealous appeal. its well thought-out strategy of utilising the power of “Indonesia is too large a country to have a single the youth. “We have a strong belief that new people national daily. As it comprises a number of small always bring in new ideas and we have ensured none islands, we needed a newspaper that was multi- of our chief personnel are above the age of 40. We rope lingual and reached the smallest of the islands. Thus, in young college students to run the youth edition we decided to launch regional newspapers in every and the focus lies on fresh news,” said Azrul Ananda, province in the 1980s,” said Ananda. Each regional the group’s director, himself young and dapper, edition grew significantly and had its various sub- addressing delegates at the Newsroom Summit of editions. Today, there are around 170 newspapers in the WAN IFRA 2011 Conference in Chennai. the Jawa Pos Group and 12 different regional editions According to an Enciety and Nielsen Media in the province of East Java, Central Java, Jogjakarta Research study conducted in 2010, more than 51 per and Bali, each linked to one another, as well as to the cent of Jawa Pos readers are under the age of 30. The main edition in Surabaya. first newspaper in Indonesia, perhaps even in the Thanks to its youth-oriented policy, Jawa Pos has world, to have special pages dedicated to the youth been able to maintain and increase its readership everyday, Jawa Pos launched the DetEksi section in while most other newspapers are struggling to 2000. Ever since, the three-page youth section is a survive. Nielsen Media Research has also shown daily feature. that Jawa Pos is the No. 1 newspaper in Indonesia in “The average age of the DetEksi crew is 20 years. terms of readership – over one million. From 2008 From reporters, photographers, and designers, to to 2011, Jawa Pos consistently positioned itself above finance manager and editor, the entire edition is run Kompas, published in Jakarta, in terms of readership. by youngsters, mostly college students who work Interestingly, while most media organisations are

42 VIDURA January-March 2012 Associations Special Award for Responsible Journalism in 2006

and the Best Brand – National and International Superbrands Award< in 2009.

Subscribe to Photo: Sashi Nair Azrul Ananda, director, Jawa Pos Group, displays the Jawa Pos newspaper, as his team joins him for a photo-op at the WAN-IFRA Conference. Vidura focused on leveraging the power of the newspaper structure, or the Internet and on going digital, readership patterns. We have Jawa Pos has no such plans. It structured our newspapers in a remains content in finding ever way that they cater to all sections copies new ways of engaging people of society,” Ananda said. through the medium of print, at Yet another important factor in least for the next few years. As the Jawa Pos success story has been most of the readership pans across its ‘part of the show’ philosophy many small islands in Indonesia, – constantly associating with the online medium may not be community-driven projects, effective. “Our focus on the online public events, school and college medium of news dissemination activity, government-aided is only one per cent, as our focus projects, community environment Rs 200 is on print. Youngsters are losing projects, and promoting sport. It out on the newspaper as a result has all helped create a stronger of the online news media boom,” bond with readers. said Ananda. Jawa Pos has a circulation of annually Based in Surabaya, East Java, more than 400000 copies. The Jawa Pos is one of the highest group’s bouquet includes over circulated newspapers in 199 newspapers, tabloids and (4 issues) Indonesia. Since its inception in magazines; it has also ventured 1949, it has come a long way and into the field of television reporting is the largest news publishing and runs about 20 local television network in the country today. It stations. was founded by Chung Shen in The main newspapers of 1949; after a series of setbacks he the group include Sumatera sold the paper to PT Graffiti Pers, Ekspres, Kaltim Post, Riau Pos and Rs 500 publisher of the Tempo Magazine. Cenderawasih Pos. Eric Samola, the present director With its dynamic and of PT Graffiti Pers, chose Dahlan innovative marketing style, Jawa for 3 years Iskan to run the organisation and Pos was awarded the World with Iskan at the helm, Jawa Pos Young Newspaper of the Year grew rapidly. 2011. In 2005, it was awarded the (12 issues) “The newspaper industry in first ever Cakram Newspaper of Indonesia and India is similar the Year Award. Jawa Pos received in a number of ways; be it the Indonesia Newspaper

January-March 2012 VIDURA 43 ‘Concentrate on making images that show passion’

Ross Taylor is the award-winning photojournalist of The Virginian-Pilot in Virginia, the US. His style of photography strives to reveal images which convey a lot more than words. He is currently the mentorship chairman of the National Press Photographers Association in the US. Taylor is grateful for the time he recently spent in India. He has travelled a great deal but India remains his favorite country, the one that has had the most impact on him. He says he feels continually drawn to India and will be “coming back”. “It’s a country and a people that I hold dearly with a lot of respect and admiration,” says Taylor. Here are his responses to questions posed by Sashi Nair

How important is visual imagery for a newspaper or an Internet site? I believe it’s more important than people realise. It is the entry point for the paper, or the Web site. It’s an invitation, really, to the viewer or the reader to see the content. Sadly I think many editors overlook this and just try to cram a lot of little images over the paper, thinking it will entice people. It’s much better to have one strong, dominant image that will invite people in to read the content. I can’t stress this enough: think about visuals as an invitation to content.

Do the reader’s eyes usually travel to headlines first or to pictures? It depends on the size. If the picture is really small and headline large, they will go to headline. Or switched, they will go to the photo.

Text can stand alone without pictures, but pictures can’t – they need support in the form of well-written captions. So, often, taking good pictures is not enough. Would you agree? I strongly agree with this. I advise photojournalists to gather content to provide information that not only supplements the photograph, but helps expand it. I also advise photographers to gather quotes that relate to the image. Having a quote can help bring life to the photograph.

The Virginian-Pilot, I understand, is a strong visual paper. Can you provide some background to this, as to how it came about, and whether that is its USP? It really began in the 1980s with the director of photography at the time. He championed the use of photography, and then design followed. We are lucky to work in a newspaper that values the importance of photography, as well as design. The tradition continues today and we consistently compete among Ross Taylor gets going at a workshop, silhouetted the best newspapers in the country for use of photography, against the backdrop of an eye-catching image.

44 VIDURA January-March 2012 often leading the way. This comes experiences is a desire to learn, know who you are as a person and from a strong leadership from top grow and communicate. These what you want to achieve in your down that respects imaging. trips always are difficult, and they life, Then concentrate more on are always rewarding. I feel like making the images that reflect that How does it work at the V-P? I expand as a person. If we don’t passion. Success will follow. Do reporters also take pictures take the time to show people what or are they trained to? Don’t is going on in these regions, who Your work experience before you think that if a paper has to will? joining the V-P? Would you be visually appealing you must say you still continue to learn have staff photographers with When and how did your everyday? How do you bring the requisite expertise? In other interest in photography develop? pleasure to work such as yours, words, you shouldn’t be trying to Can you explain how you which often can be gruelling? cut costs by getting the reporter nurtured it and let it blossom? I have worked at a number of to double up as photographer. A lot of people have it (various newspapers across the country. My Reporters do take photographs skills) in them but are unable to last job was at the state capital in sometimes, although usually only bring them to fruition. Connecticut, at the Hartford Courant when we can’t get a photographer I started in high school. My newspaper. I do learn something there. They are not trained per father had a darkroom and he everyday; in fact, I have a goal of se, but we do offer, if they want, introduced me to photography. spending at least 30 minutes each advice. As far as staffers go, I studied it in college at the day working to expand my skills yes, if you land a staff job at our University of North Carolina at each day, above and beyond the newspaper, you have to have Chapel Hill. It wasn’t until my normal workload. Over time, those a very strong sense of visual mid-20s though, that I decided 30 minutes add up to a substantial communication. At least for now, to become a photojournalist and amount of time. As far as pleasure cost-cutting doesn’t drive reporters make a career. And to be honest, working in situations that are hard to take images – we still value the I didn’t really get serious about it – I don’t know if there is pleasure so photographer as an integral part until my early 30s. I think I was a much as there is peace. It’s strange, of our communication to our late bloomer and my concentration but because I believe in that type readership. was in other areas before then. of work so much, I often feel much As far as nurturing it, once I was more at peace with myself working You have worked in committed to it, I learned what in these situations, then I do back Afghanistan, Iraq, countries an amazing journey this could be. home. If I’m not pushing myself ridden with civil war and strife, It was like going on a beautiful to learn, grow and communicate, and in Haiti. Can you bring to the hike. The more I walk, the more I then I’m not as at peace as I am, fore some unforgettable moments discover what I didn’t know or see let’s say, in Afghanistan. while working in these places? before. The more I walk the more And what was it that drew you to I want to learn. I also know this What memories have you those countries? field challenges me to be a better taken back from the WAN-IFRA This is difficult to answer. Only person, and am more aware of workshop in Bangalore which because each of these bring such not just my community, but of the you conducted? How did you find complications, rewards that are world. If I didn’t do this type of the sessions?s unique to themselves. I would work, I worry that my view of life The biggest is the reminder is that say though that of the three, would be much more contractive despite our differences in culture, working in the trauma hospital and self-centered. Now my focus language, etc we all have the same (in Afganistan) was by far the is outward, and less inward. dream. We want to have a purpose most intense experience. There is in life, we want to have fulfillment. no way to really convey the raw Your advice to budding It’s universal and it brings me joy intensity of working in a trauma photographers? What is it you to see this. The participants were hospital in a war zone. The images need to stand out from among very hard working and eager to and my time in the hospital still the crowd? learn. I was impressed by them stays with me, and rarely goes a Actually I think a reasonable and only wished we had more day without me thinking about camera/equipment will do. I teach time with each other. Yes, some

what happened there. One cannot the opposite. I want people to did rank high and I think if they experience this… My life is not the focus on their mind, and less on the continue to push themselves, the< same, and I am a different person equipment. Concentrate on your sky is the limit. as a result. What draws me to these purpose and your passion. Get to

January-March 2012 VIDURA 45 Dailies now need to woo GenNext

he Indian Readership opinions, and extensive matter happened in the past, maybe due Survey (IRS) 2011 Q2 relating to specific subjects on the to economic conditions or non- Tresults highlighted a trend, web, this has become a greater metro penetration of regional in most cases, that is a worrying challenge for newspapers. languages, it is not the case now. sign for publication houses – fall According to Earl J Wilkinson, In fact, regional language papers in readership. This topic has Executive director and CEO, are equally aggressive. Their been debated at most forums INMA, “The biggest difference growth is better now that English as to whether newspapers are between the Indian market newspapers, though at a lower losing relevance for the youth. leaders and newspapers abroad is level. Over the last 5-10 years, they On the flip side, the question that the Indian publishers invest have been displaying innovation is whether newspapers are in marketing and building their According to Wilkinson, marketing themselves adequately news brands. As costs come under the consistently best marketed to showcase their offerings, across tighter and tighter scrutiny, I newspapers – from brand- the board, to the new generation suggest never cutting the pipeline building to driving eyeballs and of readers. to readers. It’s not enough to sales – were The New York Times in D.D. Purkayastha, CEO, ABP produce a product and throw it on the US, Dagens Nyheter in Sweden, Group, has an interesting analysis the proverbial street. You have to South China Morning Post in Hong to share. He said, “I was trying tell people what you’re creating, Kong, and The Times of India. He to find a correlation between create it, and then tell them what added, “Statistically speaking, the newspaper readership and literate they created. We’re battling for bigger newspapers tend to have population growth. I came across attention spans, and marketing is stand-out marketing because of some interesting findings. The crucial for this.” budget. The ones that do best are readership CAGR of 10 leading Most newspapers advertise those that consistently market English dailies over the last three aggressively across the board – in their brands at a high level.” years is 2.4 per cent and the same sister publications/ TV channels, In Purkayastha’s view, for 10 leading regional dailies OOH, through partnerships with Hindustan, Lokmat, and Malayala is 2.7 per cent. Interestingly, Web sites or display ads. Bhaskar Manorama seemed to have done the literate population CAGR Das, president, The Times Group, a little better in engaging with between 2001 and 2011 is also 2.7 says, “All big newspapers, the readers. “It is not a question of per cent (Source: IRS and Census). market leaders are very active who did better amongst English This indicates that the industry – their marketing strategies are and regional newspapers. has just been keeping pace with agile, innovative, and aggressive. Reader engagement is linked to

the literate population growth. Companies that are coming out market dynamics. The marketing The industry has not taken any with quality brand promotions initiatives are more when the< significant initiatives to inform or, are the Jagran Group, Dainik competitive pressure is high.” more importantly, engage readers Bhaskar group, The Times of India, to take readership CAGR higher.” and Hindustan Times. I have seen While many newspaper Jagran ads in the Indian edition of brands take up campaigns and Harvard Business Review. However, other brand building exercises it is important that promotions are to strengthen their position, not done in a sustained manner.” many are actually taking their Another commonly held product to the youth or looking for view is that English newspapers ways to customise it to capture the are more aggressive in their attention of the new generation. marketing initiatives than regional With the easy availability of news, publications. “Even if this has

46 VIDURA January-March 2012 Remembering james augustus hicky

First journalist in India who fought for freedom of expression

consider the liberty of the European newspapers that reached for its reporting press to be essential to the Indian shores after a time lag of and comments “Ivery existence of every man a few months, letters from local on the private and a free government,” said James readers, items of gossip and lives. The Augustus Hicky, who started the scandals of interest to the European g o v e r n o r first newspaper in India, the Bengal community. Hicky had a column to general then Gazette, on January 29, 1780. himself to talk to his readers directly. had recourse More than two centuries ago, Exposure of private lives of East to law and 231 years to be exact, it was indeed India Company servants, including issued an order a historic day in the history of Indian Governor General Warren Hastings depriving the journalism. However, before James and his wife and chief justice of privilege of James Augustus Hicky. Augustus Hicky launched his two- the Supreme Court, Elizah Impey, circulating the sheet weekly, the Bengal Gazette articles on London fashion and newspaper through the General or Calcutta General Advertiser, advertisements regarding auctions Post Office. The allegation being William Bolts, a censured employee were accommodated in the paper that the Bengal Gazette has been of the East India Company made an to hold a mirror to the life of the found “to contain several improper attempt to expose the differences then European community in Calcutta. paragraphs tending to vilify private existing between two rival groups in The Gazette exposed unlawful characters and to disturb the peace the company. In September, 1766, methods of accumulation of wealth of the settlement”. This was perhaps he affixed a notice to the door of the by the company traders. the first attack on the freedom of Council House in Calcutta, stating, Hicky was the first fighter for the press in India. Determined to “Bolts is ready to give information to freedom of speech and expression. punish Hicky, suit after suit was filed the public in manuscript at his house The Bengal Gazette had a thrilling to gag and close his paper. Hicky’s which most intimately concerns experience despite the fact that fortunes began to decline when a every individual. One can read or it lived a short life of two years. rival paper India Gazette appeared take copies of the manuscript.” The The paper’s greatness lay in its in the same year with four pages. notice caused great commotion in undaunted and valiant fight for What aggravated his feelings was official circles and Bolts was directed liberty of the press. To support this the grant of postal facilities to his to quit Bengal and leave for Europe. view, Hicky announced his motives rival. Thus, Bolts’ attempt to bring out a as: “I have no particular passion for Antagonists of Hicky who had newspaper was put down. the printing of newspapers, I have made up their mind to bring about Hicky launched the Bengal no propensity, I was not bred to a the closure of the Bengal Gazette Gazette against all odds; the East slavish life of hard work, yet I take succeeded in procuring an order India Company was not favorably pleasure in enslaving my body in for the seizure of his press. The disposed towards the press and order to purchase freedom for my types along with the printing plant for its criticism. Hicky’s declared mind and soul.” That was the spirit were seized in March 1782, editorial policy of his gazette was with which Hicky ran his journal. which marked the premature and “a weekly political and commercial Even after 231 years of Indian unceremonious death of India’s first open to all but influenced by none”. journalism, the media in India is regular newspaper. The publication was also called still fighting against restrictions the Hicky’s Gazette because he was government threatens to impose, as all-in-one: founder, editor, reporter, well as attacks on journalists. It was printer, publisher and promoter. James Augustus Hicky, India’s first The newspaper soon became very journalist, who founded the fighting popular not only among the British tradition. C. V. Narasimha Reddi residents in India at the time, but also The Bengal Gazette incurred (The writer is editor, inspired Indians to start newspapers the displeasure of the East India Public Relations Voice, and of their own. Company, which was totally opposed former director, Department of The Bengal Gazette contents to a free press. The paper was Information and Public Relations, included items culled from old described as “witty and scurrilous” Government of Andhra Pradesh.)

January-March 2012 VIDURA 47 When Calcutta was the cradle of journalism

engal, especially Calcutta that is Kolkata, was the cradle of journalism in India. The first newspaper in India, Hickey’s Bengal Gazette was Bpublished in Calcutta in 1780. So were the first four non-English newspapers – in Bengali, Urdu, Hindi and Persian. Several language newspapers owe their birth to Calcutta in some form or the other; for example, the Oriya types were manufactured in Serampore, a Calcutta suburb. The Christian missionaries from the Serampore Mission in Bengal went to Assam and brought out the first Assamese monthly magazine. The year 1818 marks the beginning of Bengali journalism. Samachar Mrinal Chatterjee Darpan was the first newspaper in the Bengali language. It was published by the Serampore Mission press on May 23, 1818. Started by missionaries Carey and Marshman, it began as a monthly, but soon converted into a weekly. It carried both Indian and foreign news. It became bilingual in 1829, carrying Bengali and English news in parallel columns. After surviving a number of crises, it closed down in 1852. Digdarshan was also published in 1818. In 1821 a remarkable Bengali journal, Sambad Kaumadi, was published under the patronage of Raja Rammohan Roy. But it did not survive for long. However, Roy had a profound influence on the social reform agenda pursued by the progressive intellectuals and journalists across the country. He encouraged the publication of several journals and papers. Sambad Pravakar was the first Bengali daily newspaper published in 1839, patronised by Iswar Chandra Gupta. It was followed by Tattobodhini, published by Akhya Kumar Dutta in 1843. The other Bengali journals during the time were Samachar Chandrika, Bangadoot, Sambad Pravakar, Vividhartha Sangrah (1851), Masik Patra (1854), and Som Prakash (1851). The first weekly within the territory of today’s Bangladesh, Rangpur Bartabaha, was published in 1847 from Rangpur and the first weekly from Dhaka, Dacca News, was published in 1856. The long lasting Dhaka Prakash was first published in 1861 and Dhaka Darpan in 1863. The early Bengali papers took up the cause of the oppressed workers in the indigo plantation, and of the peasants. Notable among them were the Som Prakash, Grambartha Prakashika and the Amrita Bazar Patrika (before it became an English weekly). They created problems for the government with the exposure of exploitation of labour in plantations and on the fields, and violent denunciation of the European planters and the government. In the course of the campaign, a number of newspapers were started in The author is a journalist-turned- villages and districts. The press and machinery used to print them were media academician, presently working of the crudest type and the publisher and editor conducted operations as head of the Eastern India campus almost as family business. However, despite the questionable quality of the of the Indian Institute of Mass newspapers in terms of content, style and presentation, it did achieve one Communication (IIMC), located in remarkable feat: establish the credential of the newspaper as a powerful Dhenkanal, Orissa. Besides teaching force. Most newspapers actively sought social, cultural and religious communication, he also writes reform. However, there were some who opposed the reforms, resulting columns and fiction. This article forms in a social churning – the hallmark of any renaissance. Bengali journalism part of a series on the history of triggered and carried the message of renaissance. The Bramho Samaj1 , a regional language journalism in India. socio-religious sect effected reforms and used newspapers as its vehicle.

48 VIDURA January-March 2012 Prarthana Samaj in Maharastra by Krishna Kamal Bhattacharya. and Arya Samaj2 in Northern and Surendranath Banerejee Western India did the same later. published Bengalee. The editor of Besides trying to effect social Bengalee faced contempt of court and religious reform, the Bengali proceedings and imprisonment press was also a terror to the when it voiced public indignation British administration and all in 1883 against a High Court the drastic press laws were judge who ordered Hindu idols to particularly aimed against it. It be produced in court as evidence. had powerful editors and writers The paper which became a daily in who reached out to the masses in 1900 was the first language paper distant villages, with the clarion to subscribe to Reuter’s foreign The front page of an issue call to fight against injustice, racial news service. of Samachar Darpan. prejudice and maladministration. An associate of the Bengalee The Bengali Press suffered the was the Nayak (1908), published most in the reprisals launched by by Panch Cowrie Bannerjee. Sandhya, Nagasakhti and Yugantar. the government after the mutiny Through Bande Mataram, Yugantar, founded in 1906 by in 1857. another important newspaper Barendra Kumar Ghose, brother The close of the 19th century of the period, Aurobindo Ghose of Aurobindo, achieved great saw some remarkable newspapers proclaimed his philosophy and the popularity. coming out from Bengal. The “new path” which meant passive In 1922 arrived Ananda Bazar Sulava Samachar of the Indian resistance as an instrument of Patrika, started by Mrinal Kanti Reform Association was started political action. In fact, several Ghosh, Prafulla Kumar Sarkar in 1870 by Keshab Chandra Sen. It Bengali papers were the earliest and Suresh Chandra Majumdar. was a weekly, priced one pice per to demand self-government and Together with its English copy. It had a circulation of 3500 assail the Moderate leaders of counterpart, Hindustan Standard copies and was the most popular the nationalist movement with (1937), it played a glorious role weekly of the period. Another timidity and lack of courage to in the freedom movement. After journal which was also popular demand what was the birthright Gandhi took over the leadership was the Haishakar Patrika edited of Indians. The division of Bengal of the national movement, Bengalee by Babu Kisari Mohan Ganguli. in 1905 had a profound impact and Nayak, which were the organs The first newspaper to espouse on the Bengali press, which not of the Moderates, lost ground the cause of the working class, only opposed it along with most rapidly despite official support Bharat Sharmajibi, was started as of the nationalist press in other because of the tremendous a weekly at about the same time. languages all over the country, pressure exerted by C. R. Das who The first Bengali daily to adopt but became severely critical of was the undisputed Congress modern methods of production the British government, at times leader in Bengal. In 1926, a weekly, was the Basumati (1880), edited going overboard. Although due to Atmasakti, and in 1927, a daily, vociferous protests the two parts Banglar Katha, was published of Bengal were reunited in 1911, as associate publications of the English daily, Forward. However, 1. history could not be remade. The phrase Brahmo Samaj literally all three ceased publication in means the society of the worshippers A new partition which divided of the One True God. The movement the province on linguistic, 1929. The three newspapers was started by Raja Rammohun rather than religious, grounds reappeared in different names: Roy and his friends in January 1830. followed, with the Hindi, Oriya Liberty, Bangabani and Nabasakti, Among the notable persons who But they could not survive for championed the doctrine were Ram and Assamese areas separated Chandra Vidyavagis, Devendranath to form separate administrative long. Tagore, Dwarikanath Tagore, units. The administrative capital Another daily Jugantar was Kesab Chandra Sen. http://www. of British India was moved from started in 1937 by the management thebrahmosamaj.net/history/history. Calcutta to New Delhi as well. of the Amrita Bazar Patrika. Two html more dailies were published in 2. Swami Dayanand (1824-1883) All of it made the Bengali press founded Arya Samaj on 10 April, extremely critical of the British 1939: Bharat, founded by Makhan 1875. Influenced by the socio- Government and a section of the Lal Sen, and Krishak, the organ religious reform agenda of the press suggested armed revolution. of the Krishak Praja Party. In Bramho Samaj, he tried to effect 1941, A.K. Fazlul Huq started the social reform and had considerable Three papers which came on impact in the entire Northern and the scene after the partition as publication of the daily, Navajug. Western India. champions of revolution were In 1946, the official organ of

January-March 2012 VIDURA 49 the Communist Party of India, Swadhinata, was published. In the same year, Swaraj was published with Satyendra Nath Mazumdar as editor. Bengali papers suffered after Partition in 1947 because they lost a good slice of readers to the new East Pakistan, which in 1971 became an independent country, Bangladesh. Notable newspapers started in the first two decades after Indian Independence Screen shots of the Bengal Gazette (above) and Ananda Bazar Patrika legends (below). included Loksevak (1948) and Jansevak owned by Congress leader Atulay Ghosh. Among the doyen of Bengali journalism, clubs. Then, by an agreement radio stations such as Big FM, Red mention must be made of Chapala of 1926, the private Indian FM, Friends FM, Fever FM, Radio Kanta Bhattacharya, who was the Broadcasting Company (IBC) was Meow, Amar FM, Power FM, Nine editor of Ananda Bazar Patrika granted permission to operate two 91.9 FM, High 92.7 FM and Radio and president of the All-India radio stations; the Bombay station Misty. There were campus radios Newspaper Editors Conference, was inaugurated on 23 July 1927, like Radio SRFTI (Satyajit Ray and Hemandra Prasad Ghosh, the Calcutta station followed on Film and TV Institute) and Radio who started Basumati in 1914. 26 August the same year. The JU (School of Media, Jadavpur Hemendra Prasad Ghosh was a first news bulletin in the country University, Kolkata). member of the editors’ delegation went on air from the Bombay Television: Calcutta had its which visited the war front in station on July 23. On August 26, first television station (named 1918. He had the distinction of another bulletin in Bengali was Doordarshan) in 1975. In June, being a pioneer in establishing started from the Calcutta station. 1984, Calcutta Doordarshan an exclusive news service for his Until 1935, two bulletins, one entered the world of colour paper. Vivekananada Mukherjee each in English and Hindustani, transmission. By mid-2011, was one of the greatest newspaper were broadcast from Bombay, there were about 15 satellite editors of Bengal. Under him, and a bulletin in Bengali was television channels airing Bengali Jugantar scaled great heights. broadcast from Calcutta. IBC went news programmes, including In 1984, there were 1662 Bengali into liquidation in March, 1930 Doordarshan, ETV (Bangla), newspapers as against 1583 in following which broadcasting Channel 10 , Star Ananda , News 1983. Of them, 52 were dailies and came under the direct control of the Time, Kolkata TV , Tara Newz , 433 weeklies. By 2007-8, the total Government of India. The service 24 Ghanta , Mahuaa Khobor , Ne number of newspapers grew to was designated as the Indian Bangla, CTVN Plus , R Plus , etc. 3244, according to the Registrar State Broadcasting Service. It was New Media: Bengali Journalism of Newspapers in India (RNI), of renamed All India Radio (AIR) on took to new media in a big way by which 125 were dailies and 707 June 8, 1936. When India became the late 1990s. By mid-2011, almost weeklies. The Indian Readership independent in 1947 the AIR major newspapers had their Survey Q2 for 2011 reveal that network had only six stations (in presence in the cyber world with the five most read Bengali Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, several having e-paper versions. newspapers are: Anand Bazar Lucknow, and Tiruchi). By mid There were numerous Bengal Patrika (readership: 59.92 lakh), -2011, West Bengal had about 15 and Bengali diaspora-centric Web Bartaman (29.63 lakh), Sangbad AIR stations and several private sites. Several media houses have Pratidin (9.58 lakh), Ganashakti started disseminating news on

(7.9 lakh) and Aajkal (6.28 lakh) the mobile platform as either a Radio: Calcutta was the second separate service on payment or as< place in India to have a radio an add-on to an existing service. station after Bombay. Broadcasting started in India in June 1923 with programmes by the Radio Club of Bombay, followed by other radio

50 VIDURA January-March 2012

The rhythm of headlines

hether it be news or feature headlines, though one is usually factual and the other often figurative, all headlines without Wexception have more to do with verse than with prose. Every headline is a poetic line. A badly scripted headline is prosaic, but an effective headline is rhythmic. Many of the headlines that we readin newspapers allude to book or film titles and play with proverbial quotes or idiomatic expressions. Here are just three imaginary examples, with the allusions in brackets: 1. Murder on the Pandyan Express (Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nirmaldasan Orient Express) 2. To err is humour (Alexander Pope’s ‘To err is human …’) 3. A tale of two children (Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities) To grasp the rhythm of the above headlines, we need to look at the three elements of the poetic line: syllable, stress and foot. Syllable Though children are taught how to count syllables in school, they soon forget because they haven’t been told that pronouncing words is as important as getting the spelling right. Teachers themselves need to understand that it is the syllable that determines the subtle rhythm of English prose. Each word consists of one or more syllables. According to the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (8th edition), a syllable is ‘any of the units into which a word is divided, containing a vowel sound and usually one or more consonants’. In determining the number of syllables, we always go by the ear and not the eye. For example, the word ‘rhythm’ has no vowel letter but has one vowel sound; ‘soar’ has two vowel letters but only one vowel sound; and ‘beauteous’ has six vowel letters but only two vowel sounds. Based on the number of vowel sounds, words may be monosyllabic or disyllabic or polysyllabic. By using contractions, the number of syllables may be reduced or increased for the sake of rhythm. The disyllabic phrase is not can be reduced to the monosyllabic isn’t. By the same token, the monosyllabic I’ve can be increased to the disyllabic I have. Let us return to the imaginary headlines to do a syllable count: 1. Mur/der/ on/ the/ Pand/yan/ Ex/press (eight) 2. To/ err/ is/ hu/mour (five) 3. A/ tale/ of / two/ chil/dren (six) Stress Syllables combine to form words, phrases and clauses. In the process, some syllables acquire conventional emphasis called stress. Those syllables that are uttered lightly without stress are called slack syllables. The alternation of some stresses and some slacks creates rhythm. Prefixes Nirmaldasan is the pen name of and suffixes usually are slack. So are the articles ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’. Words N. Watson Solomon, an independent that end in –ion such as ‘derivation’, ‘duplication’ and ‘faction’ take the communication consultant. stress on the penultimate syllable set in bold type. Some words have their He is the creator of a readability conventional stress on the syllable preceding certain suffixes. Examples: formula called the Strain Index. diabolic, inimical, precious, initially, enmity. He blogs at Readability Monitor, Sometimes, a shift in the stress can alter meaning. In ‘Stress, Intelligibility is founder-editor of the Journalism and the English Language’ (Eclectic Representations, May 2011), Franklin Online newsletter and secretary, Daniel writes: “Great care should be taken to pay particular attention to Indian Online Media Forum, Chennai. the role of variation of quality in those words which are distinguished

52 VIDURA January-March 2012 from others by a shift of accent i.e. disyllabic foot: tatum or tumta recurring pattern. For the last time, in the verb and noun/ adjective or tata or tumtum. And here are let us go back to the imaginary function. the basic patterns of the trisyllabic headlines: For example, the words ‘desert’, foot: tatatum or tatumta or 1. Murder / on the / Pandyan / ‘conduct’, ‘convict’, and ‘object’ tumtata or tumtatum or tatata or Express (falling rhythm) should be stressed on the first tumtumtum. Any pattern may be (tumta / tumta / tumta / syllables if they are used as nouns accepted if it sounds rhythmic to tumta) or adjectives and stressed on their the headline writer’s ear. 2. To err / is humour (rising and second syllables if they are used The distribution of stresses rocking rhythm) as verbs.” and slacks creates rising rhythm (tatum / tatumta) Now we may code the two (tatum or tatatum) and falling 3. A tale / of two / children types of syllable as ‘ta’ for slack rhythm (tumta or tumtata). It is (rising and rocking rhythm) and ‘tum’ for stress. Time to return also possible to think of a rising- (or) A tale / of two chil/dren again to our imaginary headlines falling combination called rocking (rising and rocking rhythm) to look at stress: rhythm (tatumta or tumtatum). (tatum tatum tata (or) tatum 1. Murder on the Pandyan The four traditional patterns of tatatumta) a poetic line are the following: Express Final tip (tumta tum ta tumta tumta) Iambic: tatum tatum tatum tatum … (rising) Headline writers need to read a 2. To err is humour lot of verse and make it a habit to (ta tum ta tumta) Trochaic: tumta tumta tumta tumta … (falling) hum any of the several tunes such 3. A tale of two children (or) A as the famous Britannia Marie tale of two children Anapaestic: tatatum tatatum tatatum tatatum … (galloping) jingle ‘tumtatatum’ before they (ta tum ta tum tata (or) ta tum match sound and sense in their ta ta tumta) Dactylic: tumtata tumtata tumtata tumtata … (marching) rhythmic headlines. Foot Rhythm doesn’t respect word Remember, it is mainly the A headline may be divided into boundaries. A foot may consist rhythm that makes a headline

feet just like a poetic line. Each foot of syllables from many words. So persuasive and memorable. The usually has two or three syllables. when a headline is divided into Rhythm of Headlines — tatum< Here are the basic patterns of the feet, one must try to look for a tatumta!

Digital media experts share ideas in Hong Kong

More than 300 publishers from 30 countries gathered at Digital Media Asia, a three-day examination of online, mobile, tablet and social media in Hong Kong, an event organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). The focus was on how to profit from good content. Digital news delivery is developing rapidly, but revenues are not keeping pace. Some interesting thoughts: More people are accessing Web sites via mobile than ever before, so redirecting them to mobile-optimised sites is essential. Visitors won't stick around if they don’t like the experience, that will have an impact on revenues – advertisers are interested not only in unique visits and impressions but also on the time visitors spend on sites. Mobile-optimised sites retain traffic and encourage more page views per visit. When it comes to paid-for apps, user feedback and focus group discussions are necessary to find the optimum price to get maximum revenue. Those who rely on apps are ‘power news’ customers who know value and will pay for it. Those who believe people won't pay for news need to look at Aftonbladet in Sweden, which attracts half of the Swedish Internet population and gets nearly half of its advertising reverences from digital media. It is reckoned that online journalism is crucial to boost revenues – but it has to be ‘fast-live’ that reflects what people are really talking about. And the delivery must include social and interactive qualities, deeper content through multimedia and interactivity and constant innovation. If you want to get the most out of your digital platforms, engage the youngest people in your company in your digital strategy. The Straits Times' ‘Wakalabs’ does just that – it is a platform that engages, on a voluntary basis, the youth of New Straits Times and fosters ideas and innovation for products and services targeted at the youth audience. The company's Hackweekend saw 60 young people stay in the office for 30 hours to build 13 new apps.

January-March 2012 VIDURA 53 Book Review

People need freedom to express themselves

to the democratisation of communication. He seeks to establish the need to negotiate these rights based on specific backgrounds. “Communication rights need to evolve from context. That context in India as elsewhere is incredibly varied,” he says. The book focuses on the need for CR to be viewed as a framework within which specific communication deficits are highlighted and addressed with a view to resolution. Having said that, it needs also to be said that the premise isn’t set out as clearly for the lay reader as it should have been. The understanding is hard won. The book is divided into two sections – theory and case studies – with the accent on India. In the first section, Thomas deals with the history and philosophy behind CR, and endeavours to clarify concepts and themes and explain the strengths and limitations of CR. He shows how history teaches that communication is an essential aspect of being human, and draws the inference that it is therefore a human right. The MacBride Commission and UNESCO’s espousal of CR are among the aspects he refers to. Social movements and CR movements like the Right to Information (RTI) Act in India are also discussed, as well as the history of CR in the Information Society Campaign. In dealing with the philosophy underpinning NEGOTIATING COMMUNICATION CR, the author begins with the contributions of RIGHTS European theorists of dialogue such as Buber and Habermas, and goes on to discuss the ideas of the Case Studies from India Brazilian pedagogue Paulo Freire as well as Indian Author: Pradip Ninan Thomas philosophers and theorists including Mahatma Publisher: Sage Publications Gandhi. He also explores the praxis (process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practised, Pages: 252 embodied, or realised) of language and explores Price: Rs 695 protonorms (first principles) of communication rights in the Indian context. Protonorms include self- respect – which also means recognising the worth of others and their contribution to shaping who Negotiating Communication Rights by Pradip you are. Caste, Distributive Justice, communication Ninan Thomas is a timely publication, given the issues facing displaced persons and protests furore over Wikileaks and other exposés that have movements like the Narmada Bachao Andolan all held public attention of late. find mention in this part of the book as contributing Put simply, the right to communicate, as to the theory of CR. envisaged by the author, recognises that people Pursuing the India angle, Thomas discusses how ought to not only have the freedom to express to understand local communication deficits and themselves but also have access to channels of people’s needs and evolve protonorms for CR based communication. Thomas defines Communication on dialogue with living cultures and traditions in Rights (CR) as a corpus of rights that are integral the country. He tries to bring home the need for

54 VIDURA January-March 2012 a theory that takes into account the existence of communities to audit what is known in Tamil as multiple CR struggles in India, aimed at a variety of poromboke (common) land with Global Positioning levels, and also the need for cultivation of capacities Systems (GPS) devices and their right to use FOSS in communication/information management at local (Free and Open Source Software) in extending levels. Such a theory should lead to the facilitation livelihood capacities across multiple domains.” of communication and the provision of information At the heart of the case study on FOSS is his infrastructure necessary for organic growth of contention that from a CR perspective, the success exchange of capacities related to local development, of FOSS will be measured by the extent to which he argues. He also seeks to establish the need for a FOSS-based applications make a difference in CR formula to explore the multiple flows between people’s lives, especially those who face issues theory and practice. related to marginalisation and discrimination. Contextual examples unique to India that Dealing with the Citizens’ Journalism Movement, are discussed in the book include the Chennai he describes it as the common man’s forum for Sangamam – an extravaganza of rural, ethnic debating issues. Community Journalism can play an Tamil art forms which, through an annual display, important role in extending access, validating voice are being gradually pulled back from the verge of and reinforcing communication rights, he says, but extinction, the BT Brinjal issue and the Maoists’ adds that government regulations once again play a struggle, the latter two going to show how efforts restrictive role. to muzzle the flow of information can be viewed as The thrust of the work can be summarised in the violative of CR. Each case study of Indian situations following words of the author: “What I am trying seeks to establish different facets of CR. In tracing to say is that the CR initiatives need to be grounded the history and progress of the RTI movement in in and evolve from real contexts where people are India, Thomas aims to prove that communication of faced by communication deficits… Finally, the information leads to better governance. He uses the success of the CR movement in India will be based Community Radio movement to demonstrate the on the extent to which it is articulated as a need by existence of problems with negotiating CR. its people. There simply have to be opportunities Community radios are channels for information for people to create communication environments and also for connectivity. Policy guidelines for of their choice.” Negotiating Communication Rights, setting up radio stations in India are unclear, and which will be of interest to all those concerned there’s a “complicated, inherently corruptible with the freedom of expression and its many process of licensing”, for instance. Frequency ramifications, is a scholarly, well-researched work. allocation, ownership and content and also the However, it would benefit from a more diligent role of religion are problem areas. Thomas says proof-reading exercise. government is seriously committed to privatisation of radio rather than its socialisation, despite its Susan Philip vast potential for the underclass, as demonstrated by Gurgaon ki Awaz, a radio station catering to (The reviewer, formerly at the desk with the Press Trust construction workers, migrants and the poor in the of India, is now a freelance writer and editor.) area, and Radio Sangam DDS, owned, operated and managed by Dalit women. In the case study on Women and Media Movement, Thomas shows how information is crucial to women’s rights. The under-representation of women and women’s issues in media is a compromising of CR. Some women and media networks try to negotiate CR, with a view not only to creating awareness and fighting back, but also to reclaiming space for women in the commons – pubs, streets and parks – during both day and night. In trying to establish a connection between communication channels and governance/rights, Thomas says, “we need to think of the informational and physical commons in complementary terms rather than in terms of their separateness, of the relationships between the social, the symbolic and the informational based on a grounded political economy. That relationship between the two commons can be expressed in the right of local

January-March 2012 VIDURA 55 C- SCAPE Conquer the Forces Changing Business Today Author: Larry Kramer Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: 240 Price: Rs 355

The book centres on the convergence of media as a result of new strides made in technology and deals with how consumers and businesses adapt technologies to meet their evolving needs. To select from the many choices that are available they need to think anew and the book serves as a guide for future action. There is not one changing factor but four, which are interlinked and influencing one another in an ongoing, self-reflexive process and the author uses the analogy of driving a car to explain it. The idea to write the book came from his own experience when he had started a job as the first president of digital media for CBS, and he was suggests a few ways to remedy the situation and sitting in the front row at the CBS affiliates meeting aptly quotes Clay Shirky in this context: “We don’t in Las Vegas. While he was watching pilots of new need newspapers. We need journalism.” Similarly CBS shows on a huge screen along with hundreds we find a few suggestions to manage information of station owners from around the country, he and social overload where wise businessmen offer received a news alert on his mobile phone and he themselves as curators, providing valuable guidance was able to spring into action, all due to the facility to consumers. This is the era of convergence, which new technology provided. has come to stay with consumers converging with The four factors according to the author that producers in creating the content they want and the would shape our future are: traditional and modern co existing. 1. Consumers choose what, how, and when they In Part Two, we see advertising undergoing a major consume change, almost becoming redundant in its earlier 2. Content becomes king form. It takes the form of ‘content’ and converges 3. Curation cures information overload with entertainment, with news and information. 4. Convergence revolutionises every form of However, public relations continues to thrive or communication survive as the deliverer of the message. In the digital All the above are covered in four parts with a world, customer service replaces sales and the future few examples of established companies thrown in, is ‘concierge’ marketing and Amazon.com and other some of them making a paradigm shift according to online superstores are examples of the success of the the changing trends and benefiting in the process. concept. Part One begins with a tricky question asked by Part Three talks of what happens to products. the author’s friend: “If you strap an engine on a Here, the focus shifts to the consumer’s experience horse, do you have a car?”, indicating to the reader and his satisfaction with the products and gaining his the obvious answer which sets the tone to the four loyalty, which is a real challenge to the manufacturer. factors that shape the C—SCAPE, which Larry The final part and the most vital part of any business calls the world around us. He goes on to discusses is what happens as a consequence of the paradigm each one step by step tracing the time the changes shift? Some of the suggestions made and discussed began to take place. For instance, a shift in power threadbare are: concierge pricing, the power of to the consumer began not in the 1990s with the the subscription model, and diversifying revenue widespread use of the personal computer or the streams. The author says everyone connected to your Internet, but in 1950 with the introduction of a game- business is your ‘consumer’ and there should be changing technology, one that would revolutionise ‘convergent entrepreneurship’, blending traditional how every business was conducted and touch all corporate approaches with entrepreneurship even our lives – the remote control. In the business of after businesses are established and thriving. news, the culprit of killing newspapers wasn’t just Though the analogy of driving a car is used to Google, but Craigslist too had contributed to it. He explain the four interlinking factors to navigate

56 VIDURA January-March 2012 through the change which is a running thread in the book, I agree with what he writes in the introduction: “But this trip is going to be longer, more perilous, and more surprising than any quick spin down the highway. What will it be like? It will resemble one of the great ocean voyages of discovery in the age of exploration, when captains and crew didn’t know where they were going or what they would find when they got there.” It may take several decades for Indian businessmen to adapt the change, however attractive Larry Kramer makes it sound.

N. Meera Raghavendra Rao

(The reviewer is a freelance writer and author based in Chennai.)

BLUR How to Know What’s True in the Age of Kovach and Rosentiel wonder whether media Information Overload outlets have “already decided for us” and they are convinced that “we have already moved from Author: Bill Kovach/Tom Rosenstiel the age of information to the age of affirmation”. Publisher: Bloomsbury Although old brands of journalism and the old Pages: 237 journalistic norms they represent dominate the new information eco-system, old journalism’s problems Price: $26 have much more to do with a loss of revenue due to technology than loss of audience, they point out. Though the title is somewhat enigmatic, it’s a The onus is on readers to find out whether a news wonderful read. The authors try to grapple with story is complete, by tracking the news source, what leave many people (including journalists) deciding whether what they are getting is enough, confused, what newspaper establishments have and whether the news they get is useful at all. So, been confronting now for almost two decades: readers have become their “own journalists”, with issues such as content, utility, relevance, and the no gatekeeper or editor around. In the 21st Century, very survival of the daily newspaper in an abundant Next Journalism will be all about verification, and media environment. Is the daily newspaper losing of assertion, of affirmation, and of aggregation. relevance in today’s world? It was probably this The authors stress that “journalism must shift from question that prompted the authors to come up being a product to being a service that can answer with such a book. audiences’ questions, offer resources, provide tools, So, in an age of information overload, Kovach and become a public dialogue… in future the press and Rosentiel, reflect and come to terms with will derive its integrity from what kind of content it reality, a reality which “is simply a matter of delivers and the quality of its engagement, not from belief, not anything objective or verified”. It’s hard its exclusive role as a sole information provider or to imagine the kind of “orderly or homogenous intermediary between newsmakers and the public.” process of information” we have available at our The book inspires fresh thinking in today’s and the fingertips. Such a deluge of information as never next generation of journalists, about their role and seen before places all of us in a quandary. “How functions in the brave new world of new media. It will we understand even day-to-day events that will be useful to journalism students, teachers, and play out more incrementally? How will we decide even editors. what information to believe and what sources to trust? And, what, increasingly, will be the role of M.R. Dua the old press? In other words, what’s the future of truth, and how as citizens are we to discuss it? And, (The reviewer is a professor and whether truth matters any more?” These are some former head of the Journalism Department at the pertinent questions the authors throw up. Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.)

January-March 2012 VIDURA 57 Sensitising journalists to issues concerning children

Madhyamam, Siraj Daily, Kerala Kaumudi, Janmabhumi, Chandrika, The Hindu, Metro Vaartha and Sudhinam. At all the workshops, V. Murali, director, Press Institute of India, made the point that the rights of children were guaranteed by the UN Convention and India was a signatory to it. “It is really sad that the rights of children are being deliberately violated everyday. Some get noticed by the media and many violations silently die down. The rights of children and issues concerning them are not directly linked to the sale of newspapers and, therefore, it is felt that journalists must be sensitised to issues such as child rights, protection of children and child abuse,” Murali said. He urged journalists to play a “positive, Participants in Thiruvananthapuram listen in rapt attention to the speaker. constructive and significant” role through newspapers in caring for and nurturing boys and girls, below five n partnership with UNICEF, Tamil Nadu and years, and giving children a good start early on. “The Kerala, the Press Institute of India has been strongest foundation in the form of primary education conducting workshops to sensitise journalists is the only way to make children grow up to become I better citizens of our country. Only the media can play to issues concerning children. The subject is part of UNICEF’s Millennium Development Goals. Several this role forcefully, successfully and with passion, so senior journalists as well as young reporters have that the message reaches mothers, the society at large attended the workshops and benefited from the and the powers that be, thereby creating necessary presentations made by UNICEF staff and guest awareness,” he added. speakers, and the subsequent discussions. Murali; Satish Kumar, chief of the UNICEF Office, The series of workshops started with the one Tamil Nadu & Kerala; V. Jayshankar, UNICEF; in Chennai held in March last year, followed and other senior UNICEF staff were present at the by ones in Kochi and Madurai. Thereafter, workshops, which proved to be an excellent forum for workshops were conducted in Kozhikode, Salem, exchange of ideas. N. Subramanian, manager, Press Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam and Coimbatore. Institute of India, helped in the arrangements at all the At some of the programmes, the Press Institute of workshops. India and UNICEF also organised meetings with editors and chief of bureaus of various newspapers and periodicals. A request was made to the editors to devote space in their newspapers at least once in a week to news related to the issues concerning children. Senior editors and reporters also shared their views. For example, in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, C. Gouridasan Nair, senior special correspondent, The Hindu, addressed journalists. In Coimbatore, D. Suresh Kumar, deputy resident editor, The New Indian Express, and Pradeep Damodaran, city editor, Deccan Chronicle, spoke about coverage of issues concerning children. The response from news publishing houses was excellent. For instance, in Kozhikode, there were journalists from Mathrubhumi, Malayala Manorama, A participant expresses a point of view at the Coimbatore Varthamanam, Deshabhimani, The New Indian Express, worhshop. At extreme right is V. Murali, director, PII-RIND.

58 VIDURA January-March 2012 World press condemns threats and corruption have put journalists in the line of fire. against Pak journalists The 2011 death toll, released after an investigation The World Association of Newspapers and News into all potential media murders, compares with 66 Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors killed in 2010, 99 killed in 2009, 70 killed in 2008, 95 Forum have expressed deep concern about growing killed in 2007 and 110 killed in 2006. Though many threats against journalists in Pakistan and called on journalists are killed covering war and conflict, President Asif Ali Zardari to ensure their protection. they’re also targeted and murdered in many ”State agencies have a duty to protect, not countries for investigating organised crime, drug intimidate, journalists,” the global press trafficking, corruption and other crimes. They are organisations said in a letter to the president. “The often killed with impunity, with nobody brought to threat of violence has created a climate of fear justice for the murders in the majority of cases. among journalists that promotes self-censorship.” “When journalists are attacked and killed merely Prominent Pakistani editor and TV presenter, for doing their jobs, the entire society suffers,” Najam Sethi, the laureate of the 2009 WAN-IFRA said Christoph Riess, CEO of WAN-IFRA. “The Golden Pen of Freedom, was threatened after he right of all citizens to the free flow of information raised questions about the military’s role in politics. is diminished by these acts. These murders must Sethi, editor-in-chief of The Friday Times, said on his be prosecuted thoroughly and the perpetrators Geo News TV show that he had received serious brought to justice.” threats from both “state and non-state actors”. He is currently confined to his residence and has police protection because of the threats. Sethi Press freedom: President of recently returned from the US, where he spent Niger shows the way several months after he and his family received threats. His remarks come a week after journalist The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, Hamid Mir said he also had received threatening has become the first head of state to endorse the messages from the security establishment. Declaration of Table Mountain, which calls for Sethi has long been harassed by the Taliban, repeal of criminal defamation and ‘insult’ laws and extremists, military groups and the government for putting press freedom higher on the agenda in for his reporting. He was imprisoned in 1999 for Africa. President Issoufou signed the Declaration anti-national activities after participating in a BBC in a ceremony in Niamey, the capital of the west documentary speaking negatively about former African nation. The ceremony, organised by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Taliban also World Association of Newspapers and News threatened to kill him if he did not change his Publishers (WAN-IFRA), the World Editors Forum, editorial policies. the African Editors Forum, and the Maison de la Presse in Niger, drew more than 1,000 attendees, including ambassadors and government officials Gulf world’s most dangerous from more than 25 countries. The Declaration of Table Mountain was adopted at region for reporters the World Newspaper Congress held in Cape Town, Sixty-four journalists and other media workers South Africa, in 2007, the annual meeting of WAN- were killed worldwide because of their professional IFRA. Numerous press freedom and civil society activities in 2011, with nearly half of them killed organisations, including South African archbishop in Pakistan, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, according to Desmond Tutu, have endorsed the declaration, the World Association of Newspapers and News which identifies criminal defamation and ‘insult’ Publishers (WAN-IFRA). Ten journalists were killed laws as amongst the most severe obstacles to securing in Pakistan for the second consecutive year, making the future of the independent press in Africa and it again the most deadly country for journalists. calls for their repeal. The vast majority of African The Arab region was the world’s most dangerous nations continue to jail journalists and close media region for media professionals, with 22 journalists houses on charges of defamation or for “insulting” killed. authorities or their policies. The practice prevents The brutal repression that followed widespread legitimate public discourse and critical writing and popular uprisings in Bahrain, Egypt, Libya, Syria, leads to self-censorship. “The benefits of a free press Tunisia and Yemen cost the lives of 16 journalists. are obvious, be it exposing corruption or abuse of Journalism in Iraq remains a dangerous profession, power, uncovering public policy failures, or simply as six journalists lost their lives in the country last informing the public about the issues they need to year. Mexico remains the most dangerous country know to perform their civic responsibilities. The for journalists in the Western hemisphere, with six democratic discussion takes place in the press,” said journalists in 2011, as coverage of organised crime Erik Bjerager, president of the World Editors Forum,

January-March 2012 VIDURA 59 who called on other African leaders to follow Mr prestigious British Chevening Scholarship in 2003. Issoufou’s example, sign the Declaration and repeal He has been associated with the Indian media criminal defamation and insult laws. business for over 25 years. African organisations that have endorsed the Declaration of Table Mountain include: The WAN-IFRA appoints African Editors Forum, Freedom of Expression Institute, Media Institute of Southern Africa, Media representative in Bangladesh Foundation for West Africa, Observatoire-OLPEC, The World Association of Newspapers and News The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, Publishers (WAN-IFRA) has appointed Drik Picture Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, South Library Ltd, the leading picture and news agency of African National Editors’ Forum, Journaliste En Bangladesh, as its representative in the country, in a Danger, National Union of Somali Journalists, move to bring WAN-IFRA’s services closer to local African Media Initiative, and Liberian Media. publishers. International organisations that have endorsed the “We are happy to appoint Drik Picture Library as Declaration include: International Pen, Reporters our representative in Bangladesh,” says Magdoom without Borders, Article 19, Index on Censorship, Mohamed, managing director, WAN-IFRA South International Press Institute, World Press Freedom Asia. “Our relations go back to more than eight years Committee, Committee to Protect Journalists, Media and we share some common ideas, of what needs Rights Agenda, Freedom House, International to be done to help improve the media industry in Publishers Association and the Media Legal Defence Bangladesh. We are confident that this relation will Initiative. go a long way, and, with Drik’s respected position in the country, it will enable seamless rendering of all WAN-IFRA services to the publishers in the New partnership launched for country.” African media Says Shahidul Alam, managing director, Drik The African Media Initiative (AMI) and the World Picture Library: “Drik has found a natural partner Association of Newspapers and News Publishers in WAN-IFRA, as both are trade organisations (WAN-IFRA) have launched an ambitious strategic with a human right’s mandate. The Newspapers partnership to provide professional training and in Education programme is also an area where the other form of technical support to develop media mutual interest in media and education of both businesses across the African continent. The organisations provide synergy. Drik’s pioneering partnership will include a series of joint projects role in new media and ICT creates a clear path for aimed as strengthening media business in Africa, the partnership to utilise the dynamism in Asian expanding access to finance and development media and propel it to new heights.” WAN-IFRA has of new revenue streams, harnessing the digital a publisher member in Bangladesh, The Independent revolution through technological adaptation and daily newspaper. innovation, and building a competent leadership of the media sector through a commitment to improved ethics and management. The two organizations will N Ram steps down as editor- work together specifically on developing digital in-chief, The Hindu innovation for the African media industry, the With effect from January 19, N Ram has stepped development of pan-African curricula and training down as editor-in-chief and publisher of The Hindu in media management, joint research activities, and newspaper and other group publications – Business advocacy of press freedom, quality reporting and Line, Frontline, and Sportstar. Ram will, however, other areas. continue as whole-time director of Kasturi and Sons Ltd. In a communiqué to the board of directors, Ashish Bagga is INS chief dated January 9, 2012, Ram stated that Siddharth The Indian Newspaper Society (INS), at its 72nd Varadarajan, Editor of The Hindu, D Sampathkumar, annual general meeting held in Bangalore, elected Editor of Business Line, R Vijayasankar, Editor of Ashish Bagga as its president for Frontline, and Nirmal Shekar, Editor of Sportstar, 2011-12. The CEO of the India would now have extended editorial responsibilities. Today Group has succeeded K Balaji, Managing Director, Kasturi and Sons Ltd, Kundan Vyas of Mumbai’s will oversee the publishing and printing functions Vyapar-Janmabhoomi Group. for all publications of the company till a CEO has Bagga was deputy president been appointed. of INS during 2010-11. He is a The Hindu has been on the lookout for a CEO for Physics Honours graduate and a while now. In July 2011, three of the editors had an MBA and was awarded the Ashish Bagga. tendered their resignations – N Ravi as editor of The

60 VIDURA January-March 2012 Hindu, Malini Parthasarathy as executive editor, decided to move on. Mistry will soon don on the and Nirmala Lakshman as joint editor. With Ram’s entrepreneurial hat. His last day with the company decision to entrust the post and subsequent editorial is March 30, 2012. Following this,the India Today responsibilities to Varadarajan, the family members Group is making a key change in its structure. In will continue as directors of the company. its current form, India Today Merged Entity (ITME) comprises the flagship brand India Today across its First woman to head various language editions, the business publications of the group and Reader’s Digest. ITME was put in World Editors Forum place two years ago with the objective of integrating Cherilyn Ireton, a South African editor and the sales force of publications with similar successful senior manager at some of the country’s advertiser profile. ITME is now adding Mail Today top newspapers, has been appointed executive to its portfolio of brands. Manoj Sharma, who had director of the World Editors Forum, the global recently taken over from Rahul Thappa as business organisation for editors within the World Association head with Mail Today, will now take over as group of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). business head of ITME. Ireton is the first woman to head the organisation, He will also oversee the sales integration between which was created in 1994 as a unique global network ITME and Mail Today with a view to draw synergies for exchanging ideas on newsroom management, between the brands. Sharma continues to report to editorial quality, online strategies and press freedom Ashish Bagga, CEO, India Today Group. issues. She is a seasoned newspaper professional with more than twenty years experience on South Africa’s top newspapers, including the Sunday Times INS members protest against and Business Day, where she worked as a journalist, editorial manager and chief operations officer. Justice Katju’s remarks For the past six years she has been based in The four publisher members representing the London, consulting on media matters to a variety of Indian Newspaper Society (INS) in the newly international organisations and governments. “The constituted Press Council, R. Lakshmipathy WEF needs to build on its role as THE leadership (Dinamalar), V. K. Chopra (Filmi Duniya), Sanjay hub for editors by providing meaningful spaces, Gupta (Jagran) and Vijay Kumar Chopra (Punjab both physical and virtual, for editors to share Kesari) strongly protested against the chairman of intelligence, innovative ideas and their experiences the Press Council, Justice Markandey Katju, for with their peers,” said Ireton. “Our interest must be stating that he has a poor opinion of the media in helping editors of news organisations lead change and that “majority media people are of very poor that builds loyal readership, strengthens titles and intellectual level with no idea of economic theory news brands. While attention to content delivery or political science, philosophy, literature”. The channels is vital to the future of newspapers, publisher members were attending the first ever our focus must equally be on ensuring that high meeting of the newly constituted council of the editorial standards and ethics are upheld and that Press Council of India. A statement from the INS young readers are introduced to the joy and power informed that “the Chairman of the Press Council that news and information can bring.” The Editors was firm on his stand and refused to withdraw his Forum provides resources to editors at a time when remarks. The publisher members walked out of the the organisation of editorial departments is facing meeting in protest.” Earlier in the day, the executive a revolution: competition for reader attention and committee of Indian Newspaper Society (INS) in loyalty is intensifying; technological innovation its meeting took strong objection to the remarks is altering the entire publishing process; and the made by Justice Katju in a television interview design and content of newspapers, both digital and and in subsequent statements issued by him to print, is changing dramatically. And the skills set for the press. The committee noted with dismay that editors is changing too: finance and budget control, the chairman’s remarks demonstrated a deep bias human resources, technology and management. Set against members of the Fourth Estate and that such against this background, the ethical and political role bias would adversely affect the functioning of the of the press is constantly being called into question, Council in its quasi-judicial role. The statement also requiring editors to be increasingly vigilant and informed that the executive committee strongly vocal in their defence of the freedom of the press. felt that the chairman had undermined his own position as chairman of the Press Council of India and that of the Council, by categorising a majority India Today: Malcolm Mistry of media people as being of poor intellectual level. moves on In a strongly worded letter addressed to Justice After a stint of 11 years, Malcolm Mistry, Katju, the INS president urged him to withdraw his Publishing Director, India Today Merged Entity, has remarks.

January-March 2012 VIDURA 61 India, Guwahati, received the consolation prize. The INS flays move to suppress winners were chosen from among 44 shortlisted Patrika in Chhattisgarh published articles received from nearly 80 entries. The four prizes were given at a function held on The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has October 19 at the India Islamic Cultural Centre, New condemned attempts being made by the Government Delhi, after a panel discussion on Media Reporting of Chhattisgarh to intimidate a member newspaper, on the Fate of Victims of Armed Violence. Patrika, reportedly to suppress reportage about Wajahat Habibullah, chairman, National the chief minister of the state and his relatives. Commission for Minorities, was the moderator In a statement issued on January 3, 2012, Ashish and chief guest while the panellists were the Bagga, president, Indian Newspaper Society, said jury members – Prof Anuradha Chenoy, School that the filing of 40 to 50 criminal cases against of International Studies, JNU; Advocate Vrinda the newspaper, many of them in remote Bastar Grover, Supreme Court lawyer; and M.R. Narayan District, seemed aimed clearly at intimidating the Swamy, senior editor, Indo-Asian News Service. newspaper. Members of the ruling party of the state are also learnt to have burnt copies of the newspaper, removed its hoardings by force and Deccan Herald enters indulged in other “reprehensible actions”, according to the release. The INS has urged the chief minister New Delhi of Chhattisgarh and the state government to desist The formal launch of Deccan Herald’s Delhi from such undemocratic actions against a respected edition took place with a lot of fanfare at an event in newspaper. the capital in December. Speaking on the occasion, Tilak Kumar, chairman and joint managing director, Deccan Herald, remarked, “It’s coming Paid news and poll coverage of age for the newspaper that was launched in Bangalore 60 years ago, which has grown over the The Election Commission and Press Council of decades.” He recalled that Deccan Herald was “the India have issued strict guidelines for paid news. first major newspaper launched after Independence The guideline issued by the Election Commission in the country in 1948, and established itself as for the media to check instances of paid news during the authentic voice of Karnataka”. The newspaper elections states, “Newspapers are not expected always “stuck to the basic principles of journalism to indulge in unhealthy election campaigns, and prided itself on professional excellence; exaggerated reports of any candidate/ party or always believed in objective reporting and resisted incident during the elections. While reporting on temptation for sensationalism,” he said. At the actual campaign, a newspaper may not leave out any launch were P Chidambaram, minister for Home important point raised by a candidate and make an Affairs; S.M. Krishna, External Affairs minister; Prof attack on his or her opponent.” It also stresses that K.V. Thomas, Union minister of state for Agriculture the press is not expected to indulge in canvassing of and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution; a particular candidate/ party. cricketer Anil Kumble; and veteran journalist and director on the Deccan Herald board Kuldip Nayar. Aman Sethi bags Best Reporting Award IRS Q3 2011: TOI leads in Journalists of The Hindu, Tehelka Magazine and Mumbai, HT firms up Rashtriya Deepika shared the first three prizes, The Times of India has maintained its lead among respectively, in an all-India competition among English dailies in Mumbai, while Hindustan Times journalists for the best print article on humanitarian- has strengthened its position as the No. 2 paper related issues. The International Committee of the according to the IRS Q3 2011 results. Mumbai was Red Cross (ICRC) in cooperation with the Press divided into four zones – Mumbai City, Mumbai Institute of Insdia (PII) had instituted the awards for West Suburb, Mumbai East Suburb and Navi the fourth year running, for articles published in an Mumbai. In all the four zones, The Times of India Indian national or regional newspaper or magazine led the pack of English dailies. The paper recorded in any Indian language or in English. the highest Average Issue Readership (AIR) in Mumbai West Suburb at 576000, followed by an Aman Sethi of The Hindu won the first prize of AIR of 431000 in Navi Mumbai. TOI recorded an Rs 50000; Umar Baba of Tehelka Magazine bagged AIR of 264000 each in Mumbai City and Mumbai the second prize of Rs 30000; and the third prize East Suburb. Hindustan Times further consolidated of Rs 20 000 was taken by Reji Joseph of Rashtriya its position as the No. 2 paper in Mumbai. Navi Deepika, a regional newspaper published from Mumbai was where HT has recorded its highest Kottayam, Kerala. Anup Sharma of The Times of AIR of 250000, followed by 195000 in Mumbai West

62 VIDURA January-March 2012 Suburb, 166000 in Mumbai East Suburb and 140000 Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Hindustan, Prabhat Khabar and in Mumbai City. Patrika have seen growth in their AIR as per the IRS DNA has recorded an AIR of 225000 in Mumbai Q3 2011 results. Dainik Jagran recorded an AIR of West Suburb, 213000 in Navi Mumbai, 130000 in 16458000 in Q3 2011 from 16393000 in the previous Mumbai City and 111000 in Mumbai East Suburb. quarter. Dainik Bhaskar’s Q3 AIR stands at 14876000, Mumbai West Suburb was where Mumbai Mirror as compared to an AIR of 14174000 in Q2 2011, a recorded its highest AIR of 272000. This was growth of 4.95 per cent. Hindustan is placed third followed by an AIR of 223000 in Navi Mumbai, among Hindi dailies with an AIR of 12033000 in Q3 140000 in Mumbai City and 119000 in Mumbai East 2011. Amar Ujala, Rajasthan Patrika, Punjab Kesari, Suburb. For Mid Day, the highest AIR was seen in Navbharat Times and Nai Dunia saw a dip in their Mumbai West Suburb at 115000. This was followed Average Issue Readerships in the quarter. by Navi Mumbai with an AIR of 95000, Mumbai East Suburb with an AIR of 71000 and Mumbai City with an AIR of 62000. IRS Q3 2011: Lokmat leads as Marathi dailies grow IRS Q3 2011: Over all, Marathi dailies witnessed a slight Gujarat growth of 0.31 per cent in Average Issue Readership Samachar in front (AIR) according to the IRS Q3 2011 results – from Gujarat Samachar at No. 1, with an AIR of 51.86 18769000 in Q2 2011 to 18827000 in Q3 2011. Top lakh in Q3, registered a decline of 0.65 per cent Marathi daily, Lokmat registered an AIR of 74.38 against an AIR of 52.20 lakh in Q2. Divya Bhaskar at lakh in Q3, recording a decline of 2.07 per cent the second position registered an AIR of 36.27 lakh against an AIR of 75.95 lakh in Q2. Daily Sakal at in Q3, an increase of 1.37 per cent, as opposed to an the second position registered an AIR of 42.73 lakh AIR of 35.78 lakh in Q2. Placed third, Sandesh saw the in Q3, a 3.93 per cent decline from an AIR of 44.48 maximum decline of 3.69 per cent when compared lakh in Q2. Placed third, Pudhari saw marginal to an AIR of 33.29 in Q2. The paper witnessed decline of 1.08 per cent when compared to an AIR the highest decline from the top five dailies. of 25.88 in Q2. The paper witnessed the least decline Taking the fourth spot, Saurashtra Samachar from the top five dailies. Taking the fourth spot, witnessed the highest growth of 10.87 per cent from Punya Nagari recorded a growth of 2.20 per cent 2.30 lakh in the previous quarter. The fifth spot from an AIR of 17.25 lakh in Q2. Loksatta was at went to Gujarat Mitra & Darpan after registering an the fifth spot, recording an AIR of 9.52 lakh in Q3 AIR of 1.90 lakh in Q3, a rise of 7.95 percent when from an AIR of 9.90 in Q2, signaling a decrease of compared to the previous quarter. 3.84 percent. IRS Q3 2011: Aajkal, ABP, IRS Q3 2011: Dainik Jagran Sambad record growth most read According to IRS Q3 results, in most of the Bengali Dainik Jagran topped the list of mainline dailies there was a fall, except for Aajkal, Ananda publications, while Dainik Bhaskar grew the fastest Bazaar Patrika and Sambad, which displayed according to IRS Q3 2011 results. Among English marginal growth. Among the publications that dailies, The Tribune, DNA and The Telegraph showed registered growth in Q3 over Q2, Aajkal showed growth. Among language publications, Malayala maximum growth of 5.21 per cent. Ananada Bazaar Manorama continued to lead, with Tamil paper Daily Patrika showed a growth of 0.58 per cent and Thanthi logging in the fastest growth of 2.2 per cent. Sambad 0.24 per cent. Among the publications that Dainik Bhaskar topped the growth charts among listed a fall, Bartaman registered a dip of 2.73 per dailies in the IRS Q3 2011 survey results released on cent, Sambad Pratidin 5.53 per cent, and Ganashakti December 22, 2011. The publication grew by 5 per 1.77 per cent. Maximum fall in AIR was shown by cent in Average Issue Readership (AIR) as compared Dainik Statesman, down 13.79 per cent, and Dainik to the previous quarter to settle at a readership of Jugasankha, which dipped 22.00 per cent. 1.48 crore. Dainik Jagran continued to occupy pole position with a readership of 1.6 crore. Hindustan IRS Q3 2011: Jagran, Bhaskar was placed third with an AIR of 1.2 crore. Among the top 10 English dailies, leaders Hindustan Times and lead Hindi dailies The Times of India maintained their respective AIR Hindi dailies saw their Average Issue Readership numbers at almost the same levels as the previous (AIR) go up marginally by 0.40 per cent as Jagran quarter. The Tribune grew the fastest at 5.6 per cent and Bhaskar continue to lead the field. Dainik to log in a readership of almost 6 lakh, followed by

January-March 2012 VIDURA 63 DNA and The Telegraph, both of which saw a growth launches of 4.7 per cent. The Hindu came in next, logging in Mail Today a growth of 4.4 per cent. The IRS Q3 2011 results Chandigarh edition also indicated that overall media consumption had seen a growth of 3.3 per cent, with the Internet Mail Today, the daily English tabloid from registering a 42 per cent upswing, followed by C&S the India Today Group, has launched its with a growth of 15.8 per cent. Chandigarh edition. Like the Delhi edition, it is positioned as a premium newspaper targeted at young cosmopolitan readers. Chandigarh fits the bill as it is an affluent city with essentially TOI spreads fragrance in English speaking population of young upwardly mobile readers. The Chandigarh edition will be Chennai on New Year distributed in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, In a sensory connect initiative reminiscent of besides Ludhiana and Amritsar in Punjab, Karnal another done with the Maharashtra Times during the in Haryana, and Shimla and Solan in Himachal Ganesha festival, The Times of India, Chennai greeted Pradesh. Following Mail Today’s successful readers in Chennai city with a fragrant paper on circulation model in Delhi, the new edition will also January 1, 2012. The exercise was carried out for focus on the subscription route. Kaleesuwari Refinery Pvt Ltd for its perfumed oil brand Dheepam, an aromatic oil to light lamps. The main edition of the paper was enclosed in Naya India launches in Patna a ‘powerjacket’, which was titled ‘The Times of Happiness’. Commenting on the innovation, and Ranchi Ninan Thariyan, associate vice president, Times Delhi-based newspaper Naya India has hit Response, Chennai, said, “On January 1, 2012, what newsstands in Patna and Ranchi. Naya India is we delivered was not only a newspaper but also a already present in Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, ‘nose paper’. Our strategic intent was to provide the Raipur and Dehradun. The paper faces stiff advertiser an experiential engagement opportunity competition from existing dailies like Hindustan, through a sensory connect with our readers. The Dianik Jagran and Prabhat Khabar. The 16-page daily FMCG category by nature is a television advertiser. is accompanied by a four-page supplement. The A fragrant newspaper was the logical answer to main aim is to provide local news to readers, and the customer’s communication requirement. Our to focus on local happenings in comparison to other challenge was ‘how do we make the print medium news. appeal to him by overcoming the limitations of interaction with readers?’ Since we had already carried out such an exercise in the recent past, we HT goes Mini for Delhi Metro could offer our expertise and customise the solution commuters to take the product to our readers.” HT Media Ltd launched a new publication, HT Thariyan outlined the challenges during the Mini, on January 14, 2012, created for people on the exercise and said, “The challenge was to reproduce move. In the launch period, HT Mini will be available Dheepam’s fragrance in the paper so that customers in select areas of Delhi-NCR and will be sampled could identify with the brand. So, it turned out to be heavily outside Metro stations. It will be published product sampling for the oil, it fostered an emotional Mondays to Saturdays. At one-fourth of the size of connect, and added one more dimension to the mainline broadsheet newspapers, which makes it medium.” A teaser ad was carried on December 31, smaller than an A4 size, the 24-pager offers light, 2011 in the main issue to create a buzz around the snippety content ranging from the top news stories initiative. to city news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle. The paper is likely to replicate the exercise with Commenting on the launch, Shantanu Bhanja, vice other clients. “There is a wide variety of usage president, Marketing, HT Media Ltd, said, “The for this kind of technology that allows readers to needs of people on the move are quite different interact and associate with brands on a personal, from those reading the newspaper at home. They one-to-one level. Our aim is also to get more FMCG want something primarily to pass their time while brands on to the print bandwagon by offering them they are traveling, and need something portable, an experiential engagement proposition,” Thariyan conveniently-sized, with light, entertaining content, added. and they want to be able to pick it up on their

64 VIDURA January-March 2012 regular route. With the introduction of the Delhi TOI ups printing capacity in Metro in the last decade, such travelers have grown exponentially. According to our research, over 60 Bangalore per cent of Metro travelers would like to spend their Bennett & Coleman, publisher of the English commute reading something, but nothing is readily daily newspaper, Times of India recently added available to fit their requirements.” four four-high towers to its existing Regioman web offset press at its printing plant in Bangalore to increase its printing capacity. Regioman press has Navbharat Times launches a four-page wide plate cylinder with a single plate NCR edition circumference, enabling the press to print four full- Navbharat Times (NBT), the Hindi daily from colour broadsheets (front and back) in one pass, thus the Times Group stable, launched its NCR edition offering the printing house maximum flexibility to strengthen its top position in Delhi-NCR. The regarding page count and number of sections. NCR edition will not only retain its special Delhi and national content, but also offer state level news Aligarh edition relating to Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The special Hindustan’s NBT-NCR edition will be circulated in Ghaziabad, launched Faridabad, Gurgaon, Greater Noida and Noida. Hindustan Media Ventures Ltd (HMVL) launched Readers in these areas will also get the hyper local its ninth edition in Uttar Pradesh from Aligarh in city pullouts with the main issue. The NCR has December. Hindustan has launched in Aligarh with been witnessing a huge growth in job opportunities, a circulation of 75000. The Aligarh launch comes increased urban migration, increased housing a year after the launch of the paper’s Gorakhpur projects and huge investments in the transport edition. With the addition of Aligarh, Hindustan infrastructure. From the advertising point of view, Times will now print from 17 centres across the tapping NCR readers has always been an interest states of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and area for advertisers as they look out for mediums Delhi. Rajan Bhalla, head-marketing, Strategic that have deeper engagement levels with audiences. Businesses, HT Media Ltd, reiterated that the core According to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) Q3 proposition of Hindustan was ‘Tarakki ko chahiye 2011 results, NBT remains the most read newspaper naya nazariya’ (Progress needs a new outlook). in Delhi-NCR with a readership of 19.7 lakh. Delhi commuters get news Fortnightlies up in Goa While Marathi and English dailies have been On The Go warmly accepted by the readers in Goa, fortnightly Delhi On The Go, touted as India’s first free daily magazines are also getting more readers according English newspaper, was launched in the capital in to IRS 2011 Q1 figures. Monthlies focused on the October. It is targeted at the commuters in Delhi auto industry such as Auto India and Overdrive have and is the only daily evening paper of its kind in been able to attract more readers in a year. The state Delhi and the National Capital Region. The paper is is still being dominated by the Marathi readers as designed to be a quick 25-minute read and has been any Marathi daily gets an AIR of 5.11 lakh, a growth named in tune with the time constraints of Delhi of 27.43 per cent, compared to corresponding period residents. The paper has tied up with Marwah last year. With an AIR of 1.75 lakh, Lokmat emerged Studios as its media partner and Radio Noida 107.4 as the most read daily of the state. It was closely FM as the radio partner in Noida. It has tied up with followed by Gomantak which has been able to garner Reliance-owned 92.7 BIG FM as their radio partner an AIR of 1.69 lakh, down from 1.72 lakh last year. in Delhi. Delhi On The Go is a 16-page full-colour Marathi dailies Pudhari and Loksatta have both lost edition and covers news stories in brief on all major almost 37000 readers combined, registering AIR of segments: National, Business, World, Local, Showbiz 15000 and 5000, respectively. Meanwhile, in English and Sports. It also covers leisure articles on feature newspaper genre, with an AIR of 1.20 lakh, O Herald sections such as Cars & Bikes, Fashion & Lifestyle, O is the most read newspaper in the state. It is and Fitness & Wellbeing. Printed in tabloid size, the followed by The Times of India as it gets an AIR of newspaper is available outside select metro stations 69000; growth of 9.52 per cent. The Indian Express and and the BRT intersections. The Economic Times saw a decline in AIR numbers as

January-March 2012 VIDURA 65 they reported AIR of 31000 and 15000; losing 13000 ACK Media expands reader average issue readers combined, in a year. While the fate of monthly and weekly magazines remains base for Suppandi unchanged, fortnightly magazines have charted Suppandi 48, the 48-page English quarterly comic growth in their AIR in Goa. Filmfare, Women’s Era, magazine published by ACK Media, has turned Outlook Business and Business Today together added into a teen magazine from its sixth issue released 23000 average issue readership in a year. in December 2011. So far, the magazine has been targeted at kids in the 7-12-year age group. Cult character Suppandi, born in Tinkle close to 30 Dainik Bhaskar celebrates 15 years ago, moved into his own magazine Suppandi in Jaipur 48, which was launched in October 2010. Anisha Karthick, editor, said, “Suppandi will remain It was on December 19, 1996 that Dainik Bhaskar Suppandi, though his stories will be written in entered Rajasthan with the launch of its Jaipur different styles. There will be a noticeable difference edition. Today, 15 years later, Dainik Bhaskar claims between Suppandi stories in Tinkle and Suppandi 48, to have a loyal readership of 64 lakh and being but the essence of the character will be maintained Rajasthan’s leading urban newspaper. With Dainik throughout. Teenagers mostly end up reading Bhaskar, Jaipur is the only city outside the top eight something that’s for children or for grown-ups. So, metros that can boast a single-city readership the Suppandi 48 team decided to give young adults of more than 10 lakh daily. To celebrate 15 years, a magazine that is specifically for teens.” Dainik Bhaskar has organised the Jaipur Mahotsav, The cover price of the magazine will remain which will see 15 different activities touching each at Rs 40. There is no subscription available for individual in more ways than one. These include the magazine. It can be purchased at bookstores seminars and workshops related to reader interest and newsstands all over India. Copies can also be subjects such as marketing, painting, politics, purchased online from the ACK Media Web site. investment, besides topics of interest for children Suppandi 48 is available only in print form. and women readers. Commenting on the 15-year journey, Manoj Agarwal, COO, Rajasthan and Jharkhand, Dainik Bhaskar Group, said, “Dainik Better Photography Bhaskar’s launch in Rajasthan was a landmark now in Hindi event in the Indian print industry. Success at that Better Photography announced the launch of time and success now can be linked to our deep its Hindi edition recently. Targeted at the Hindi understanding of readers’ needs, ambitions, desires speaking markets, the magazine is the first nationally and even expectations. There is a continued product circulated Hindi photography magazine in India. change based on changing reader interest. This has The magazine was unveiled by Pablo Bartholomew, helped us further consolidate our position.” The well-known photojournalist and two-time World Dainik Bhaskar Group covers 13 states with 64 Press Photo winner. Infomedia18 Ltd, which editions published in four languages, and reaches publishes Better Photography, plans to promote the 1.84 crore readers daily. new magazine across the Network18 medium, including television channels (IBN7, CNBC Awaaz, Dainik Divya Marathi CNBC-TV18, CNN-IBN, Lokmat, Colors, MTV, History TV18), Web sites (Web18), magazines launched in Ahmednagar (Infomedia18) and also other Hindi newspapers, The Dainik Bhaskar Group has launched outdoors, radio and point-of-purchase promotions the fourth edition of Dainik Divya Marathi from in major Hindi-speaking cities such as Lucknow, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. After the launch of the Jammu, Chandigarh, Kanpur, and Delhi, among Aurangabad, Nasik and Jalgaon editions within six others. The December, January and February issues months, Dainik Divya Marathi has now expanded carry Hindi pocket guides on people photography, to four cities in Maharashtra. The group wants wedding photography and nature photography. to continue to aggressively make inroads into Maharashtra to reach out to maximum readers in this region, which will help advertisers connect with readers in the state. It had adopted the robust twin contact programme in Ahmednagar, where it conducted a door-to-door survey that helped them map an in-depth understanding of readership patterns in the city.

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