The Hindu : 'Media should not lose sight of their social purpose'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 15, 2003

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'Media should not lose sight of their social purpose'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI MARch 14. Media organisations should uphold standards and deal ably with the increasing pressures on their editorial content from their marketing arm without compromising on credibility or profitability. They should not lose sight of the social purpose of the news industry even as they keep pace with the demands and pressures of the changing times. These were the major themes deliberated upon by editors and senior journalists at a national colloquium on emerging media issues organised by the Media Development Foundation today.

The Editor and Publisher of Business Standard, T.N. Ninan, talking of the ethics of news as business, said the palming off of advertising as news was the worst sin. At the same time, he said every organisation was guilty to some degree, and there was little to be gained by pointing fingers. He suggested a dialogue between media organisations and representatives of advertising agencies to overcome this conflict.

The Executive Editor of The Hindu, Malini Parthasarathy, said the identity crisis facing the media was partly engendered by the anxiety not to rock the boat because of the fear of dipping circulation figures. "We are also facing an identity crisis because we are lazy in the pursuit of our own intrinsically enjoined obligation to pursue the truth." Warning against confusion of patriotism and nationalism with loyalty to the Government, she said "very few question the authenticity of Government versions on terrorist incidents in Kashmir, the Ansal Plaza shootout, the alleged involvement of the Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner in paying cash to the Hurriyat, all these which might not have passed muster in more independent Western publications."

The Vice-Chairman and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times, Shobhana Bhartia, said that newspapers would have to take into account the increasing percentage of youth in the total population while defining the needs of the readership. Young readers watched television, they were internet savvy and got news on SMS, thus necessitating a constant adaptation by the print media. Noting the emergence of multi-section newspapers, she said the serious section of a newspaper must be supplemented with lighter sections. Referring to a possible journalism-advertising conflict, she said that while both the commercial arm and the editorial arm of the newspaper were necessary, they must remain separate.

The editorial page editor of The Telegraph, Rudrangshu Mukherjee, said that within the editorial section of the newspaper itself there existed space for news, the objective side, and views, the subjective side. But, journalists were forced to compromise as the objective side was being contaminated by views.

The Managing Editor of Malayala Manorama, Philip Mathew, said that newspapers could play a positive role in carrying out campaigns for the development of a region.

Columnist Sucheta Dalal warned that if media organisations did not police themselves, then regulators might step in.

The Joint Managing Director of The Hindu, N. Murali, said the issue was not breaching the wall between marketing and editorial, but maintaining standards. Newspapers must be compelling for readers and productive for advertisers. The advertising section had as much stake in the newspaper as the editorial. Stressing the need for striking a proper balance between marketing and editorial, he suggested an integrated approach.

The Executive Director of Bennet & Coleman, Ravi Dhariwal, said The Times of India did not seek to compromise on editorial content, but only worked out innovative methods of marketing. The Indian Express Chief Editor, Shekhar Gupta, said there was no contradiction between good journalism and the marketplace. Other issues raised by senior journalists such as Kuldip Nayar touched on the primacy of the editor in a media organisation.

N. Ram, Editor, Frontline, and the MDF chairman, Sashi Kumar, chaired the sessions.

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