If newspapers die, what would happen to allied media fields? What would happen to, say, PR and advertising?

THE NOTE I SENT OUT TO MY STUDENTS JUST NOW:

Hindustan Times is shutting down its Kolkata edition as well as its editions in Ranchi, Bhopal, and Indore. Details here.

One of the reasons could be a decline in circulation followed by a decrease in ad revenue.

Young people (including media students, some of whom get as much as Rs.5,000 a month as pocket money) refuse to pay as little as four or five rupees to buy a newspaper. Could this be the reason for a decline in circulation?

I urge you to consider what would happen if newspapers and magazines all over the country were to suffer the fate of HT's Kolkata, Ranchi, Bhopal, and Indore editions.

If newspapers die, what would happen to allied media fields? What would happen to, say, PR and advertising?

What would happen to journalism?

Do use your imagination to consider what would happen to your career in the future.

And please think about buying at least one newspaper every day. And persuade your friends to do so too.

Best wishes,

RP

---

UPDATE (January 17, 2017)

Death of a newspaper: Read this piece on The Hoot, which describes how HT's Bhopal edition was "slowly stifled before it was shut down earlier this week" — A requiem for the Hindustan Times, Bhopal.

UPDATE (January 19, 2017)

There is already blood on the floor of one of the last bastions of print media in the world. Major national dailies are shutting editions, laying off staff, slashing costs, and freezing expansions and investments. Smaller papers have been doing this for the last five years. Worse is to come if taxes are raised under the GST regime, if the damaging two-month impact of demonetisation persists in this quarter and the next, and if the government does not at least part-discontinue the wage board.

That is an excerpt from a hard-hitting edit in The Times of India today. Read the column in its entirety here: Indian newspaper industry: Red ink splashed across the bottom line — Hard-hit by factors beyond its control, print media needs reasonable tax and labour policies.

---
UPDATE (January 30, 2017)

WHY THE GUARDIAN WANTS YOU TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION:

When subs fall asleep on the job

From today's Times of India

a. In an interview with labour minister Parameshwara Naik by Sandeep Moudgal on Page 4:

"The ingenuity of these posts is to be verified."

I think that should read "The genuineness of these posts is to be verified."

b. In a report headlined "Zika fears: Olympic champ freezes sperm" on Page 20:

"... the couple were increasingly worried about mosquito-born Zika..."

I think that should read "mosquito-borne Zika".

***

Q. What's wrong with that picture? Can you "point" out the issues?

A. It's "U.S.", not "U.S".

***

Q. What's wrong with that headline?

A. At the very least, it should read "Tamannaah speaks on why Katappa killed Baahubali!"

• Read an earlier post on the subject here. And then read this post: Why subs, or copy editors, are the lifeblood of a news organisation.

The boldest articulation I have read of what it means to be a woman in India

Read this powerful lead story in the college newspaper by Commitscion Devika Premlal (Class of 2015) here.

• This comment, from John Thomas of the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI), was sent by e-mail to Tia Raina (Class of 2015), editor of The Chronicle:

I read the cover story in your magazine's latest issue. As a man, every time I read about incidents [such as the ones described by Devika Premlal], I squirm. I think what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on I-Day is so true and so important. Parents (especially mothers, but sisters as well) must raise their sons (and brothers) to respect women and send out the message that complaints from girls about misbehaviour will be taken very seriously.

MORE COMMENTS:

• From Commitscion Nishal Lama (Class of 2009), Bangalore: Brilliant article. I can't agree more with Devika and what it really means to be a woman in India today. And the problem, I think, is deep-rooted within our society. I am hopeful that the coming generation will see things in a different perspective. 

• From Commitscion Monish Debnath (Class of 2008), Mumbai: Such a powerful article. Shaken up at the sheer audacity these men have; shame is the only word I can think of. Brilliant writing.

• From senior journalist Kokila Jacob, Dubai: Well-written and, yes, powerful. She has articulated the experience of EVERY Indian woman. Sadly her starting sentence is so true. Nothing will change. Not as long as parents still yearn for sons and then, when they get them, they go on to spoil them rotten.

• From senior journalist and editor of Khaleej Times, Dubai, Patrick Michael: Just three words come to mind after reading this powerful piece: Bold, frank, and fearless. Words come easy but only Devika will know the hurt, the pain and the frustration she went through when she decided to write this story. Shocking? No. A revelation? No. Will it trigger a change in the way men treat women as mere commodities? No. But it had to be said. And we need more Devikas. Women hold up half the sky and yet men won't admit it. Ever. Our egos will not allow it. Carry on, Devika. Don't let men influence who you want to be. More power to your pen.

• From Commitscion Nilofer D'Souza (Class of 2009), Bangalore: Okay, I must admit, when I saw this link, I thought to myself, "Here goes Ramesh Sir, encouraging another new kid on the block..." But, then, I read the piece, and I agree wholeheartedly with what Ramesh Sir says. A raw first-person account, which is appreciated.

• From Commitscion Arathi Krishnan (Class of 2007), Dubai: Brilliant!

• From Commitscion Ria Dutta (Class of 2016), Bangalore: This article is indeed very bold and very true... I can relate to it as I have encountered similar situations growing up. Hats off to Devika Premlal for being able to write this. Truly very impressive.

• From homemaker and mother of two young girls Vidya Nayak, Bangalore: Hats off to Devika for putting into words what, I feel, all women in India go through at different times in life. Except for our mother or, in extreme cases, our father, no one talked about it. We were asked to avoid the road, so what if it was the shortest way home....  I am proud to know a girl today is able to talk about it. I fully empathise with Devika. The only way ahead, I feel, is to teach girls, like I have taught mine, that they are not responsible for the weirdo's behaviour. He is wrong. Period. Evasive tactics need to be taught. Also to scream. At the end of all this is a mother who worries every time her child goes out with friends. Till she sees her child again. Where is the age of innocence? Are only boys entitled to it?

• From Commitscion Ankita Sengupta (Class of 2013), Mumbai: Wow! Even though I am not acquainted with Devika, I feel so proud of her. She may be right in stating that irrespective of what we say, nothing will change, but to stand up and narrate such personal incidents deserves applause. Things may never change but thanks to bravehearts like her, more women will learn to speak up for themselves. Kudos to her!

ALSO READ: Gutsy Commits student Ankita Sengupta's story in Bangalore Mirror — an inspiration to women everywhere.

"ONE YEAR ON, THE MANY LESSONS I HAVE LEARNT AS A REPORTER"

TAPASYA MITRA MAZUMDER (Class of 2013) has just completed a year as a reporter with Bangalore Mirror. Here she tells us what she learnt during the course of her journey:

I am not here to tell you about the many methods you can use to write good stories; you have RP Sir for that. :-)

Instead, I am going to highlight the many lessons I learnt in the course of my journey and the mistakes I made, from which I hope you will be able to learn.

TAPASYA AT HER DESK AT BANGALORE MIRROR.

My chemistry teacher in school had once told us that fools learn from their own mistakes while the wise ones learn from other people’s mistakes. Well, I have been both foolish and wise in the past one year. In the course of gathering more than 250 bylines (including more than 30 Page 1 stories), I have learnt that they do not define my success. I consider myself successful because I have evolved for the better since I graduated from Commits and completed one whole year in my profession.

Remember one very important thing: You have to figure out how you are going to survive in this profession. It will take no time for the management to chuck you out if you are an underperformer. People have bad days at work. I have had bad weeks, and sometimes bad months. For me, it was a challenge to go about doing city-based stories without knowing the local language. On top of that, I do not have a beat, a specific area or subject to cover. But I turned that around to do stories from every beat, and so far I have written on education, science, technology, health, crime, and youth issues. I have also highlighted some very important issues that have gone on to become national stories.

Stories can jump at you from anywhere, so always be on the lookout. My first cover story with Bangalore Mirror was published four days after I joined and I got it from Facebook.

As RP Sir has always stressed, social media networks are often a good news source and I have produced stories based on what I read on Facebook, web feeds, WhatsApp messages, adverts on the back of autorickshaws, circulars posted on national websites, and even from comments on the micro-sites of some educational institutions.

THIS STORY BY TAPASYA, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED ON PAGE 1, WAS RECEIVED WARMLY.

But at this point I should warn you that it is not a good idea to warm the seat of your chair by “Facebooking” all day; go out in the field instead.

Which brings me to my next point: networking.

I get a kick from going out in the field and meeting people. It is the best part about my job, but I make sure they remember me too once the event we are attending is over. So I give everyone my card when I am attending, say, industrial conferences. One day I got a call from a person I had met at one such conference. He had called to tell me about a story and the next day the paper carried my article on Page 1.

But you have to be able to sift the grain from the chaff to know which items can be developed into newspaper articles and which ones are simply not worth pursuing. Initially, I would run to my boss for every small story I could grab but my effort would often get spiked. Over time, though, I learnt to distinguish between what readers would find interesting and relevant and useful and what they would ignore.

It is also very important to mention here that you need to know how to pitch a story to your boss. I have learnt now to highlight only what’s necessary and also point out sometimes what section of the paper it would be suitable for.

Now that you have pitched your story, learn to defend it. If you think it is a good one, make all-out efforts to persuade your bosses to see what you see in it. Don’t be disheartened if your idea is rejected; sooner or later you will learn why it wouldn’t have worked. I have sometimes fought heated and emotional battles with my boss over my story idea, but most times wit and tact will do.

TAPASYA WITH HER BANGALORE MIRROR COLLEAGUES (FROM LEFT) HM CHAITANYA SWAMY, PRAKRUTI PK, SRIDHAR VIVAN, AND SHAMAYITA CHAKROBORTY.

I have a habit of writing lengthy pieces (as RP Sir will confirm) but the news desk staff, who edit my stories, have not complained. Their reasoning is that it is better to trim a long piece than try to chase the reporter for more information. I try to give them comprehensive stories that need to be adjusted for length.

I also never take the subs for granted by giving them shoddy copy which they will have to spend hours editing. Their job is to check the facts, not straighten out your poor grammar all the time. Have respect for what they do.

I want to add here that no journalism school, however high its standards, can replicate a newsroom nor can it provide the experience you need to survive in a profession that requires interacting every day with people, both colleagues and outsiders, so here I would like to roll out a few points.

Working in an office with almost 50 people and being the junior-most staff member, as I am, it is impossible to avoid getting involved in office politics or in so-called healthy banter. But know your limits and, without seeming too aloof, keep a safe distance from controversy. For example, if two senior colleagues are pulling each other’s legs in a sarcastic manner, it would be a good idea to quietly disappear from the scene.

Don’t ever involve colleagues in your personal life unless you trust them absolutely. The consequences of that can be dangerous.

At all times, watch your back because if you don’t, there will be no one to catch you when you fall.

P.S. Before I started writing this piece, I put together some points on a sticky note. That is a good practice to institute. Try it out yourself.

TAPASYA SAYS SOMEBODY ADDED THIS ARTICLE TO A WIKIPEDIA ENTRY ON CYBERCHONDRIA SO NOW "EVERY TIME YOU GOOGLE MY NAME, THIS ONE SHOWS UP".

• Two years ago, Tapasya travelled to Dubai to work as an intern with Gulf News. Read about her experience here: "DUBAI DIARY: COVERING HOT EVENTS, DISCOVERING COOL STUFF".

If you want to become a journalist, the least you can do is read newspapers and magazines. Here's why:

I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that I must "understand" why young people are reluctant to read newspapers and magazines. (There's one theory about this phenomenon that you can read here; and here's another, this one written by a journalism teacher.)

But if some young people say they want to become journalists, and they refuse to read newspapers and magazines — well, that I don't understand (no need for finger quotes here).

In the first place, if they are serious about journalism, they need to be aware of what's going on in the world around them.

Second, they need to read closely so as to absorb writing styles.

Third, only by reading newspapers and magazines will they understand the issues that affect readers; this is how they will develop empathy for readers, which will help them ask the right questions when they are doing their own research as journalists. This applies also to those who say they want to become television journalists, who, by the way, often get good story ideas from reading newspapers.

(And if you want to be a good television journalist, you will have to understand the "how" and the "why" of a story before you report the "who, what, when". It is newspapers and magazines, more than TV news programmes, that help us understand the "how" and the "why", in addition to helping us answer two other key questions: "So what?" and "What next?" I certainly can't see "news alerts" on our smartphones going beyond answering "who, what, when".)

There is another important factor to consider: If they don't read what other journalists are writing, how can they expect people to read what they themselves will be writing when they become journalists?

Here's something else that should really give them pause for thought: If they and people from their generation do not read newspapers and magazines, then the future of these publications is bleak. Falling sales will result in falling advertising revenue. Where will newspapers and magazines get the money for news-gathering, which is a very expensive process?

And here's the kicker: Where will newspapers and magazines get the money to pay THEM?

• ADDITIONAL READING: The future of newspaper journalism

• ALSO READ: A sight to gladden the hearts of journalists — and media students — everywhere and How do newspapers attract and engage readers in this age of social media? 

OTHER MUST-READS:

• A newspaper publisher like no other 
• A splendid profile of the first woman to be named the editor of The New York Times
• A Pulitzer Prize in 2010... and a Gannett Award in 2011
• The BIG difference between PRINT and ONLINE
• "The Afternoon Despatch & Courier", the newspaper closest to my heart

DNA does a U-turn and brings back the Edit Page

On February 1, 2011, DNA did away with the Edit Page.

On April, 2, 2013, one month ago, a new-look DNA brought the Edit Page back and proclaimed the change with a bold statement: "The Edit Page is back. But it's not boring. And while you're at it, check out the kickass Op-Ed page."

That reference to "boring" was possibly a dig at the editor who had written, back on February 1, 2011, that the newspaper was nixing the Edit Page because "it's boring, very few read it, and it's a chore to fill. It's more punditry than expert comment." 

Be that as it may, DNA is a proper newspaper again.

THE NEW-LOOK DNA HAS A NEW-LOOK EDIT PAGE.

Also read: When DNA scrapped the Edit Page.

A sight to gladden the hearts of journalists — and media students — everywhere

Not too long ago, the venerable New Yorker carried an extensive article explaining why India's newspaper industry is thriving.

Last week, on Saturday, April 27, Mint, too, provided evidence of the appeal newspapers have for Indians:

 Take a look at Mint's photo essay here: "Newspaper Nation".

The future of newspaper journalism

In Dubai's Khaleej Times, which celebrates its 35th anniversary today, my article on what the next 35 years hold for newspaper journalism:

Outlook editor Krishna Prasad has reproduced this piece on his New York Times-acclaimed blog, "sans serif": "Will TV channels lose out to newspapers by 2050?".

• The article has also been reproduced on the Pakistan Journalism portal, whose co-founder is Stephen Manuel (Steve, who lives in California, was my colleague at Khaleej Times many years ago): "Don't dwell on the past; digital is the future".

Outlook editor makes a forceful case for reading magazines

Writing in the 17th anniversary issue of Outlook, editor Krishna Prasad gives us his view on why newsmagazines will survive "even if they will struggle to thrive":

• Because the newsmagazine is the only pan-national print media vehicle in our country.
• Because the newsmagazine has a long shelf-life.
• Because the newsmagazine is classy a la carte; the newspaper is a rowdy buffet.
• Because, newsweeklies break stories.
• Because, newsmagazines provide a vivid, 360-degree view.
• Because, it is our opinion that the best opinion is in newsmagazines.
• Because, newsmagazines have a worldview. 
• Because, a daily newspaper is a habit.... A newsmagazine is a style statement.
• Because, none of our national newspapers will be able to do an issue like the one you are holding.

KP elaborates sagaciously on each point. Read his column in its entirety here: "Happy birthday to us".

ALSO READ: KP's recommendations on what to read if you want to become a media professional, more specifically a journalist: "What you read is really — R-E-A-L-L-Y — going to decide what you will write, and how you will write it."

ADDITIONAL READING: "Outlook's peerless issue on the Indian media crisis".

How do newspapers attract and engage readers in this age of social media?

Here's one way:

This cover is the work of Commits alumnus DAVID TUSING (Class of 2005), deputy editor of tabloid!, the features section of the Dubai-based Gulf News. Tusing posted this image on Facebook earlier this week with his comments: "Everyone's talking about Skyfall. So we thought we'd do something slightly different with our cover today. Thoughts?"

David (pictured at left) wrote later in an e-mail that he takes full credit for this cover. "I love to experiment with our covers whenever I get the opportunity," he wrote. Because of the internet and Facebook and Twitter, he continued, "I think the print medium has had to constantly find new ways and means to engage readers, not just with our covers but with the way we cover stories.

"We often find ourselves having to come up with fresh ideas to say something they may already know but in an innovative and interesting way that's still relevant — and that will make them pick up an issue from the stands.

"Needless to say, I love that challenge."

That's the spirit, David.

He wanted to know what I thought of this cover. So I wrote back, "Inventive, innovative, imaginative. And sure to draw in the inquisitive."

In the New Yorker — "Citizens Jain: Why India's newspaper industry is thriving"

Call it coincidence. Call it irony. Just a day after I published a post about the late Arthur Ochs Sulzberger of The New York Times ("A newspaper publisher like no other"), I learn from Outlook editor Krishna Prasad's blog that another venerable American publication, The New Yorker, has devoted a nine-page article to The Times of India and its owners, Samir and Vineet Jain.

Read Krishna Prasad's post here: "Samir Jain, Vineet Jain and TOI in The New Yorker".

And you can read the New Yorker article here: "Citizens Jain".

• Also read: "Paid news and the influence of newspaper owners". 

• Additional reading: An insight into the ingredients of great writing from The New Yorker. 

• EXTERNAL READING: On April 27, 2013, Mint, too, provided evidence of the appeal newspapers have for Indians:

 Take a look at Mint's photo essay here: "Newspaper Nation".

• UPDATE (May 7, 2013): The New Yorker has just published a letter by the executive editor of The Times of India regarding the "Citizens Jain" article. Read the letter here.

A newspaper publisher like no other

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, publisher (owner) of The New York Times, died on Saturday at the age of 86.

Reading his obituary and the other articles remembering an extraordinary personality, I could not help but wonder if such a publisher exists in India.

Here is an excerpt from the tribute written by a former Times editor, Max Frankel:

[Punch, as everyone called him,] was a media mogul who never ordered an article to be printed or deleted from the news columns of his paper. In a quarter-century in which I reported directly to him, he never once summoned me to his office to complain about our journalistic decisions. As he always insisted, The Times sold not just news, but judgment about the importance and interest of news, and once invested in his choice of subordinates he wanted them to feel secure in their labors, comfortable with their judgments. He had our backs.

Read Max Frankel's appreciation here: Punch Sulzberger and His Times.

Arthur Ochs Sulzberger in 1992, the year he relinquished the position of publisher to his son, Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr.  The portrait in the background is of his grandfather, Adolph S. Ochs, who bought The New York Times in 1896.

Here is a telling passage from the column written by Arthur Gelb, who joined The Times in 1944 as a copy boy and retired in 1989 as managing editor:

Punch’s punctuality could feel like a reproach. In 1951, as part of Punch’s training, [managing editor Turner] Catledge had arranged for him to spend two weeks with me when I was a beat reporter at the Municipal Building. When I arrived there at 10, my regular time, Punch was waiting for me.

The next morning I arrived at 9:45. Punch was already there. The third day I arrived at 9 and there he was. Defeated, I went back to my normal arrival time.

Punch shared my love for the ambience of that old newsroom. When the newsroom’s brass spittoons were declared obsolete, he claimed one and later installed it in the den of his Fifth Avenue apartment. As publisher, he sometimes waited for the paper — still warm to the touch — to be brought up from the basement presses.

Read Arthur Gelb's column in its entirety here: "A Newsroom and a Beloved Publisher".

Nicholas D. Kristof, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Times columnist, also remembers Punch fondly and recalls his leadership style, which is something Indian newspaper proprietors (I can think of one in particular) would do well to emulate:

In a newsroom of titanic egos, often clashing, he was typically gentle and his concern was the paper rather than himself. I remember one occasion when the Times was publishing a brutal article about one of his close friends: he read the article in its entirety the day before publication, but never asked for a word to be changed. He picked the best editors, and then left the journalism to the journalists.

You can read Nicholas D. Kristof's remembrance here: "Punch Sulzberger, R.I.P.".

For the complete obituary, which also gives us an insight into the workings of a legendary institution, go to "Publisher Who Transformed The Times for New Era".

• Photograph courtesy: The New York Times/Burk Uzzle

• Additional reading: "Talk to The Times".

• Also read: WHAT A CONTRAST — "Paid news and the influence of newspaper owners".

Is philanthro-journalism the way forward?

An excerpt from a well-researched, thought-provoking feature in a recent issue of The Economist:

Readers and advertisers have switched to the internet. Profit margins have shrunk or vanished. Papers are dying and journalists being sacked. Costly foreign and investigative reporting has been particularly squeezed, as has local news. One increasingly popular — if limited — response to these travails is the sort of “philanthro-journalism” long practised elsewhere...

Read the article in its entirety here: "Reporters without orders".

Also read, in the same issue, "Non-news is good news" (The threat of the internet has forced magazines to get smarter).

"A good copy editor is a reporter’s best friend"

The role of the copy editor in the newsroom remains an adversarial one. There’s no getting round that; copy editing requires critical analysis of other people’s work. It can lead to tension. Smart leaders try to defuse that tension and foster constructive relationships among groups of journalists. They correctly point out that a good copy editor is a reporter’s best friend — someone who will head off mistakes, is a trusted sounding board for risk-taking writing, and burnishes the reporter’s copy with headlines that invite the reader. Improving relationships between copy editors and the rest of the newsroom needs to be an important factor in our deliberations.

— From "Copy Editors: Journalism’s Interior Linemen", a tribute by Gene Foreman, who was the deputy editor and vice president of the Philadelphia Inquirer when he wrote this piece for Poynter.org in August 2002.

• Also read: "What it means to be a newspaper sub" and "Why subs are the lifeblood of a news organisation".

You used to be my type!

Back in the early '80s, when I first began my career as a journalist, computers were only a figment of an overactive imagination. We produced newspapers the old-fashioned way then, with typewriters, pens and pencils, rulers, and... typesetting machines.

I was reminded, when flipping through an old Outlook issue, of those now-ancient days (the bad ol' days I call them because I much prefer the new technology that made the production journalist's job so much easier).

So what did this typesetting machine look like? Here is a wonderfully evocative picture from that issue of Outlook by world-renowned photographer Pablo Bartholomew:

Bartholomew writes in the brief accompanying piece that, as a young lad, he used to visit various newspaper offices to drop off his father's copy — Bartholomew Senior was an art critic and also a photographer. A newspaper office then, says Bartholomew, resembled a chaotic circus, involving huge manpower and activity. The write-up continues:

The building was divided into separate floors, the editorial offices high above abuzz with the clank of typewriters, the lead type being set down below, while further down would be the printing press with ink and grease all over the floor, bales of newsprint being unloaded, all with their peculiar smells and sounds. Waves of activity took place as the printed pages of the newspaper, bound for different editions and locations, were manually assembled, bundled into trucks to be driven all night, and to railway stations and airports, to meet our breakfast tea.

The Mid Day office of the early '80s in Tardeo, Mumbai, came instantly to mind when I read that paragraph. Except for the fact that Mid Day was an afternoon newspaper and the printed copies were rushed out to locations nearby and distant in the daytime, everything was as Bartholomew describes it.

• You can take a look at the photograph again and also read the rest of Pablo Bartholomew's short write-up here: "Before the Pixels" (you will need to click through to get to Bartholomew's piece).

PS: In 1985, I quit Mid Day along with like-minded colleagues, led by the one and only Behram "Busybee" Contractor, to launch a rival paper called The Afternoon Despatch & Courier. ADC, as it used to be known, is still the newspaper closest to my heart.

• Want to know more about how newspapers were produced in the pre-computer era? Check out this fascinating website: "Newspaper production".

• Also read: "Celebrating Linotype, 125 Years Since Its Debut", a well-deserved tribute to the old warhorse of newspaper production in Atlantic magazine.

• And watch a trailer of Linotype: The Film here.

A splendid profile of the first woman to be named the editor of the New York Times

Once, it was preposterous to think that a woman could become the editor of the Times. When Eileen Shanahan, who went on to become a well-respected economics reporter, arrived for an interview with Clifton Daniel, the assistant managing editor, in 1962, she hid her desire to become an editor. “All I ever want is to be a reporter on the best newspaper in the world,” she told him.

“That’s good,” Daniel responded, as Shanahan told the story, “because I can assure you no woman will ever be an editor at the New York Times.”

JILL ABRAMSON

This is one of the many gems in a New Yorker profile of the new executive editor of the New York Times, Jill Abramson, by the respected journalist and author Ken Auletta.

There is more in the same vein:

Susan Chira, an assistant managing editor, says that she kept thinking that when she joined the Times, in 1981, many Times women were “sad, bitter, angry people who were talented but who had been thwarted.” Editors openly propositioned young women.

After giving us this little bit of history, Auletta plunges wholeheartedly into the business of helping us to understand what makes Jill Abramson tick. It is a splendid profile, worth reading not only for its insights into the decision-making process at one of the world's great newspapers but also for the quality of the writing itself. How much time and effort must have gone into putting together the thousands of words that make up this article!

Read the profile in its entirety here: Changing Times.

PS: Here's Ken Auletta on how Abramson first made it to the Times:

When the [Clarence Thomas confirmation] hearings ended, Abramson wrote [to] Maureen Dowd, who covered them for the Times, a mash note. Dowd, who later became a columnist, sent back a mash note of her own. Some years later, Dowd told Abramson that she was looking for more women to join the Times. “You know any sensational women out there?” Dowd asked.

“Yeah, me!” Abramson shot back.

Dowd reported this to the Washington bureau chief, Michael Oreskes, who invited Abramson to lunch. She joined the Times in September, 1997, and in December, 2000, she was named Washington bureau chief.

• In Talk to the Newsroom, a Q&A with Times editors, reporters, columnists, and executives, Jill Abramson offers some illuminating answers to questions posed by readers. Read especially her thoughts on whether young people will read newspapers and on how news affects real people.

• Also read Ken Auletta's illuminating book on the "business of news". It's available in the Commits library.

Controversial remarks on Karan Thapar's show by new Press Council chief

I caught the fag end of Karan Thapar's interview with the new chairman of the Press Council of India on CNN-IBN on Sunday and I was dumbfounded at what I was hearing. It seemed to me that Justice Markandey Katju did not have a very high opinion of the media; he appeared to be particularly incensed with television news channels.

So I was glad to read in today's Times of India that the Editors' Guild of India has been very critical of his remarks on Devil's Advocate.

Here is the Editors' Guild press statement in full (reproduced from ToI):

EDITORS' GUILD SLAMS KATJU’S COMMENTS

Editors' Guild press statement in response to remarks by Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandey Katju:

The Editors' Guild of India deplores the ill-considered, sweeping and uninformed comments on the media and on media professionals by the new chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju. Mr Katju has been making negative statements on the media ever since he assumed office, but his comments in an interview to Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN, broadcast over the weekend, touched a new low.

The Guild notes that Mr Katju thinks the media divides people on religious lines and is anti-people. He objects to TV channels that focus on cricket and other subjects that he disapproves of. He believes that journalists have not studied economics, politics, literature or philosophy, and he has a poor opinion of the media and media people (some of whom, as it happens, are members of the Press Council that Mr Katju chairs).

The Guild notes that Mr Katju, after expressing such sweeping negative sentiments, has asked the government for draconian powers to impose fines on the media, to withdraw advertisements and to suspend the licence to publish or broadcast. The Guild strongly opposes such powers being given to the Council, especially a Council led by someone who it would seem wants to invoke “fear” in the media.

The Guild wishes to draw attention to the fact that its attempt to engage in dialogue with Mr Katju has been rendered futile by Mr Katju, who however continues to express his tendentious and offensive views. The Guild wishes to remind Mr Katju that the Indian media is as diverse as it is vigorous, and that while it has drawbacks and shortcomings, on the whole it contributes to the strength of the Indian system.

Press freedom is a bulwark for the Indian people against the onslaught of people in authority, and the Guild will firmly oppose the assumption of any draconian powers by a Press Council that was created with an altogether different purpose. Further, as the very name of the Council suggests, only the print media comes within the Council’s ambit. The issues and drivers of the electronic media are such that they call for separate regulation. Therefore the Guild firmly believes that the Press Council should have its brief limited to the print media, as it is at the present.

UPDATE (November 3): Today's ToI carries this report on broadcast editors also criticising the new Press Council chairman: 

BROADCAST EDITORS CRITICIZE KATJU

New Delhi: After the Editors’ Guild of India, the Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) on Thursday criticized Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju for making “irresponsible and negative comments” about the media. It said such statements from the PCI chief were “extremely disappointing”.

Taking strong exception to Katju’s remark that “media professionals are of low intellectual calibre with poor knowledge of economics, history, politics, literature and philosophy,” the BEA said it “shows scant knowledge” of the great journalists the country has produced.

It said that in a democracy, criticism was welcome against institutions by individuals and representatives of institutions as that gives a fillip to self-corrective process. TNN

FURTHER READING:

• Mint editorial — "Educating Justice Katju".
• Asian Age column — "Much of what Justice Katju says is not new".
• The Economic Times on Sunday column — "Journos of the country, learn philosophy".

UPDATE (September 5, 2012): "The Hindu’s readers reveal Katju’s infinite bluff" (from Outlook editor Krishna Prasad's blog)

Reading the newspapers every day pays off big-time!

A Commits student has won Rs. 6 lakh on a Bengali TV quiz show.

And what is the connection with reading the daily newspapers? Here is the self-explanatory e-mail I received yesterday from First Year student Agnihotra Roy:

I wanted to inform you, no, thank you. I had taken part in a quiz contest in Kolkata on Star Jalsa, the Bengali TV channel. The show is called Koti Takar Baaji ("Bet Worth 1 Crore") and it is hosted by one of the big-shot actors of the Bengal film industry.

AGNIHOTRA ROY

It's a really tricky quiz show. You have to be extremely fast and be prepared to take risks. I got through to the final round... and I won a whopping Rs. 6 lakh!

Reading the newspapers every day paid off in a big way!

I also want to mention here that at a very critical stage I got a question from Pratibha Ma'am's quiz monthly quiz at Commits, and that helped me a lot. This was the question: Which is the largest living being on earth? Thanks to Pratibha Ma'am, who had asked the same question at our last quiz, I was able to answer the question: The Great Barrier Reef.

I had to answer eight questions in all. I knew the answers to the first seven but I had no clue about the 8th one, which was the trickiest question of all: In Greco-Roman language, what was Amman known as in ancient times? The options were Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Miami. I must say I had my share of luck here. I placed my money on Philadelphia because what came to my mind was Delphus, which is a Greco-Roman word. It happened to be the right answer!

The last Sunday of October was, thus, a super Sunday for me. I am now looking forward to the telecast, which, I was told, will happen in the last week of this month.

Congratulations, Agnihotra!

Agnihotra, who, like his classmates, is on an NGO internship break from college, has been making a special effort, like his classmates, to read the daily newspapers.

THE "MAGIC BOX" EFFECT

I call this the "Magic Box" effect. In my journalism class every day, one student, whose name is picked out of a bowl (the "Magic Box"), has to discuss in detail at least three stories she or he has read in that day's papers. This is a compulsory exercise which owes its origin to the fact that most young people today find reading the newspapers every day a chore (and a bore) and find reasons to give it a miss.

I tell our students that reading the newspaper is vital for two main reasons:

1. It will help them to learn about the world around them on a daily basis. So newspapers should be read in order to absorb information.

2. Journalistic writing, at the basic level, is functional writing. So reading newspapers closely and studying the writing style will help them to become better writers. Whether you like it or not, people (especially employers, bosses, colleagues at work) will judge you on the basis of how well you speak and how well you write, no matter which media career you choose.

During their time at Commits, our students, who all hope to become successful media professionals one day, do seem to realise the value of the "Magic Box" exercise. It is our hope that this daily habit at Commits of reading the newspaper will become a lifelong one.

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If you don't read, you can't write.

How the lack of a reading habit can be a serious handicap.