It does not look like its 23 years since I joined this prestigious newspaper and I was so thoroughly ingrained on my then bony frame , that The Hindu stands for A B C of journalism. Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity. It was with great pride that I would stride into every home during research and take all feedback from readers and others - that The Hindu is for the aged , easy chaired, old world charm, very belated in breaking news and almost wont speak of anything not verified.
There were stories ( and in good humour too) of how the press used to be stopped for the final confirmation of the doctor's note to publish the demise of even great leaders. Well, invariably I would be defending all the feedback and explaining the user that The Hindu stood for the ABC of journalism and will not publish anything that is not fit its editorial policy.
Cut to April 2011, when I visited some of my friends and past colleagues in this organisation , I cherished and relived some of the stories but prided at the fact that the "Mount Road Raja" stood for what few others did.
The 23 years that flew by had me witness some from close quarters and others from a distance of how editorial principles were misused, abused, disused and even refused, courtesy my career path in the media industry.
I have been happy at how principled some were: The publishers of PC Quest were always ready to inform the manufacturer about the possible poor review his product is likely to get and any publicity/advertisement in the concerned issue can be dropped. A clear message that you are important but our reviews cant be influenced.
I further witnessed the era of the internet when there was an abject surrender to the monetary pressures applied by advertisers on what appeared and what did not. In parallel there was a revolution of the open sale of column centimeter of editorial content, a blatant attempt to influence the user through glamour and clamour.
Today, I stand a bit disappointed after reading the letter of Mr. N.Ravi to his colleagues and the narration of the editorial compromises that he claims have been made. http://tinyurl.com/6ytln3n
The tussle between circulation ads and editorial promises were always interesting, one always supporting the other but now the wall that existed seems to have been an imaginary line.
ABC has quite slipped to mean Advertisements, Bias and Circulation.
Amidst all this I still feel there stood a few who will not possibly compromise. They will grow in stature, at least in my mind and a lot many like me.
Just a reminder of what journalists stand for - ''to give the news impartially, without fear or favor, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved"
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