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| March 27, 2000 | ||
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| Scoop
to Conquer Why readers prefer gossip on page one. And other newspaper tales. By Sumit Mitra INDIA'S NEWSPAPER REVOLUTION
Newspapering is the ultimate value-addition to news. The story of how it is done -- through toil, sweat, swears and heartburn in the news rooms and editors' cabins -- is dreary enough to be spiked. Even drearier is a venture to look at a society in transition, like the Indian one, through the prism of the newspaper industry. With just about 45 copies of dailies sold per 1,000 people, Indian newspapers are perhaps more driven by society than driving it. Robin Jeffrey has, in a somewhat daunting academic work on the rise of the print media from the mid-'70s to the mid-'90s -- 500 per cent circulation growth -- tried to read social messages in the numbers. Some of his findings are interesting. Like the growth of Eenadu's circulation in Andhra Pradesh being fuelled by the anti-liquor campaign, and the contribution of both the newspaper and the prohibitionist cause to the Telugu Desam Party's sweeping back to power in 1994. Also interesting is the story of Punjab Kesari, which began putting its magazine section on the front page to evade the censors during the Emergency and was surprised to see its circulation double. Sales dropped when it tried to return to the old news-on-front-page format but recovered after it quickly reverted to the "Emergency format". Jeffrey began his career as a sports
reporter in Canada and came to India in 1967 as a schoolteacher. His book,
though loaded with insight into the Indian media, carries a tint of sepia.
With cable and TV bringing news to homes -- often in real time -- and the
old media making forays into cyberspace, maybe the real story has been
missed. JACKBOOT
JUNGLE ON THE ABYSS: PAKISTAN AFTER THE
COUP Pakistan after the coup. The idea is as topical as it is interesting; especially because India has a large audience that eagerly laps up anything that is available on the neighbour. A collection of essays by experts -- second in a series after an earlier one on the Kargil war. But unlike its predecessor this one is more promising in its endeavour than its actual delivery. Coups -- especially in Pakistan -- are as passionate as wars. General Pervez Musharraf's takeover was a complete thriller. Pakistan after the coup has been equally dramatic, Musharraf attracting attention with every single speech, every single decision. The essays, however, lack vibrancy. Though well written the book does not really enlighten. Six of the 11 essays have been written by Pakistanis themselves -- and not all of them are hacks or sermonising retired generals. Though critical in their self-appraisal, they are not to the point. Most of them have written pieces that could well have been penned before October 12, the day Pakistan was subjected to a third coup. "Fundamental Flaws'', the essay by
Khaled Ahmed, consulting editor of Friday Times, is a must-read, the only
one that is gripping and one that provides an insight into Musharraf and
the army. For interesting observations into the cultural and religious
aspects, read Jason Burke and Daniel Lak. The problem with this collection
lies in its packaging. Many of the essays would be worth the reading time
in another collection. They just don't fit into a series whose USP is
analysing Pakistan after the coup. |
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 © Living Media India Ltd |
Newspapers
are better read than read about. When the paper is delivered in the
morning, it comes shrink-wrapped, with the measured splash of ink on its
pages, the telling pictures, the neat alignment of columns and in an
accepted language -- sublime in the editorial section and often ridiculous
on the news pages, depending on how ridiculous is the world that is being
reported.