Stephen J. Dubner, the journalist who co-authored Freakonomics with the economist Steven D. Levitt, writes on his blog that the most interesting question thrown in the run-up to their new book, SuperFreakonomics, has come from an (unnamed) Indian journalist. In fact, the blog post is titled: “The greatest question ever asked?” The question: “You state…
Monthly Archives: October 2009
Sanskriti Awards for Teresa Rehman, Bahar Dutt
Two young journalists, Teresa Rehman (left) of Tehelka and Bahar Dutt of CNN-IBN, are among five winners of the Sanskriti Awards for 2009. Now in its 30th year, the Sanskriti Awards are given to young talents between 25 and 35 years of age, and will be presented in New Delhi on Novemebr 20, according to…
Except that the cartoonist is in multicolour
An exhibition of cartoons by Balraj K.N., in Bangalore, from October 31 to November 14. Daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Venue: Indian Cartoon Gallery, No. 1, Midford House, Midford Garden, off M.G. Road.
‘Indian media better than overseas media’
Biting the hand that feeds the oxygen of publicity is a bloodsport among celebrities. Kabir Bedi, who found his niche in the American TV series Sandokan and later starred in the James Bond film Octopussy, thankfully bucks the trend, in an interview in The Pioneer, Delhi: Question: Being an ardent follower of news, how do…
A house for Mr & Mrs Roy for Rs 270,000,000
From The Insider column in the Indian edition of Forbes: “We hear that that grand old titan [of Indian steel], Russi Mody, is selling his two-storied bungalow on Calcutta’s tony Belvedere Road. Apparently he has a lifetime interest in the property, and it will change hands only after he passes on. “One of our avian…
India’s best editors, wiser than rest together?
Via Twitter, CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, names the “most outstanding election analysts across channels” on counting day, October 22. His verdict: Kumar Ketkar, editor of the Marathi daily Loksatta, and Palagummi Sainath, rural affairs editor of The Hindu, both of whom were on CNN-IBN. “Wiser than all Delhi editors put together,” says Sardesai, whose own…
… may please treat this as a personal invitation
The names of the key engineers who demolished the great wall in Indian journalism—the proprietors, the publishers, the brand managers, the spineless editors and journalists who refused to stand up to the advertiesrs and space sellers—are missing from the gabfest of the Foundation for Media Professionals. Were they not invited? Or did they decline to…
It ain’t over till the fat lady & the slim boy sing
The latest round of State elections has ended with a clear victor in each State, but the bragging rights has only just begun. CNN-IBN, quoting Television Audience Measurement (TAM) ratings, claims it was “India’s most watched English news channel across audience groups across India on polling day. The channel was the leader in all-India market…
BBC journalists secure abducted cop’s release
It’s one of journalism’s oldest questions: should journalists in the line of duty play a part in unfolding news events? Should they be the eyes and ears of their audience at all times, as expected of their profession, regardless of the situation? Or, are there occasions when exceptions can be made like, say, a life…
20 tweetable truths about magazines. Really?
The Magazine Publishers of America‘s video to show how the magazine industry is alive, well and thriving in the United States. But elsewhere? Link courtesy “Mr Magazine” Samir Husni
Anybody here who’s Hindu and wants to convert?
In the 1980s and ’90s, the undivided Indian Express, it was rumoured, was loathe to hiring Muslim journalists because of the pronounced pro-Hindu sentiment of its proprietor Ramnath Goenka, although there were exceptions to the rule like Saeed Naqvi and Rasheeda Bhagat. Thankfully, that trend changed with the death of the old man and the…
Iran to China, Newsweek has the story covered
More wisdom from the all-seeing, all-knowing editors of Newsweek*. On the left, the cover of the June 1, 2009 issue. Coverline: “Everything you think you know about Iran is wrong“. On the right, the cover of the October 26, 2009 issue. Coverline: “Everything you know about China is wrong“. Also read: Who, why, when, how,…
Sting camera that Amitabh Bachchan didn’t see
The BBC’s “star of the millennium”, Amitabh Bachchan, has always had a hate-hate relationship with the media, except when he has had to love it to push a product or push himself, which is usually the same thing. In the first week of his 67th year in the solar system (birthday: October 11), Mr Bachchan…
Knight News Challenge: Win upto Rs 25 crore
NEWS RELEASE: The John F. and James L. Knight Foundation has extended upto 15 December 2009, the deadline for the the global Knight News Challenge that awards up to $5 million (approximately Rs 25 crore) for ideas that use digital experiments to transform community news. The Knight News Challenge is open to innovators worldwide and…
US scribe discovers India’s Abu Ghraib at Bhogal
JOEL ELLIOTT, an American freelance journalist working as a “staff writer” at Caravan magazine in Delhi since May this year, has been the subject of a bizarre torture incident. According to a signed statement issued by Elliott, a recipient of the Payne Award for courage, he was assaulted by Delhi police personnel on the morning…
RAJAN BALA: Cricketers, write your own columns
The death of the veteran cricket writer Rajan Bala has thankfully not gone unnoticed. ANI reveals that his real name was Natarajan Balasubramaniam. Cricinfo, the Bhagwad Gita of the Beautiful Game, has a short obituary. The Times of India‘s Satish Vishwanathan uses a Sachin Tendulkar anecdote to demonstrate Bala’s hold. His protege, Suresh Menon, writes…
Rajan Bala, a stellar cricket writer, is no more
sans serif records with deep regret the passing away of the veteran cricket writer Rajan Bala in Bangalore this morning. He was 63 years old, and is survived by his wife and two sons. Mr Bala, a former cricket correspondent of Deccan Herald, The Hindu, Indian Express and The Asian Age, had suffered a cardiac…
Selling the soul? Or sustaining the business?
PRITAM SENGUPTA writes from New Delhi: Let it be said upfront: Indian newspapers have sold their front pages to advertisers before, and The Times of India is not the first. In 1948, India’s self-proclaimed “national newspaper”, The Hindu, reported the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on its back page, because, back then, the “Mount Road Mahavishnu”…
Everybody is naked in the newspaper hamaam?
If you don’t like the message, shut out the messenger? Two weeks ago, the Indian government threatened to file a First Information Report against two reporters of The Times of India, Nirmalya Banerjee and Prabin Kalita, for authoring “wrong” reports of a conflagration between Indian and Chinese troops in Northeast India. The move was thankfully…
Shashi Tharoor ain’t the only Tweetiya in town
Indian minister Shashi Tharoor isn’t the only one getting into trouble with his Twitter updates. Indian-born journalist Raju Narisetti too is. The former editor of the business daily Mint, now a managing editor at The Washington Post looking after features and its website, has fallen foul of the paper’s ombudsman Andrew Alexander for his tweets…
IJR 