Google now has a search facility by which you can look up images of people by putting in an image in the search window.
This is what turns up when you look for Aakar Patel, at various times the executive editor of Mid-Day, columnist for Mint Lounge, Hindustan Times, Express Tribune, First Post and Open, and a talking head on CNN-IBN.
Just.
He said it: ‘Indian journalism is regularly second-rate’
IJR 
it seems aakar thinks too high of foreign print media; and poorly of indian journalists because his own writings don’t exhibit much merit, or substance, and no one offers him a full time position or engages him as editor.
in any case, why should one measure indian journalism / indian journalists by foreign standards? indian newspapers stand with head high. even british and americans experts have spoken volumes of indian newspapers. it’s a pity that an ill-informed person slams indian newspaper writing.
i’ve been reading ny times, wsj, la times, london’s f t, and the times quite often, and i have discovered innumerable howlers in the language, structure, and overall compositions.
please don’t forget newspaper by nature is not literature; it’s produced in hurry and therefore to find journalistic writing perfect in every sense of the term is unrealistic. read gautam ahikari in t o i,shekhar gupta of i e , or m j akbar to see indians producing excellent stories/ articles. i’m sure they don’t need aakar’s approval or foreign stamp to be deemed top newpaper journalis.
Akar Patel is an interesting case – A leftist liberal intellectual, that supports political dynasties (like Gandhi/Bhutto type), and feels corruption is least of our problems, while playing up the ‘caste cause’ as the reason for all that happens in Sub-continent.
For eg. If you told Indian cricket team does well, Akar Patel would do a piece on its caste composition, and show why things fell in place. He can do another piece when Cricket team does not do well as well using the same caste analysis!!
He is one of the polarizing characters, who can write some sublime pieces (one he wrote about the plight of maid-servants in India to being that of slaves is something to savor) to some ridiculous pieces that’s devoid of all logic.
Perhaps his many faces above – reflects the man!!
So Aakar Patel thinks journalism is second rate. Considering he is as third rate as a journalist can get, that certainly makes the average pen pusher much better than him.