Sahara asking journos to get ads

So Sahara group has asked its journalists to get ads also. At least in regional channels of Sahara group they have set the target for reporters, can you believe this?
Naturally there is resentment and many reporters have quit. Nothing coule be worse for a journo than the situation that he goes for an assignment and while talking to a person, cajoles him to give an ad for the channel/paper. Once you bring ad, how will you write or do a story against the person? The concet of free and fair journalism would be over then.

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Appointing correspondents in foreign countries

It is a unique feature of Indian journalism that even big papers refrain from appointing correspondents in foreign countries. Even keeping stringers or letting some Indian living in foreign country to write for them is rare.
Big newspapers like HT and Times of India remain content with a correspondent each in UK and USA while leaving vast regions and particularly the African continent without a single correspondent. (The Hindu is the exception and has some foreign correspondents).
The volatile middle-east and the countries of Gulf and East Asia with whom we have had historic relations remain no where on the agenda of these papers. It is a great asset to have a correspondent in a country because he gives you perspective of a story rather than agency reports that are same and appear everywhere.
So it was refreshing to read Asian Age the other day when a story appeared from Poland. (Seems AA has appointed a correspondent or find a person to write for it).
The 99% Christian country's reaction on protests in India over Da Vinci Code movie made an interesting read because it was an story of an Indian issue from the perspective of Indians and the clergy and locals of Poland who were surprised by these protests had a wide range of reactions. Unfortunately, the so-called big newspapers seem to think that UK and US together comprise the rest of the world. How myopic indeed!

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HT Jaipur shuts down

It has saddened me. The news of Hindustan Times Jaipur edition getting closed. In a couple of years Raipur, Nagpur and now Jaipur, three major editions were closed by this big media group.
I am appalled. It takes years for newspapers to give you back the revenue. Newspapers are not like biscuits or say washing powder that sell just by advertising.
However, many marketing guys think that it is also a business similar to any other product, which it is not. The guys who order closing down the editions on the basis of financial reports get huge pay packets and justify their salaries by such tactics.
They will leave a media organisation and then join either Parle biscuit or Harpic. But what about the journo? Unfortunately the best and trusted media groups have become less reliable.

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Mid Day expansion, going to Bangalore

Mid Day is going to launch its Mumbai edition soon. Good news because there is scope for eveningers/afternoon papers in India but we have no quality paper with a great circulation in any big city except ofcourse Mid Day Mumbai.
Even in Hindi there is no multiple-edition evening newspaper. It will be at least a month before the paper would hit the stands. Exchange4media.com's Noor Fathima Warsia reports that Mid Day group is studying the potential of evening newspapers in other cities and might go for launches in three cities in next three years.

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