The prostitution of Indian journalism by pimps, promoters and proprietors selling editorial space without letting the reader know what is independently verified news and what is a paid-for advertisement in the garb of news, has attained pandemic proportions.
“Paid News”, as the trend has been sadly named, happens not just during election time, but in between elections too. It afflicts not just the language media, but mainstream English media too. It is not just political news that is coloured, but business, sport, cinema and everything else, including the TV listings.
Above all, it is not something that small papers and extortionists are indulging in to keep their business going; it has become a revenue stream for profitable media organisations to keep the ink black on the bottomline, as trust and credibility are thrown to the wolves by suited-booted “managers”.
The Rajya Sabha, the election commission and the press council are all seized of the issue.
The country’s #1 business investigative journalist Sucheta Dalal who has written fearlessly on the subject—a trend that has deep implications for Indian democracy and reader trust in the media in the long run—throws light on a scandal in which India’s top filmmaker was held to ransom by “a leading media house”.
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By SUCHETA DALAL
Moneylife has often commented on the brazen sale of news by a leading media house. However, we also acknowledged that the group usually made a win-win offer which was tough for companies to refuse. After all, which company would want to say no to something as lucrative as assured positive coverage, plus a steep discount in advertising tariffs, in return for a small equity stake?
However, in recent times, companies complain about the strong-arm tactics used by the group’s media arm.
Several companies have reported that they are told to appear first on the group’s media channel, during the quarterly results announcements. A print interview is thrown in as a carrot. Or they can face the stick: the prospect of being black-listed by its large circulation dailies.
As for the group’s city supplement, it is not only common knowledge that all its pages are for sale, but it has even dropped the pretence that its news and photographs are anything but paid publicity material.
Yet, the group still managed to shock us, with its recent strong-arm tactics against a top-grossing Hindi movie.
Its director told us how the media-selling arm of the publishing house approached him with a ‘publicity package’ which offered a number of articles and photographs for a price.
The director said a polite ‘No’. He would buy advertisements to publicise the movie, but the editorial would be up to the publication. But he was in for a shock. He was told that if he did not accept the package, there would be no editorial coverage of the movie in any of the group’s publications.
Given the stakes involved in the movie business, the director consulted his partners and friends in Bollywood. Many supported his stand, while there were others who were quite happy to accept the offer. However, our director-friend put his foot down and invited several like-minded producers to discuss the implications of what he calls the ‘dadagiri of this brand’.
The publishing house representative apparently said the director was making a needless fuss. After all, “film journalism is not serious journalism” (suggesting there are no ethical issues in buying editorial coverage).
What is most heartening is that, unlike wimpy corporate India, a dozen top producers and directors got together, discussed the issue and had the courage to say no, even though their stakes are significantly higher. The media house, realising that the issue could get out of hand, then backtracked and actually wrote a letter of apology for trying to pressure the industry.
The story had a happy ending, because the movie went on to set success records.
Why has this not made news? Because Bollywood also realises that it needs big media and is not idiot enough to shoot itself in the foot. Moneylife doffs its cap to the producers who had the guts to say ‘No’.
Also read: Editors’ Guild on paid news, private treaties
Also read: Pyramid Saimira, Tatva & Times Private Treaties
Times Private Treaties gets a very public airing
SUCHETA DALAL: Forget the news, you can’t believe the ads either
Does he who pays the piper call the tune?
SALIL TRIPATHI: The first casualty of a cosy deal is credibility
Selling the soul? Or sustaining the business?
PAUL BECKETT: Indian media holding Indian democracy ransom
Does he who pays the piper call the tune?
PRATAP BHANU MEHTA: ‘Indian media in deeply murky ethical territory’
The scoreline: Different strokes for different folks
A package deal that’s well worth a second look
ADITYA NIGAM: ‘Editors, senior journalists must declare assets’
How much do readers distrust us? Not enough
The brave last words of Prabhash Joshi
‘Only the weather section isn’t sold these days’
Tags: Churumuri, Journalism for Sale, Paid News, Paid-For News, Sans Serif, Sucheta Dalal
16 March 2010 at 4:34 pm
Well whatever this newspaper does, doesn’t surprise anyone, anymore.
Their Realestate supplement kept saying “This is a great time to buy property” even when the Rates hit the roof, and even when they were going down! The supplement is full of paid up articles.
16 March 2010 at 7:15 pm
Some newspapers will stoop to any lengths to boost their bottom line.
16 March 2010 at 10:32 pm
The old lady has become a madam for “pay to pump” news prostitution.
16 March 2010 at 10:59 pm
This is a good post. Thanks.
16 March 2010 at 11:01 pm
Miss Sucheta Dalal’s columns in Indian Express very much. Was IE going the news pimiping way a reason for her going away frm it?
17 March 2010 at 8:59 am
I very distinctly remember a news item on the 3rd or 4th day after release of this movie, stating how big a hit this movie is and the record collections and all the blah… It was on the main paper itself and not in the supplement. Clearly, it was not “news”; perhaps an apology for its boorishness.
Here is the link for the article: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIBG/2010/01/06&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00303&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T
17 March 2010 at 1:21 pm
@harkol – well said :)
if u read their property supplement – line up the first page headlines for the past so many months – no recession ever hit this sector !!
how long will they fool the public like this ?
17 March 2010 at 2:11 pm
Karihaida:
IE is perhaps the only objective Paper we have in India, that has resisted compromising to a great extent. Sucheta ofcourse is a very well respected journalist, who headed out to pursue greater opportunities.
The group in question here is another one – with TV, radio interests as well. People in the know for long have told me how compromised this group is…
17 March 2010 at 3:45 pm
it is not new. Take any property supplement. There is hardly any real estate firm which is not giving the best of everything including full compliance to all the regulations and customer needs according to the reporters who do the rounds
18 March 2010 at 1:10 am
Didn’t Aamir boycott Filmfare and its award ceremony for a very long period, for some reason?
It is so apparent when the same article is mirrored in all its papers and a poorly translated version appears in VK.
18 March 2010 at 11:13 am
For all you know, this could be the beginning of the fall of a once-great institution. The circulation of the leader is falling, we hear.
18 March 2010 at 1:50 pm
Private treaties are another form of prostitutionalized journalism that did not find a mention in the above article. I hv written a small article on it in my blog: http://vasantp.blogspot.com/2008/08/private-treaties.html
18 March 2010 at 5:56 pm
This is a very nice post thank you dear chrumuri!This happens everyday I still remember some journals just boosting the customers to buy shares of IT sector,and writing about some IT companies conitnulsythis happens even in case films paid news has its own effect on readers.I have got a very bad expericne about this I read a cover artilce about the film “A” in Taranga just by reading this I went to watch the movie with my family but this was terrible expericne the dialouges and the women are pictarised as villians and from that time I stopped beleving the news paper ctitics about movies.
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