Vinod Mehta on the changing face of the Indian media
Vinod Mehta, the editor of Outlook, offers his take on the growing concerns over trivialisation of news and the advent of marketing in journalism.
Mehta also disbands popular myths about readership research in his essay. A must read for all — especially those beginning their careers in the media.
[B]rand managers, with honourable exceptions, are congenitally incapable of understanding the nature and purpose of journalism in a free society. They simply cannot understand it because of their background: which is sales in order to maximise profits. They can never understand that content is more, much more, than what readers want. It also has a social dimension. Thus, content is a calculated mix of what the reader wants and what he does not want. The trick is to marry the two to make great journalism and big profits.
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In my nearly 25 years as editor, I have heard a lot of nonsense talked about journalism, but this piece of nonsense is outrageously and self-evidently absurd and dangerous. To demolish it is urgent. To let it become the benchmark of our profession is to put in peril everything we have worked for in 60 years. I ask you this: If some readers wish to read about paedophilia, should we oblige? If some readers wish to read about kinky fetishes, should we oblige? The whole idea is preposterous and I dare say most editors would end up in jail if they followed the new marketing wisdom.
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