I been noticing editorial trends very closely for a long time now. Couple of Years back Editor of Outlook Magazine Mr. Vinod Mehta said something about the cardinal principle, the foundation on which the editorial wall should stand. According to him, the editorial content of a credible title( Magazine and Broadsheets) needs to be a balanced mix of what the readers want to know and what the editor wants them to know. Alas! not many , follow this golden rule today. The thin line between editorial integrity and business interest is crossed too often these days.
Yesterday the front page caption of Times of India Paper read - " IT'S WAR: Naxals Butcher 74 in worst blow to security forces" . Just out of bed, waking up to a brand new day, the worst thing that can happen to you, is the sight of a blood stained paper at your doorsteps. I know today newspapers are all about building numbers, but by giving it such a bloody caption we are abetting the crime. We are helping the perpetrators of such heinous acts in succeeding in their mission to terrorize people. This caption could have been written in a more humane way........A Black Tuesday: 74 soldiers walk the path of death.
Wake-up my editorial friends, go back to the bible of Journalism, read the mission again. And stop taking sides with the Naxals, the bandits, the rapists, the murderers. Be on this side and not on the bloody side.
