Save the Chennai based "The Hindu" Newspaper
The following letter was sent to the employees of The Hindu, the Chennai based newspaper on April-20,2011.
Dear colleagues,
Even as we are entering the second, and what might turn out to be a
prolonged, phase of conflict and turbulence in the institution, I
write to seek your understanding.
In a shocking display of bad faith that has left me deeply anguished,
N. Ram and some of the directors at the meeting of the Board on April
18, 2011 have sought to remove me and appoint as editor Siddharth
Varadarajan who joined The Hindu in 2004.
You are all aware that I have been working in a wholly professional
capacity for several decades ever since I joined the newspaper as a
reporter in 1972. During this period, I have been fortunate to enjoy
your cooperation and help in taking the newspaper forward. After 1991
when I took over as editor, our team transformed The Hindu from a
Chennai-centred daily with just one page of local news to a well
recognized national newspaper with extensive local and state coverage
spread over four pages, and attractive features. We started a lively
engagement with the leading issues of the day with extensive coverage
and diverse viewpoints. We sought to uphold editorial integrity,
seeking accountability from institutions and public officials without
fear or favour.
Though the economy then was not so buoyant as during the later period,
between January 1991 and June 2003, the circulation of The Hindu
increased from 4,52,918 copies (July-December 1990) to 9,33,458 copies
(January-June 2003) or by 4,80,540 copies or 106.1%. In the more
recent period, The Hindu has been losing market share, and from being
level with the Hindustan Times, it has now fallen far behind that
newspaper. Findings from the most recent market survey present a
depressing picture of reader perception of unappealing content and a
pronounced bias towards the left.
It is a matter of public record that N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, was to
retire on May 4, 2010 on turning 65 and I was to take over as
Editor-in-Chief under the arrangement agreed upon. However, in a
shocking display of bad faith, Ram went on to renege on his commitment
to retire and the whole process of editorial succession came to a
standstill.
During the conflict created by Ram's breach of faith, Ram and a group
of directors on the Board removed the powers and responsibilities of
N. Murali, Managing Director in a vindictive move that was overturned
by the Company Law Board, Chennai Bench that also came out with a
severe indictment that their action was lacking in probity, good faith
and fairness. Barely four months after the indictment, Ram and his
group of directors have turned on me with the same lack of probity,
good faith and fairness and have sought to remove me and impose a plan
of editorial succession that is totally at variance with the
longstanding tradition and practice in the institution and is also
contrary to the directions of the Company Law Board.
Almost a year past the agreed retirement date, his position having
become untenable in the face of the Company Law Board order, Ram seems
bent on taking all the editorial directors-most are in their 50s--into
retirement with him with a scorched earth policy to ensure that no one
in the family succeeds him. Instead of coming up with a succession
plan, he and some of the other directors have come up with a plan of
wholesale removal. In a sudden change of rules and under the specious
plea of separating ownership from management, along with my removal as
editor, Nirmala Lakshman is to be forced to "step down" as joint
editor and Malini Parthasarathy as executive editor.
Apart from the basic unfairness of the removal, the move seeks to
entrench several of the distortions that have crept into the editorial
framework since 2003 when Ram was appointed Editor-in-Chief by stealth
over the protests of four of us. Among the issues that I have raised
with the other directors during the discussions in the Board and
outside are: the unmerited coverage of certain political favourites on
specific directions; excessive coverage of the activities of the left
and some of its leaders; for reasons that are bound to emerge sooner
rather than later, turning the newspaper into an apologist for A. Raja
through the 2G scam coverage, remaining deafeningly silent on his
resignation in the face of mounting evidence even when demanding the
resignation of Suresh Kalmadi, Ashok Chavan and Yeddyurappa in similar
circumstances; pronounced pro-China tilt, blacking out or downplaying
any news that is less than complimentary to the Chinese Communist
regime; and contrary to the practice in any mainline newspaper, the
Editor-in-Chief indulging in an unceasing self-glorification campaign,
publishing his own ribbon cutting pictures and reports of his
activities and speeches with a regularity that would put corporate
house journals to shame.
The Hindu as an institution had in the past valued its editorial
integrity over all else. In the recent period, editorial integrity has
been severely compromised and news coverage linked directly to
advertising in a way that is little different from paid news. A
meaningless distinction has been sought to be made between walls and
lines, and the walls between editorial and advertising are sought to
be replaced by "lines" between them. Very recently, those of us who
were not privy to the deal making learnt to our shock that a major
interview with A. Raja in defence of the telecom licensing policy
published on May 22, 2010-that was referred to by the Prime Minister
in his press conference--involved a direct quid pro quo in the form of
a full page, colour advertisement from the Telecom Ministry that was
specially and hurriedly cleared by the Minister personally for
publication on the same day in The Hindu. The contrast between such a
deed and pious editorial declarations including the campaign against
paid news cannot be starker. To continue with such practices, the
editorial structure is sought to be changed, with the editor being
made subordinate to an executive board comprising a majority of
business side executives. The undermining of the primacy of the
editorial function is an attack on the very soul of The Hindu. In the
context of these distortions that have crept into actual practice, the
high sounding code of editorial values that is sought to be publicised
now would seem no more than empty rhetoric.
This round of turbulence comes at a time when all manner of investors
are looking to gain influence and control over the media, and
competition is increasing with newspapers striving to attract the
attention of readers through better, more contemporary and enriched
content. As part of the journalistic team, all of you have contributed
so much to the growth of The Hindu and are vitally interested in the
task of moving forward in a highly competitive environment even while
observing the highest standards of editorial integrity. I feel
strongly that when a distorted picture has emerged based on selective
leaks, information on the happenings cannot be restricted to the
confines of the boardroom and all the journalists as stakeholders need
to be taken into confidence.
It is in this spirit that I am sharing my views with you all. I also
write to you with the confidence that the unfair and untenable move
will not be allowed to prevail. In the task of upholding the editorial
principles that are so dear to all of us, I appeal for your support
and understanding.
Yours sincerely,
N. Ravi
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