MxMIndia

Tag: independent

  • The blatant sexism in the TOI website & glamour sections coupled with sleazy, distasteful writing has been damned all over, notes Ranjona Banerji

    Now even Times of India partner Huff​Po takes off on “seriously sexist tweet”

     

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The poor Times of India. In this globalised world, the venerable old newspaper’s sex and trivia-filled website is once more the focus of world attention. And all because of one tweet about a film star’s cleavage that went wrong. As  media watchers will know, the matter escalated after that and was compounded to the nth degree by the editor of Bombay Times writing the worst open letter in the history of open letters – to use the kind of hyperbole so popular with Indian politicians. Even so, it was an appalling piece of writing.

     

    Now the new scrutiny of the TOI website and glamour sections’ blatant sexism coupled with third class writing and then rolled in sleazy bad taste has hit even its international partner, web phenomenon The Huffington Post. This is what Huffington Post UK had to say: “Last week Times of India posted a seriously sexist tweet about Bollywood star Deepika Padukone. Now, as if to add insult to injury, the paper has called the actress a “hypocrite” for saying their behaviour was unacceptable.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/24/times-of-india-deepika-padukone-cleavage-tweet_n_5871672.html

     

    The Huffington Post tied up with The Times of India in August this year.

     

    Since TOI’s fight with Padukone got so much social media play, it was not long before people noticed the other rubbish on TOI’s website. Like a story about how many big stars (female) had bad legs. The writer – I use the word loosely – had commented on the legs of many international and Indian stars. This particular story has since been deleted but this is what The Independent had to say about it:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/times-of-india-hot-babes-with-ugly-legs-article-targeting-angelina-jolie-and-bollywood-stars-sparks-outrage-9753587.html

     

    The website Mumbaiwalla, which tracks and reports on high society happenings in Mumbai and India, wrote this excoriating piece on the Bombay Times letter to Padukone:

    http://mumbaiwalla.com/?p=2040&preview=true

     

    But the best response has undoubtedly come from India’s best-known (or should be best known) a stand up comedians and actors. This video by the group that calls itself All India Bakchod on an edit meeting at TOI is nothing short of brilliant.

    http://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/aib-toi-dig/

     

    For too long has the TOI management brazenly declared that journalists and editors know nothing, therefore legitimising the policy of letting marketing rule by catering to the lowest common denominator, selling news space and lowering the profile of its flagship “brand”. At the same time, the newspaper is what the group gets its legitimacy from. Frankly, this is what happens when you claim that anybody can be an editor and then pick the most unsuitable person for the job. In here is an underlying lesson for all media houses in India. Sometimes the Rupert Murdoch principle brings you straight to News of the World controversy and global discredit.

     

    TOI has been going straight down that path held together only by the journalists who still do their jobs and all credit and commiserations to them. Having worked there for some years (now a decade ago) through some very difficult political times, I have always been careful in tempering my criticism because I have seen the good side! But subsequent events have shown – particularly the advent of Medianet just before I quit – just how low the group can go. And why they deserve nothing but contempt.

     

    One last word of advice: please get rid of all those HR and marketing people pretending to be editors. They’re not doing you any favours and just making you a laughing stock.

     

  • We cannot fully assess if a politician is good or bad until a foreign journalist pops by, talks to a few taxi drivers and Indian journalists and then writes a complimentary (good) or scathing (bad) comment piece

    Ranjona Banerji: Foreign media is only credible observer of Indian politics

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    There is now only one credible observer of Indian politics – the foreign media in India. We cannot fully assess if a politician is good or bad until a foreign journalist pops by, talks to a few taxi drivers and Indian journalists and then writes a complimentary (good) or scathing (bad) comment piece.

     

    Now, you’re thinking, aha, sour grapes but far from it. It is all a question of perspective. Indian journalists, especially in Delhi, are too close to the centres of power. They are so familiar with what’s going on and party to so many secrets that they now spend more time discussing whether the blue in Manmohan Singh’s turban has changed in the last eight years. (Some say yes, some say no and the rest are fence-sitters.)

     

    The foreign media however comes in from far away and has no clue about all this inner stuff. They attend a few parties (these are vital sources of information and political analysis, as those who read through the diplomatic cables made public by Wikileaks will know), meet a few Indian print journalists (bluer, paler, maybe both), they may meet a few TV journalists but that’s for entertainment since they have no political perspective, although I hear they throw really good dinner parties. And, obviously, the few taxi drivers. This is imperative as every traveller knows – one taxi driver can be equal to at least five other potential interviewees.

     

    Yesterday, I met a cabbie in Mumbai who told me that Indian politics turns on Uttar Pradesh. Now I know. If these foreign political commentators are really smart however, they will never even leave whichever country they come from (usually the USA or the UK). How else have I become a world renowned expert on Barack Obama and David Cameron? (Actually, by watching Comedy Central and Graham Norton.)

     

    Therefore we now know that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a poodle, useless, confused and steeped in doom and gloom. Everyone has said it from Time to the Economist to The New York Times to the Independent.

     

    The poodle reference can be translated in Indian terms to a puppet. Yes I know, Indian commentators have been saying that for years. But what do they know, eh? (On the other hand, their view has now been authenticated!) Meanwhile I must be off to watch a few more skits on Comedy Central so I can hone my analytical skills.

     

  • The buck truly stops at you. There are no approvals to be sought; there are no conflicting egos to be settled, says Naresh Gupta

    The Anchor: Naresh Gupta lists 10 reasons why one should go independent

    Naresh GuptaBy Naresh Gupta

     

    One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that if you work for yourself, you will get richer quicker. If money is all that drives you, then going independent can be a bad idea. Here are ten reasons for which you should go independent

     

    1.  Build something

    Everyone must build something that is your own. This is a true reflection of your ability, skill enterprise and ideas. There is no better way to self-actualization then to say, I built this. Bragging rights don’t come easy in life.

     

    2. Nurture your baby

    Every new idea needs careful nurturance. The idea is yours, so one else knows the idea better than you. This is like being a father, only you know what your child wants.

     

    3. Dream big

    Ambition knows no limits in your own set up. This is truly where your dream and your vision alone control the destiny of your enterprise. There are no approvals to be sought, no forms to fill, just you and your enterprise.

     

    4. Improve quality

    The buck truly stops at you. There are no approvals to be sought; there are no conflicting egos to be settled. You can deliver truly great work to your client, sharper and quicker. It’s amazing how layers of bureaucracy can dull the edge of even the sharpest sword.

     

    5. Connect better

    Your connections with your clients are stronger than usual. They are your clients because they like you; you are their partner because you like them. There can be no better way than this.

     

    6. Challenge yourself

    Doing a job tends to make days monotonous. You follow a routine and if follow it well you would be fairly successful. But when you run an enterprise yourself, every new day brings a new challenge to face. If you never want to do same thing twice, go independent.

     

    7. Follow your passion

    You remember those days in school when you woke up early to go to cricket coaching classes or something like that? You did it because you loved it; it even made school more fun. You wanted to get up early, even on the coldest morning. That’s something true of an independent venture. You do what you love, and you love what you do

     

    8.  Greater risk to reward ratio

    This is simple, the risk is yours, and the rewards are yours too. This does not mean that going independent is a get rich quickly scheme. It may be years before you see major financial benefits coming your way.

     

    9. No retirement planning

    Retirement plans can be put on ice. Your enterprise needs you to do the best for it as long as you can. Every day you will gain experience that will make coming days more promising. There is no point of even thinking of hanging your boots

     

    10.  Give back to society

    This is where as an independent entrepreneur you can make a small contribution. Work with the society, work with yourAlmamatter, and give back in time and effort. This one singular reason can make going independent worthwhile.

     

    Naresh Gupta is the Managing Partner at Bang in the Middle