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Spotlight on PR in India
An interview with Sreehari Nair, an Indian freelance journalist
 Sreehari Nair, a freelance journalist, has worked with India's leading newspaper, The Times of India, and as chief reporter at ITP Publishing in India, publishers of Hotelier India.
Bridge: Indian newspapers have the second largest market in the world. Do you think that as more people have access to the Internet, Indian newspapers will go the way of American newspapers, or is there some advantage Indian newspapers have?
Sreehari Nair: Print news is still what people believe in. There has been a tremendous increase in news channels but print publications are still relevant. Reading a newspaper while sipping a cup of coffee is a norm that is still practiced in India.
Bridge: Indian media is among the oldest and largest in the world. What about it would surprise the American readership?
S. Nair: The sensationalism of news practiced in the Indian media would surprise many American readers. Sensationalist reporting is rampant.
Bridge: What aspects of the Indian media would you describe as uniquely Indian?
S. Nair: The 'uniqueness' is that in the fight for more eyeballs, we have forgotten responsible journalism. Reporting on deaths, cruelty, and calamities are given more importance than in the West.
Bridge: India is the world's largest democracy. Do you think the media does a good job educating the public? Is the media often accused of having a political bias as it is in the U.S.?
S. Nair: Indian media has yet to don the role of educator. Sensationalism is commonly practiced to increase sales figures. Many channels and newspapers are biased. In fact, a few of the dailies are run by politicians. So it can only be guessed how much truth is covered in them.
Bridge: What is the greatest media scandal, involving a newspaper or a TV news operation or magazine, in India within the last few years?
S. Nair: Only recently a reporter from a news channel called Live India reported about the involvement of a teacher in a sex scandal. Everybody went to town with that story only to discover later that the entire story was fabricated. The editor of the news channel claims he was kept in dark. How can we believe that? This story has put the credibility of news television at stake. Nothing can be trusted at face value.
Bridge: What is the traditional career path for someone who wants to make a career in the print media in India?
S. Nair: The media has become very competitive, so it is always better to go for a degree/diploma in journalism. Most courses are available for a six month or one year duration and are a good investment. Once you have a foot in the door as a reporter, climbing the stairs is not that difficult.
Bridge: How would you compare and contrast the ways in which the recent terrorist attacks in India are covered by Indian media versus how they're covered in the West?
S. Nair: This time the Indian media went over the top. Commandos taking positions were shown 'live' which is now believed to have helped terrorists track their movements. Also, live coverage of dead bodies is revered in the India media. After the 1993 blasts in Mumbai, a leading print publication carried a picture of a man holding only the head of a person. Even when covering the Tsunami, TV channels were broadcasting images of bodies floating on water. I think that is totally unnecessary and tasteless. Be it 9/11, the London tube bombings or the Madrid bombings, I never saw dead bodies being shown in Western media.
Bridge: Newspaper sales actually increased in India by 11 percent in 2007. What do you think accounts for this?
S. Nair: The penetration of online publications is nothing compared to what print publications have. Newspaper prices are also so low that a household today subscribes to more than one paper. Print has so much reach in India that if channeled properly, it can mobilize the nation.
Bridge Global Strategies Launches Canadian Office
Bridge Global Strategies has just announced that it has opened a Toronto office to help meet Canadian companies' American PR needs.
The office is headed by Jill Lewis, Bridge's Communications Director, a Canadian who worked in public relations for 15 years in New York. She has been with Bridge Global Strategies since its founding, and also has previous international PR experience both in New York and Tokyo. She has held positions with Keizai Koho Center, a prominent Japanese business organization; at several other PR agencies; and at non-profit organizations.
As part of its expansion plans, Bridge will also work with Canadian public relations firm High View Communications. The two companies have worked together on a number of successful cross-border PR campaigns since 2006. High View is a Toronto-based boutique that caters to clients in the lifestyle, food, travel and luxury sectors. "Our Toronto office consults with Canadian companies about their U.S. PR needs," said Bridge Global Strategies CEO Lucy Siegel. "With our Canadian affiliate, High View Communications, we provide a seamless U.S.-Canadian PR solution - High View covers Canada in French and English from coast to coast; Bridge covers the U.S."
High View Communications President Ann Gallery expressed her belief that the opening of Bridge's Toronto office would be a great asset in attracting new Canadian clients: "Many Canadian companies want a U.S. market presence but may not have either offices or experience with PR south of the border," she said. "Access in Toronto to a senior professional who can help strategize their U.S. PR provides great added value for Canadian clients, something they would not expect to get from a boutique firm."
Bridge and High View are founding members of Public Relations Boutiques International (PRBI), a global network of independent boutique PR firms established to provide high quality, cost-effective public relations solutions specifically tailored to clients' changing goals and needs in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
"The new Toronto office is a great opportunity to build on Bridge's reputation of senior-level personal service," added Lewis.
What's All the Twitter About?
Twitter is hot. It's being written and talked about everywhere and is available in many languages. But if you haven't used Twitter it's hard to fathom what the fuss is all about.
Twitter defines itself as a "free social messaging utility for staying connected in real time... a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?" The answers are no more than 140 characters long, and are called Tweets. Although short and brief, Twitter's messages can play an important communications role.
Just a few examples of how Twitter has made an impact:
- A Twitterer broke the news of the 2005 earthquake in Szechuan Province, China ahead of major news outlets
- Many people say that using Twitter has helped them expand their business networks by meeting people they would ordinarily not meet
- Journalists use Twitter to look for sources for their stories
- Many newscasters now invite viewers to send Tweets with questions and comments during broadcasts - a new way to make their shows interactive
- Companies are using Twitter to answer customer questions about products and services in real time (for more information see http://getsatisfaction.com)
- Marketers use Twitter to track consumer trends and find out the latest "buzz" about companies and products
- Twitter is being used to attract people to web sites and blogs
Numerous ancillary services have been built around Twitter: "Tweetdeck," a desktop application; Twittersearch, a search engine just for Tweets; Twitt(url)y, which tracks the most popular URLs being discussed on Twitter; various mobile phone applications, since many Tweets are broadcast from cell phones; and many more.
An article that could be helpful to those who would like to learn more about Twitter is "17 Ways You Can Use Twitter: A Guide for Beginners, Marketers and Business Owners."
One point of interest: Twitter has not made one dime for its founders. The company has yet to generate any revenues. Venture capital companies seem eager to fund it, however - just last month Twitter received another $35 million from several venture capital funds.
Any readers who Tweet are invited to follow Bridge CEO Lucy Siegel (@LucySiegel).
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