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.

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