Is the Reader a ‘King’ or a ‘Nice Hypocrite’?
Any journalist or a media professional would know how often this statement comes up for discussion at different forums. For those interested in the subject: “Do readers know what they want?”, I would recommend an excellent piece written by India’s leading editor Vinod Mehta.
Says Mehta: “I believe this is a crucial issue for the media. Alas, the wrong guys are discussing it, the wrong guys are giving us the solutions. I say this with much humility, but brand managers, with honourable exceptions, are congenitally incapable of understanding the nature and purpose of journalism.
“They simply cannot understand it by virtue of their background: which is sales in order to maximise profits. They can never understand that content is more, much more, than what readers want. It also has a social dimension. Thus, content is a mix of what the reader wants and what he does not want. The trick is to marry the two and make money.
“Accompanying the mantra, is much loose talk that the old journalism is dead and a new journalism has been born. This new journalism is entirely based on reader or viewer demands. So, we are told the reader is king and it is the job of a responsible media organisation to provide cent per cent satisfaction.
“This proposition is now so widely accepted that to argue against it is like whistling in the dark. Those who believe otherwise are seen as cranks, out of touch with the contemporary market — in other words the reader. If journalism is a consumption item like butter chicken, then why not give the customer the flavour and taste he wants. That, after all, is the first rule of free market capitalism.
“In my nearly 30 years as editor, I have heard a lot of nonsense talked about journalism and its role in India, but this piece of nonsense is outrageously and self-evidently absurd and dangerous. To demolish it is urgent. To let it become the benchmark of our profession is to put in peril everything we have worked for in 60 years…”
Also, for those interested in the media scene in India, I would recommend a website (maybe TMV could also add it to its list) managed by a veteran journalist and an indefatigable old colleague of mine at The Hindustan Times where we worked together in the 1970s. Her name is Sevanti Ninan and her blog is called “The Hoot”.
You can contact her at sevanti_ninan@yahoo.co.in
2 Responses to “Is the Reader a ‘King’ or a ‘Nice Hypocrite’?”
Literature is in even worse shape than journalism. Editors cannot see a cliche, and cannot even proofread for poor grammar.
While I think journalists can increase a readership’s taste, I think people actually do want the scandals. I;ve been surprised at the levels of people who enjoy reading Us, or People, but generally won;t read the NYTimes or WSJ on a regular basis.
It’s hard to sell castor oil when candy’s out there.