'Underachievers' scramble for negative coverage
The trio emerged after 48 hours of brain-purring with a strategy that they hope will shake (7.8 on the Richter) the Paid News business.
AJITH PILLAI’s latest discovery: NN sells. Pix courtesy: First Post
Dipped in Witriol
AJITH PILLAI
`We hope to cash in on the notion that negative news is real journalism’—Dr Diap Swen
Dr Diap Swen (years ago he conferred the doctorate on himself by simply adding the prefix `Dr’ to his name) is the swarthy and loud mouthed chairman of the little known Paid News Corporation of India (PNCI)—an organisation which represents the interests of several newspapers, magazines and TV channels. PNCI liaises between media companies and prospective clients willing to pay in black or in kind or both for positive news coverage. A percentage from the proceedings naturally goes into the PNCI account. With this simple business model in place, life was easy for Dr Swen and, well, as predictable as the movement of the planets round the sun. But last fortnight he was given two jolts out of the blue which forced him to exercise his rusty cerebellum. The first was the recent cover story in Time magazine which dismissed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as an “Underachiever” and the second was a coded e-mail from a contact in the US. After going through the latter, Dr Swen went into a huddle underneath his office table with his two business partners—Tabby the cool cat who can think things out without getting excited and Shabby the copy cat who has a way with words. The trio emerged after 48 hours of brain-purring with a strategy that they hope will shake (7.8 on the Richter) the Paid News business. So, what is the ace up the good doctor’s sleeve? Here, in an exclusive chat, Dr Swen unveils his plans. Excerpts:
Q: For starters, tell us exactly what transpired after the Time magazine cover on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?
A: Well, as you know, it got lot of coverage in the Indian media. The magazine report was analysed, dissected and criticized. Several statements were made by Congressmen and those in the UPA government attacking the publication for daring to call the PM an “Underachiever.” Of course the Opposition had a field day quoting from the magazine. In fact, such was the coverage across the country that many in the PR business wondered whether the PM would have received the same sustained media attention if he had called editors for chai at 7 Race Course Road. But, that aside, what actually jolted my mind even more was the input from a Time magazine insider which had specific information that flunkeys of 17 cabinet ministers, among others, had either called or sent e-mails to the editors…
Q: You mean demanding an apology..?
A: Far from that, they wanted coverage for their bosses who they claimed were far greater underachievers (UAs) than Manmohan Singh! One chap even detailed how his mantri had worked hard to slow down the economy and block FDI in retail. He seemed to suggest that if the PM had acquired UA status it was thanks to his boss. Why, even Opposition leaders contacted the magazine. One senior BJP leader said he has been sleeping or singing at the wheel all these years and had achieved little. Someone from the Left pointed out that he read detective novels while his party was falling apart and was eminently qualified for being bestowed with no less than an UA medal! Obviously all these netas want some kind of publicity—they believe that it’s better to be in the news rather than be ignored. And attention from Time magazine would do wonders for their career.
Q Dr Swen, what does all this have to do with your new strategy and how will it impact journalists?
A: Well, at PNCI we have developed what Shabby calls Paid Negative News or PNN. Here clients pay for stories critical of them. These are exposes which show them in poor light but keeps them in the news. Negative news (NN) is always followed up and even a nondescript minister, neta or bureaucrat can suddenly be in the media limelight. Interestingly, our studies show that supplements released in newspapers and magazines rarely have an impact and only family and friends read it. But NN has far better reach.
As for journalists, we hope to cash in on the popular notion that NN is the real face of journalism and that it is the duty of a reporter to reveal the unpleasant truth to the world. So, even those who are allergic to Paid News will not suspect the material that is being planted by us.
Q: Coming back to the Time story, was it a case of PNN?
A: No, not at all. PNN is an alien concept for the Indian establishment. It’s just coincidence or sheer luck that Manmohan Singh got so much publicity. However there has been one other positive: I am told that Mamata Banerjee was so impressed after she saw Manmohan Singh on the cover of Time that she retracted her earlier position and offered to support Pranab Mukherjee’s candidature as President.
Here I must point to a very interesting development. We understand the US authorities—without consulting Time magazine or taking a look at the emails sent by our netas–concluded that Indian sentiments had been hurt. So, they approached several Indian publications requesting a negative story slamming President Obama and putting him on par with Manmohan Singh as an “Underachiever.” Apparently, Outlook magazine has run such a story although it’s unfair to say there was an American hand at work.
Q: Interesting, but that apart, you said earlier that Indian journalists can be fooled by NN. Do you think they are so gullible?
A: I know that there are still those conventional types who cross check facts and scrutinize documents. But we will not approach them. Our strategy is to work with the management and the editor. The latter will give the story to a byline hungry junior reporter who will do the needful. We get our work done and he gets his page one exclusive.
Q: Have you sounded out some editors about PNN?
A: Well, all those who work in tandem with marketing have agreed. As for the owners, most are very excited. Many of them are of the view that managements should work towards a future where all news is paid news. That will not only augment revenues but will pave the way for an open media in which positive and negative stories can be planted by anyone who can pay provided the managements approve. Such a scenario will lead to newspaper barons running what French writer, Frederic Beigbeder, refers to as the “Fourth Reich” where controlled information dissemination will become a major weapon.
Q: But what about the long term impact of NN on the image of a politician or bureaucrat?
A: Arre baba! You have to first have an image—positive or negative-- before you can even think of long term impact. As we see it, once the image building process is complete then one can deny the stories since some of the documents leaked will be fakes. But there will be enough authentic ones for the reporter to save face. At worst the story will be dismissed as a half baked one.
Q: How can a journalist spot a PNN?
A: He can’t! Unless, he’s very sharp.
Q: Finally, Dr Swen, you do have a peculiar name. Which part of the country are you from?
A: I’m from the north of south west. And yes, if you didn’t notice it, Diap Swen is simply Paid News spelt backwards!
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