Letter to the Hoot: Job hikes? Hardly

IN Opinion | 09/10/2006

Have you ever realised the consequences of The Times and the Hindustan Times coming together?

This is in response to a news item `A googly` in your column- Mediawatch Briefs. It mentions at the end of the brief: "More job hopping and more salary hikes for journos. India’s newspaper scene is going beserk."

Definitely the Indian newspaper scene is going beserk, but job hopping will be restricted. And forget about salary hikes. Want to know why? The Times Group & Hindustan Times have entered into an anti poaching pact whereby journalists from either of the organisations cannot join the other one for at least five years, and if they do so, they will have to pay a hefty compensation. What`s more, this clause has been inserted into the contract of the journalists. Sounds weird, isn`t it?

"It is an attempt to revive a concern for media ethics, restore focus on development in the subcontinent, and preserve press freedom." This is what your website states. But are you really concerned about media ethics and freedom of press? If yes, then don`t confine yourself to this stupid & fallacious reporting of salary hike of journos. Journalists, by and large, were working for `nuts` & there salaries were ridiculously insufficient before the advent of DNA. Subsequently, job hopping did take place and salary of journos skyrocketed. But this was true only for `top-ranking` journos.

Have you ever realised the consequences of Times & HT coming together? For journos working in Times, The only place they are left with is HT and vice versa. So, what happens now is that they will no longer have the freedom to join HT or Times and ,therefore, have to wait for launch of DNA in Delhi.

How`s that?

Rajiv Singh

Delhi

October 7, 2006

TAGS

Hardly

Subscribe To The Newsletter

Media Watch Briefs

Amazon resisting voluntary censorship

The new term for self censorship is voluntary censorship, as proposed by companies like Netflix and Hotstar. ET reports that streaming video service Amazon Prime is opposing a move by its peers to adopt a voluntary censorship code in anticipation of the Indian government coming up with its own rules. Amazon is resisting because it fears that it may alienate paying subscribers.

Let the games begin

Clearly, the run to the 2019 elections is on. A journalist received a call from someone saying they were from Aajtak channel and were conducting a survey, asking whom she was going to vote for in 2019. On being told that her vote was secret, the caller assumed she wasn't going to vote for 'Modiji'. The caller, a woman, also didn't identify herself. A month or two earlier the same journalist received a call, this time from a man, asking if she was going to vote for the BSP.