ENGLISH JOURNALISM, LUCKNOW
STYLE
This
is about the English media in Lucknow. It is not pegged to the UP polls in
particular, for the simple reason that the English language press is not taken
too seriously in the city. And also because most of UP`s key
constituencies/rallies are covered by journalists from Delhi, who descend in
hordes at poll-time, depriving local colleagues of their moment of glory, after
using all the latter`s resources and hospitality. But it would also be fair to
say that the latter often have more perspective on UP politics because they
don`t suffer the syndrome of not being able to see the woods for the trees.
All
four papers in Lucknow are editions of national newspapers, and are controlled
from Delhi. That this also fits the Pioneer is ironic, because the paper
started from here (after a brief stint at Allahabad) more than 100 years ago,
and had such distinguished correspondents as Winston Churchill and Rudyard
Kipling. But in 1990, the Thapars bought out the Singhanias, all
decision-making power shifted to Delhi, even though the edition`s loyal
readership has not deserted it, and probably outnumbers that in Delhi.
Around
1980 came the Times of India`s edition, not under the Bennet Coleman & Co
banner but some Jansewak Trust. Salaries were dismal, recalling the
if-you-pay-peanuts-you-get-monkeys adage. Of course, there was talent too, as
employment opportunities were so limited. The work culture in both these
offices hinged on getting to office at 5 pm and somehow getting the paper out.
Officials couldn`t be tapped in the afternoon anyway, as they all went home at
1 pm and came back at 4 pm after their siestas.
One
resident editor (RE) was conspicuous either by his absence or for sprawling in
his cabin with his feet on the table, chewing paan. His PA, a venerable South
Indian gentleman, held court throughout the day, learning to dispose of eager
applicants and coverage-seekers with elan. The TOI office, a rented
hole-in-the-corner premises, continued to be a shabby, ill-designed structure.
But perhaps not as bad as Pioneer, which till 2000 operated from the basement
of a huge 11-storey half-built structure. It is debatable which was worse: the
single toilet to be shared by men and women in one newspaper office, or the
`rural shallow pan` that passed for a seat in the other.
These
were the distressing working conditions available locally, till 1997 when the
Hindustan Times` posh new building came up on Ashok Marg, with American-style
interiors. Natually, its staff was drawn from TOI and Pioneer. The first RE was
an import from Delhi, a trend followed by TOI which sent its Panta RE to shore
up its Lucknow edition.
And
last came Indian Express, with an unusual franchise arrangement, the RE picked
from the TOI`s ranks. By this time, all papers had found that their imported
REs could not survive local office politics, and reverted to drawing on local
talent -- such as it was. Within months, one repented its choice by sacking its
RE overnight -- for what misdemeanour, nobody knew. The rumour went that he had
called a tantrik to the office to find out why circulation was not going up,
and was told that it was because the building was built on a mazar (grave). So
they started digging for the bones of the evil spirit.....
In
these hard, recessionary times, editors are being chosen more for their ability
to shore up the bottomline by lobbying for advertising from government and
public sector sources than for news sense. The net result is that (with the
notable exception of HT) the locally made pages are usually of such poor
quality that upper crust readers - academicians, bureaucrats, bankers --
continue to take the Delhi editions of these same papers, even thought they are
delivered only in the evening.
For a Delhi-trained journalist to adjust to this culture is amazingly difficult, despite there being no language problem and the distance between the two cities only 500 km. Most difficult to swallow is th