Rose-colored eyeshade
: I guess they get tired of train-wreck stories in India.
Editors Weblog quotes the head of the Times of India — which, I didn’t know, is the largest English-language paper in the world with 2.4 million circ — on making the news sunny even under clouds:
Pradaeep Guha, publisher of The Times of India, the world’s best-selling English newspaper, said that his paper’s editorial policy is to emphasize good news – even in the midst of tragedy. For example, “Let’s say that there has been a train accident. 100 people died; but five were rescued. We will publish this news with the following headline, ‘Big Train Accident, 5 Rescued’. We include all the details, but emphasize the positive,” Guha explained, adding that both readers and advertisers had responded positively to the upbeat tone.
I should start reading their coverage of Iraq.
: Neil McIntosh of Guardian Online adds that the same company is reportedly selling editorial coverage in “edvertorials.” Mid Day had the full story. Neil quite properly laments:
Is there nothing this newspaper group will stoop to in order to please advertisers? Selling advertising disguised as editorial. Adjusting the news agenda to better suit the surrounding ads. What next?
And he wonders when readers will start deserting their titles. But when one title alone has 2.4 million subscribers, I guess you can afford to lose a few.
