[WhiteKnight]

Originally Posted by ac 427

times on its front pages has headlines "IT'S OFFICIAL: RUSHDIE, PADMA TO DIVORCE".
they surely have sold out totally an also have become shameless

They are imitating the American way of reporting. I remember how American newspapers celebrated when Paris hilton's dog was "reportedly" stolen. For a whole week, it hogged the front page. Then the next week, it was all about "Paris hilton's dog found"

Afterall, it reflects the changing face of our society and their priorities. Thease days, truth and reality doesn't sell. TOI does sell

[ac 427]

Originally Posted by WhiteKnight

They are imitating the American way of reporting. I remember how American newspapers celebrated when Paris hilton's dog was "reportedly" stolen. For a whole week, it hogged the front page. Then the next week, it was all about "Paris hilton's dog found"

Afterall, it reflects the changing face of our society and their priorities. Thease days, truth and reality doesn't sell. TOI does sell

exactly my point. . . do we want to be as hollow as the americans ????
and it does not reflect the changing face of our society it just is showing how incapable is TOI of showing the truth.

We still are the same. Lots of love and repect for each other in our hearts.

[ajitkommini]

Originally Posted by ac 427

...Lots of love and repect for each other in our hearts.

Yet, a surprising lack of either on our roads.

[tsk1979]

I am no big fan of any newspaper, but from my friends who have worked in major newspapers, I got this info.
"If a restaurant/workshop/business has major advertising with a newspaper, they will not publish a customer complaint, bad experience, consumer court case lost by business(if not high profile) etc., regarding that business"
Also most news(esp TV channels) is designed to get maximum advertisement revenue.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

"If a restaurant/workshop/business has major advertising with a newspaper, they will not publish a customer complaint, bad experience, consumer court case lost by business(if not high profile) etc., regarding that business"
Also most news(esp TV channels) is designed to get maximum advertisement revenue.

Isn't the case same with Auto magazines we get? A magazine does not provide unbiased reports for vehicles coming out of a company that gives them a good advertising revenue!

[Sudipto-S-Team]

After my daughter was born four years ago, I stopped the entry of Times of India in my house. I used to know the executive editor of TOI and I am sure he also doesn't take the paper home, except perhaps on Sunday. He has two daughters actually.
The TOI is generally seen as a blot on the media industry because they started the trend of trivialising news. Their advertising big boss who had a change in his DNA recently, once famously defined news as three things "trivia, trivia, trivia".
It's all the more sad because once upon a time they were seen as a serious newspaper.
They have a thing called MediaNet, which publishes news about you if you pay them the official rates. This is also an industry first.


Regarding journalistic ethics - the race to print gory pictures started long long ago when Frontline published pictures of corpses in Andhra cyclone and then the Rajiv Gandhi blast.

It is too much of a temptation for an editor to resist when he gets an exclusive photograph that none of his competitors has. But then that is what makes the difference between an editor and a great editor.

[vivekiny2k]

i really don't care for what TOI did. to some it may be correct, to some it may sound inhuman, insensitive.

but the lack of humanity in ourselves is at a all time high. recently i heard about (serious) journalists complaining about after effect of terrorism in west, where people have started giving up their rights of speech, travel, feminism etc. unknowingly we have been defeated by terrorists already.

now if I look back, we indians have already been terrorized by D company, politicians, police, rich, and everybody else who can raise their voice, and our own so called middle class dignity.

We have given up all freedoms for ourselves, forget about caring for others. does anybody else see a strong resemblence there?

[khanak]

Originally Posted by ac 427

and it does not reflect the changing face of our society it just is showing how incapable is TOI of showing the truth.

How does this event show that TOI is incapable of showing the truth?

[theMAG]

Technically, there's nothing wrong Times has done. Journos today walk a fine line between ethics and sensationalism. Typically the latter wins due to $$$ guaranteed there. Best e.g Diana

[dustDevil]

I totally agree with most of you. Times group is totally useless.... it generally doesn't have time to publish useful information to the general public OR cover their problems, BUT has time to conduct a survey of - who has sex with whom, how many times a week, why do they do it and how it should be done..... nonsense!

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by dustDevil

BUT has time to conduct a survey of - who has sex with whom, how many times a week, why do they do it and how it should be done..... nonsense!

I guess there is no nonsense in that. Infact in this day, where the count of HIV infested people are on the rise, where underage sex is becoming popular I guess they are indeed doing a good thing by educating the general public. Its high time India's gets broadminded atleast in this one concern. Besides, there could be arguments that this is only to attract young readers.

[sivadas]

Originally Posted by JPL

The Times Of India (TOI) from the Times Group is the worst newspaper and it definitely shows the values and the objectives of the Times Group all along. The events they sponsor, the stupid articles, the advertisements.

Why ever did they get in to newspapers, young minds read and get influenced by there stupid articles.

They have always given importance to "consumerism" and related the same to all aspects of human emotions.

All they have is paper in color and with good print quality ( definitely works out in their favour, at least the other papers are not selling their soul to the devil)

They have no social responsibility whatsoever. They should be banned for having a negative influence on their readers.

I hate them to the core.

I too hate them to the core. That is the reason I have shifted to Hindu (though readability is less and deep inside they think they are in Cheenai) some time back.
TOI was irritating me so much; for example, if there is an article on good diet, they will talk only about cheese burger, pan cakes, Cereal, Waffles, Sausage etc. And will have photo of some white man/woman in the back ground. What rubbish

Sundays they have a full page article on some idiotic hollywood celebrity, the best intellectual they can think of is Shobha De or Mahesh Bhatt

[spadival]

I have to read TOI every day because I dont have a choice :( !!

Would prefer Hindu to TOI anyday.. In TOI, almost every page is a Page 3.. How do I care if some Lullu chap hosted a birthday party in XYZ hotel??

[caliper]

I agree that the Times of India is rubbish.

But, as to the question of whether reporters/photographers should intervene in news events: Think of it this way, reporters are our eyes and ears letting us know what is happening in the world. There is (unfortunately) a certain boundary that they have to maintain, otherwise in trying to right the wrongs of the world they would go crazy. This is the same for other people in such jobs as mortician, funeral director, policeman, and doctor/nurse.


Reporters' job is to report. They have to stand away from news events to be able to do that. Granted, in this case it seems so correct for the reporter to intervene. But once they start to become part of news event, it's hard to see what the limit would be.


As for self-censorship of photos and news, I'm not in favor of it. (I'm talking about real news, not "celeb X is wearing such-and-such today") They should print what is happening in the world. Otherwise, we will all fall into a lull that everything is OK with the world.

Only after seeing such horrors can we put pressure to have better crime prevention. Or better inspection of buildings for being earthquake-proof. Or better roads/car safety standards after seeing accident pics. Or international human rights standards after seeing Abu Ghraib.

I was particularly disappointed that the newspapers did not publish the Abu Ghraib photos from Iraq. I only saw those in the Frontline newsmagazine.

I agree that one thing publishers can do is draw a line on people's faces to prevent personal facial identification in certain photos when warranted.

[Mayavi]

Originally Posted by BunnyPunia

Can such a reputed publishing house fall so low? Can they loose all humanity for money/readership?

Did you just wake up from a deep slumber? TOI stands called Toilet Paper of India or Times of Islamabad it has been like that for a while. For god sake how can they be reputed when they sell their editorial space for money (called advertorials)!

Glance through the headlines of TOI online edition and you will find that half of them are be about sex or half naked girls. American president is referred to as 'President Bush' as if he is the president of the world but Indian head of state is referred to as 'The Indian prime minister Mr. Singh'! They neither have a journalism standard nor do they follow any ethics. This applies to most of the Indian media but the Toilet paper is in a class of its own. That is why the picture of a bleeding girl doesn't surprise me and neither did the dead body of a naxalite with wounds to the head shown for 10 minutes on a news channel.