[benbsb29]

After moving to my new home, for the first time in 6 years i have been without my subscription to TOI, since i havent asked for newspaper to be delivered as yet. Do i miss it? Yes, i do!

For an idea of the city's current affairs, no other newspaper does it better. I say this after trying out Hindu and also going through NIE for a few days when travelling. I agree TOI's coverage of some articles is OTT but they have their plus points as well.

After all, they have been doing something right to be where they are today.

As far as kids getting exposed to sex is concerned, if not the newspaper, there are infinite other possibilites in today's world. I got my first exposure to such topics from some medical books, so lets leave it at that.

[amtak]

As a child, I was taught this by seniors/teachers:

Times - Pro Govt.
Hindu - Anti Govt.
Asian age - Diplomatic

I was told, whatever your preferences may be, read these 3 papers to improve your english!

[amitk26]

I don't see any thing embarrassing or offensive in TOI , Yes there is page 3 but so what ?

I subscribe to Deccan Chronicle and TOI.

On the other hand I absolutely hate The Hindu for being mouth peace of China and communists in general. which other news paper write so many article on Mao and address him as Chairman Mao ?

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by GTO

On the flip side, I hate TOI's proof-reading. Whoever does it should be fired. The grammar & overall language standards are awful. Way too many glaring errors.

Can't agree more! While I am OK with their (sometimes) tabloid style of reporting, the language leaves a lot to be desired. Here is a gem from the Chennai edition dated 4th August:

The article relates to the efforts of the TN govt to bring back the statue of the Chola emperor Rajaraja I and that of his queen from a Gujarat museum. Here are the opening lines of this story:

Quote:
Chennai: His architectural masterpiece, the Brahadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, stands tall and grand, surviving the test of time even after 10 centuries. While the intricate sculptures and paintings of this 11th century creation continue to marvel the world, a bronze statue believed to be that of the king who commissioned it — the great Chola emperor Rajaraja I — remains confined at a private museum in Ahmedabad.

However, with the museum authorities insisting on “technical evidence” to prove the state’s claim, chief minister M Karunanidhi has written to his Gujarat counterpart, Narendra Modi, seeking his help in bringing back home the 11th century statue.

“The Gujarat government has promised us to help, but the museum wants us to substantiate our claim.
Unquote.

Just reading these lines over my morning cuppa was absolutely irritating!

[Sn1p3r]

I agree that national dailies not only TOI but HT is now prints some very embarrassing content. Not that we Indians are conservative but none expects our kids to see stuff early morning and ask simple questions that you can't answer in front of your watchman.

Sex/Violence/Sensational news sells. Its easy to capture attention via images.

TOI is worst offender once it comes to advertisement.

I now am avid Google Reader/RSS reader. I filter out data customize right content across the world to know the latest and greatest.

Wife still insists on morning newspaper as the newsprint fragrance is what she has to have early morning now she answers all the questions.

[bblost]

That is a picture published in The Hindu. It looked completely fake to me. My emails sent to them remain unanswered.
The pic is taken using my cell phone camera so the focus is not very great. But I guess you need to look at the place where the wire fades.

A couple of weeks after this. A prominent photographer was fired from The Hindu for photoshopping his pics. The above pic was not his. But I was glad to see a Open Letter from the Editor giving the entire story behind the mistake and how the photographer messed up. That is the reason why I still hold The Hindu in high regard.

[sajo]

I grew up with TOI, dont like anything else in the morning.
That said, I find TOI has degraded itself considerably and uses the sensationalistic reporting style so common to American media. I feel they give me what is their opinion of a fact , instead of the fact itself. And their opinion is pretty skewed.
Do I plan to switch from TOI ? Hell no, its like a bad childhood habit that one cant get rid of to me!

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by amitk26

I don't see any thing embarrassing or offensive in TOI , Yes there is page 3 but so what ?

I subscribe to Deccan Chronicle and TOI.

On the other hand I absolutely hate The Hindu for being mouth peace of China and communists in general. which other news paper write so many article on Mao and address him as Chairman Mao ?

OMG, I thought its because of my capitalist leanings that I felt Hindu to be pro-communist ... but others also have the same experience!

[aqualeo2040]

Originally Posted by amitk26

On the other hand I absolutely hate The Hindu for being mouth peace of China and communists in general. which other news paper write so many article on Mao and address him as Chairman Mao ?

OMG
You have not read 'People's Democracy' then!

If contents of a newspaper matters, then PD should come at the bottom of the list. No obscene pics, no sex, no scandal. Pure Communist Manifesto.

Unfortunately, my Marathi is not that good;otherwise I would have tried my hands at 'Saamna'.

If TOI is vulgar, what is PD & Saamna? Will you let your kids read through these dailies?

I think its better to have kids ogle at haute couture rather than pack their bags to join the naxals/fundamentalists!

Anyways, in today's world, a little bit of fashion sense doesn't hurt. It might seem vulgar to our old cringed eyes, but probably someone from the youth generation should air what they think about it.

[Thad E Ginathom]

OMG, I thought its because of my capitalist leanings that I felt Hindu to be pro-communist ... but others also have the same experience!

A lot of people say so, but can't say that I have noticed. I do notice that it is, in my humble opinion, not nearly critical enough of whichever party happens to be in power in TN --- and yet it was part of the Freedom Fight, wasn't it?

Anyway, it remains the one and only carrier of comprehensive Chennai carnatic music listings, so it is going to be on my doorstep for the foreseeable future.

If TOI is vulgar, what is PD & Saamna? Will you let your kids read through these dailies?

How would your kids handle the naked ladies on page three of British tabloids! On every page of some of them!

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

A lot of people say so, but can't say that I have noticed. I do notice that it is, in my humble opinion, not nearly critical enough of whichever party happens to be in power in TN --- and yet it was part of the Freedom Fight, wasn't it?

Anyway, it remains the one and only carrier of comprehensive Chennai carnatic music listings, so it is going to be on my doorstep for the foreseeable future.

"The Hindu" is not the same news paper anymore what it was in the days of freedom fight or even 25 years back when it along with Indian Express of Arun Shouri days ripped apart the government.
I remember when I was in 6th or 7th standard in school The Hindu was only news paper with special correspondent ( Chitra Subramaniyam IIRC) in Geneva unearthing the Bofors scam. We use to buy it even if it was delivered full 2 days late in my town up-north.

With the change in equity holding and the people at helm the editorial content and color given to the news has changed a lot. Of-course the supplements on literature, science and culture remain of high quality. I still read the supplements but main news paper and editorials are trashcan material for last 10 years or so.

Now as well The Hindu is the only Indian news paper one who has a dedicated person placed in China ( Pallavi Roy) who is well versed in Chinese language. This may be really good on part of Hindu but material coming out on China is banal and just cover what Xinhua might have reported anyway.

Today the concerns raised in this esteemed newspaper are no longer the concerns of Indian public and we read more of how raising security concerns on Huawaei or Chinese companies involved in Port operations is "juvenile" and so on.

Their line on Naxals / maoists / lalgarh / dantewada /west bengal is always invariably in line with what Comerades and Arundhati Roy will utter.

I think its better to have kids ogle at haute couture rather than pack their bags to join the naxals/fundamentalists!

Agree 100% , Personally I see no harm if a testosterone charged teenager ogle at news paper .There is a fair probability that he /she will read some useful columns as well and broaden his/her horizon while indulging in pass time of teens.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by aqualeo2040

OMG


but probably someone from the youth generation should air what they think about it.

I belong to the youth generation. And I definitely find Bangalore times embarrassing, the main paper is at best OK, at worst-let me not get started. A newspaper is just that-a newspaper. Being a tabloid to certain extent is ok, but the pics/images they use is really unacceptable. A few months back there was an article in 'Times Trendz' page were a woman's bosom was visible, they editors didn't even bother to blur it. And the pics of these actress/starlets are either provocative or suggestive. If it is a must to print their pics, at least they can print some decent ones. Just imagine, what would go through the mind of a 6-8 yr old when they see this. If the papers promote this as fashion trendz, these kids would blindly end up copying them.

[Thad E Ginathom]

The Hindu has P. Sainath, and probably other writers too, who remind us that "development" is not the be-all and end-all, and that India exists beyond its middle class. The trouble is that these articles will be in the editorial section, and will probably be read from start to end only by the more intellectual (even I may not be included in that!). The New Indian Express makes this kind of coverage more graphic, and more available to the ordinary browser. It was (in my very limited experience of Southern-Indian, English-Language newspapers) ground breaking in coverage of social issues such as gay and trans-sexual issues. Even The Hindu reports such things as Gay Pride marches now.

So far as political controversy is concerned, the Brits imprisoned those who spoke out against British rule in print. However, I don't think the Indian government, in independence, ever relinquished that right, leaving the press free to report matters of rule and law within limits only.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by amitk26

I remember when I was in 6th or 7th standard in school The Hindu was only news paper with special correspondent ( Chitra Subramaniyam IIRC) in Geneva unearthing the Bofors scam. We use to buy it even if it was delivered full 2 days late in my town up-north.

Yes, Chitra unearthed the scam while at Hindu, but political pressure
made Hindu stop publishing her reports and she joined Indian express and continued her crusade.
But the damage had already been done and the fate of Rajiv's Government and India's history changed forever.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The Hindu has P. Sainath, and probably other writers too, who remind us that "development" is not the be-all and end-all, and that India exists beyond its middle class. The trouble is that these articles will be in the editorial section, and will probably be read from start to end only by the more intellectual (even I may not be included in that!). The New Indian Express makes this kind of coverage more graphic, and more available to the ordinary browser. It was (in my very limited experience of Southern-Indian, English-Language newspapers) ground breaking in coverage of social issues such as gay and trans-sexual issues.

+1
Yes that's one of the reasons why said in an earlier post that IE is sincere in it's reporting.

[amitk26]

Crux of the story in Context of 2010 I find likes of The Hindu and Asian Age more damaging to young impressionable minds then TOI which is banal at worst but at the same time carry information with air of neutrality.