25 July 2005

In search of the Indian tabloid

Mumbai Mirror looks good. My first look at the recently launched newspaper gave me a feeling that India had finally got an English tabloid, but then, only two cheers for that.
The lead story on Aishwarya Rai seeking Lord Ganesha's blessings in Siddhivinayak Temple, was certainly juicy, peppered with nice gossip, but inside, there was not too much. In fact, it resembles old Mid-Day a tad too much. I doubt if this old belief in mimicking British tabloids will work too much in India....We could do with sharper writing and tangier ideas suited to the local milieu. There is a tiredness when journalists are not part of the real strategy. Between the positioning of a publication by the managment and the execution of the content by the editors falls a huge chasm....it is explained by the fact "management" is often used as if it was different from editors. That is not good for the paper, the reader, the editors or the managers! Gauche journalists end up doing shoddy hatchet jobs, when meticulous editorial planning is called for.
Ah, I am still waiting for the perfect Indian tabloid!

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