Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Parochial ways of India's National Newspaper!

The Hindu always had an aura of majesty. Yes, it's classic. Of late, it is acquiring a touch of irrationality too, lament insiders. This is after The Grandpa of Indian Press decided to become Contemporary. Of course, the Tambram paper has, to an extent, given up on conservatism. But in its attempt to compete with the profoundly frivolous Big Daddies like the Times, it is undercutting its own strengths, courtesy management's unsound policies.
Red carpet: N Ram's ascent to the top resulted in Red Carpet being laid out to some journalists who paratrooped and landed onto key positions, irrespective of their competencies. Naturally, this only engendered ill-will among the staff. Team spirit vanished.
Preferential incentives: Unthinkable in The Hindu. Of late, there is no fairness in promotions and hikes. It's all subject to boss liking or not of an individual. Ask those who have been consistently left out, you would know how devastating this would be.
Differential paypacks: Fuelling the disenchantment and heartburn, the paper imported some Devis from the selfsame profoundly frivolous newspapers at fat pay checks, fat enough to demotivate even those passionate ones that take pleasure in work alone. They now feel being used... shortchanged!
Harsh on District guys: The district reporters are an exploited lot. The management has cut the TA bills. Those who used to get Rs.600 to Rs.900 per day for travel now get a mere Rs.200 to 400. Allowance is now linked to the distance travelled to cover an event. District reporters have to run offices in their houses. The office would not foot the bills for rent or electricity! (Ramoji's Eenadu fares better on these counts). For communication, the reporters are asked to rely exclusively on the landline. So mobile bills would not be reimbursed! In this era of constant mobility and the need for instant communications, the management expects reporters to combe back home to make calls! That's not all, reporters have no weekly offs!
Comrades-turned-capitalists are the worst in exploitation and double standards. Ramoji.. Ram... there are more!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Et tu, N.Ram! It’s stunning. How can they exploit reporters like this? After speaking to a pal, I came to know, the management is not paying their mobile phone bills. He also told me that there is a limit on landline calls too. If they exceed the limit, they’ll deduct from the reporters salaries. What nonsense. If it is Eenadu, we can digest it but such things are happening in The Hindu!
Viram, this bit is really your scoop. Come on, keep it up.

Anonymous said...

Hey guys you haven't got the big picture. The Hindu, like any other organisation, may have its own flaws, it still is best place to work for journalists. It's professional and no where else are the employees are treated better. We all know that and there are numbe of examples of scribes who gained from the generous attitude of the management. The world is not a fair place. So Hindu's minor tarts are ignorable. Come to think of it man, what are the better places, a hellhole called DC or the ruthless ToI where scribes are the least treasured asset? You should have touched upon these matters to make it a fair assessment.

Anonymous said...

Hey,
Do you perceive exploiting reporters with dubious means and “unilateral” decision to slash TA bills as “an ignorable minor tart”? Come on, it is unfair. The management should rectify its folly immediately.

Anonymous said...

I think most of your comment are highly one-sided, you dont look at a situation in totality...it's very easy to pin point a negative trait, and equally difficult to spare a few words of praise.
Taking cue from your article on the Hindu, I personally know the people u are hinting at...i have seen them struggling their way to what they are now! This is like taking away their crdibility...don't go by what the envious birds tell you...use your own common sense!