Newspapers!

I am amazed..simply amazed by the e-editions of Indian Newspapers..they are as sleazy as sleazy can ever be!!! Today's headlines- I repeat headlines, on the Times of India- read "Item Girl Rakhi Sawant has filed a molestation case against singer Mika for forcibly kissing her" Duh!!!! I agree we are a lascivious country-( you say we are not- dudes..look at the population :D..how did it come about??), but this has to take the cake. Unbelievable headline.

Time for some softening. Ok- I agree, they have one sleazy caption like this everyday and it is indeed not a headline but just the way they arrange their newspaper on the net; their unique identity they once called it, having a catchy photograph and a gossipy article (rolling over eyes...yeah.. whatever!!.. if that was ever an identity, then the Khajuraho Temples have the right to it- minus the captions of course!) but, can't come up with something better? They call themselves the Times of "INDIA" for heaven's sakes!!!

A friend of mine at work wanted to look at an Indian newspaper- I tried "The Hindu"- the site took a while to open and froze the net for a good few seconds- friend went "wince wince"- oh i forgot the one pop-up that made it out too. (But, The Hindu atleast gives its readers that it is a serious newspaper- it gives some views of happenings atleast-thank god for that) He said another please, this one's not too iwell organized. I was a little offended, but I said ok- let me try TOI- out came 3 terrific pop-ups and then Rakhi babe. Too good! What an impression about Indian standards. (After all the good impression they formed seeing me, that was a let-down :D)

Also the bloody buggas update it at their own free wish and will. I made some smart-ass comment about livng in Hyd to Shweta in 2002 that got published thanks to her the next day. It was out on the e-edition in 2005!! WTF??!! Ok, maybe that ain't too much of an issue because I ain't no big fry. But, it takes them forever to even update headlines. I heard about some major issue ( I shall avoid talking about that issue in this post!) a good 18 hours after it happened on the TOI website. Don't newspapers have a moral responsibility to get the news out ASAP?? Isin't that what they are for??

The sooner they realize that the e-editions are going to be big profit makers in the long run; and the best way to flash headlines and interesting events as they unravel; and hence, the addded importance of making the e-edition as eye-pleasing as possible- the better!

Also, consider the big advantage- the better their e-edition, the more readers they'll have on the net, the fewer the actual paper readers, the more their profits as the middle newspaper men are eliminated. That's what they want right! More importantly, the lesser trees that have to be cut. A little too far-fetched you might say, but food for thought- right!! :)

While we are on the topic of newspapers, loads of people from AP will confess to reading and even loving another shady newspaper called Deccan Chronicle- apna DC :). It had the highest circulation ( or thereabouts!)- and is the shabbiest newspaper ever! The Editorial once ended in the middle of a sentence- a middle of a paragraph- and to top it all, no apologies the next day either!! I loved all the gossip it came with though. I feel these bloody newspapers must stop pretending to serve as newspapers and move over to the sleaze world. We want that, don't we? :) The more the sleaze magazines the better!

All this because I am angry about no newspaper covering a superhuman effort by an Indian student in Duke (its Dooke) University. He ran the 100 metres in 10.06 seconds- shattering the Indian record in the process. He is young, and recovering from illness and can only get better. On being quizzed whether he wanted to run in the Olympics- he said, well in a couple of year's time I can probably make it to the American team- but I won't because I am an Indian-period. And I won't run for India, because no one supports me, finances me, no one even wants to publish my achievements in the newspapers. Damn sad!
Anil- we are there for you mah man!! Keep running :)

Ok- the last paragraph was BS, but I am sure many such people and missions are overlooked in the overzealousness support of sleaze by the media. Time to think and arrange the papers better please. Or people like me, "the over-dependent on the net one's" will stop following Indian happenings altogether. And believe me, there are more and more people like me... Anyone from the media listening??