A spectre is haunting Big Media in India — the spectre of transparency
QUARTZ | The crisis of the Indian media is also primarily a crisis of its business model and this is where the TRAI report delivers its deadliest blows.
Elections 2014 – Chat with Siddharth Varadarajan
In which I fielded live questions from readers at a new ‘town hall’ type website…
Skip the apology Modi saheb, tell us about Kodnani
The exertions of journalists who interviewed Modi have been as weak as the SIT’s which questioned him on the riots.
Making News
Palash Davé profiles brothers Tunku and Siddharth Varadarajan— editors, writers and scholars—who, while following seemingly different paths, are often on the same page From: THE INDIAN QUARTERLY, JULY-SEPTEMBER 2013
Such journalists should be exposed, not honoured
I have written to the jury which gave the Indian News Broadcasting Award for News Reporter of the Year 2010, Hindi, to Neeta Sharma of NDTV India, protesting their choice. … Continue reading
The Ramnath Goenka Award…
On July 22, I received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Journalist of the Year (Print) for 2008-9 from the President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil. The award was for my … Continue reading
From Mumbai to Pune, signs of a lesson learnt
The post-attack response from the government was much better coordinated this time around…15 February 2010The Hindu From Mumbai to Pune, signs of a lesson learnt Siddharth Varadarajan Gone are the … Continue reading
Class prejudice in reporting
Reporters and editors make tough decisions about what’s news all the time but this one should have been a no-brainer. A minister uses his clout to get his son upgraded … Continue reading
Media ethics and the SIT report on Gujarat
Reporters should be careful about claiming to have “access” to explosive confidential documents when all they might have are a few paragraphs selectively planted on them by vested interests. SIDDHARTH … Continue reading
Less dictation, more questions
A 26/11 scoop sourced from Indian officials is contradicted by a Pakistani news report, quoting the country’s interior minister. Was the Hindustan Times taken for a ride? [Cross-posted on The … Continue reading
Sahitya Akademi award for Iftikhar Gilani
When the Indian intelligence agencies tried to frame Iftikhar Gilani on a bogus charge of violating the Official Secrets Act six years ago, they never reckoned on the brave Kashmiri … Continue reading
Some tips from Jaipur for aspiring commentators
While I was in Jaipur to speak at the Literary Festival last week, a young blogger, Aayush Soni, interviewed me on a bunch of issues from how to become a … Continue reading
The "lifetime achievement" of Mr. Advani
I was a bit taken aback by NDTV’s decision to give a “lifetime achievement award” to L.K. Advani of the Bharatiya Janata Party. After all, Mr. Advani was widely acknowledged … Continue reading
‘When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me…’
These were Sri Lankan editor Lasantha Wickrematunge’s prophetic last words, contained in a farewell editorial he wrote for his newspaper, The Sunday Leader, to be published in the event that … Continue reading
Siddharth Varadarajan 