New Delhi, Mar. 28 (ANI): An analysis oriented fortnightly magazine, Views on News (VON), featuring the latest from the Indian media, trending matters in social media, advertising, entertainment and books is likely to make its mark in the sphere of such periodicals.
True to its name, Views on News deals with the issues that best represent what the Indian media did (and did not) deal with, in a given fortnight.
In its latest issue, the magazine has published stories about the leading periodical of the country, India Today's southern editions-Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam -'biting the dust'.
India Today's Tamil edition, it was pointed out in the article by R. Ramasubramanian, "injected professionalism in news journalism, but the lack of localisation created a peculiar situation for the Tamil issue wherein it was looked upon as a alien in the eyes of its readers".
It has been claimed that "the Delhi-centric approach was the cause of the collapse. The result was that the Tamil issue, that was selling 2.75 lakh copies at one time came down to 24,000". The article quotes a former associate editor Aazhi Senthilinathan, that "India Today's refusal to go for technological upgradation was also a problem. The Tamil, Telugu, and the Malayalam editions did not even have websites."
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The latest issue also has articles on trials by media, how social media hype can have unwanted consequences on an unassuming person like 77-year-old, P. V. Saar, a retired Bank Manager, who was projected by the Rashtriya Shiv Sena in June 2014 on Facebook with a title "Salute and Respect". Today, when he travels from home to his workplace in Connaught circle, he is met by hordes 'fans', which embarrasses him.
The latest edition also has a heartfelt eulogy to Vinod Mehta, one of India's most iconic editors who passed away recently, by Shantanu Guha Ray.
The Editors' Pick features an interesting commentary by Satish Padmanabhan on the chat show trend which rules the roost in prime time programming these days.
Titled "Chuck the News, Gimme Yack Yack", the piece talks about how "these days 9 o'clock looks more like the kind of stuff we'd talk about after the bulletin is over-at a pub."
The publication also features a biting analysis of the media's fixation with fairness and questions the psychology behind manufacturers and advertisers selling products and films with predominantly white models.
The magazine also contains a profile of Gujarat Chief Minister Aanandiben Patel, who took over the post last year from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by RK Misra.
It details Patel's political journey and how she has managed to carve a niche for herself through her "open administration and unassuming manner".
Views on News also doesn't disappoint in providing interesting tidbits and quotable quotes which ensure that the reader shuts the magazine with a smile on his/ her face.
If you are working in a media organisation, in a university where journalism is taught, or in the field of governance or advertising the magazine would be of interest.