-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Thursday 13 May 2010 09:43 PM, Thaths wrote: > Would a left-leaning newspaper provide such unvarnished advertisement > thinly dressed as an interview? Or take this other supposed food > review: > > http://beta.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article428165.ece > Would you call that a fair/unbiased review of a restaurant? I can list > many such infractions in reviews of shopping malls, theaters, > restaurants, jewelery stores, etc.
A fair/unbiased review of that restaurant? Why not? Not every beat reporter has high standards and a press release forming the major part of a report is not unheard of. 1. What makes you suspect unfairness/bias? 2. Point out *any* newspaper *anywhere* in the world with a city-focussed supplement, and I will point out at least one such article in that supplement. It is not 'biased' but (perhaps) shoddy. There is a world of a difference. And why would you expect though-provoking food criticism from any city supplement? I, personally, wouldn't even call it shoddy. It gives me location, dishes (both veg and non-veg), prices. Heck, it is a whole lot *better* than most restaurant listings. > I find the lack of separation between the advertising and editorial > sections of the newspapers much more disturbing. I can't see a > semblance of the journalistic ideal in these fluffy "articles" and > celebrity interest "interviews". My worry is that some newspapers have even stopped pretending that they distinguish one from the other: http://www.timesprivatetreaties.com/ http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=3174&pg=1&mod=1§ionId=4&valid=true For all its various faults (including some of those that Suresh accuses N. Ram of) the Hindu is still much better than most, and ought not even be compared to the Times. Cheers, Pranesh P.S. Mint (with its very different political outlook) and (many times) the Indian Express + New Indian Express and (sometimes) Mail Today are also quite good. I haven't read Mail Today except for the articles that people have sent me, so there is very likely a strong selection bias. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAkvsLDEACgkQ7JoSBR1cXwfw5wCgntC7rS5E7xazonctiy+06ENC D6IAn0sXP3FDudeX1szN4RbUOHVYpe0f =zzqz -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
