 "On which page does the SRK slap belong?")
When Shah Rukh Khan creates news, what page does the news merit coverage in? Sometimes, it’s easy. For example, if the news is in the context of the IPL and the Kolkata Knight Riders team, it goes to the sports page. If it pertains to an IPL post-match party and features Bollywood stars and models, it’s in the gossip pages, the Bombay Times equivalent in every paper. If it’s about a new brand signing SRK on as a brand ambassador, it’s in the business pages. A story about a commercial featuring SRK would make it to the brands/advertising/ marketing pages. [caption id=“attachment_198527” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“When Shah Rukh Khan creates news, what page does the news merit coverage in?”]
[/caption] These are easy. What happens when the news is about SRK slapping a colleague from Bollywood, as was the case yesterday, with Farah Khan’s husband, Shishir Kunder, being the victim? For Mumbai Mirror, it was the cover story, suggesting it was, in the opinion of the editor, the most important news of the day as far as Mumbaikars were concerned; but wait – they’re not so sure. The front page story continues into an inside page, page 26, the first page of the film section. Times of India (Mumbai) has a similar view. It’s a front-page, over-the-fold story, with the incomplete report continuing to page 3 (the city page) and a second story on the front page of Bombay Times. In two other editions that we checked, the New Delhi edition also front paged the story, with the continuation found on a ‘Nation’ page and a second story in Delhi Times; the Kolkata edition also front-paged the story with a continuation in the Nation page – but nothing in Calcutta Times. The Hindustan Times relegates the story to HT City – and there, too, the news fails to make it to the front page; it’s on page 2. Obviously, as far as HT is concerned, it’s not a national story, not even a city story, it’s just Page 3 content. The Indian Express front pages the story as well, but it’s below the fold, with a continuation on page 2. The same treatment is found in their Delhi and Ahmedabad editions (the two we checked). Like Mumbai Mirror, Mid-Day makes the slap a cover story – but the cover has only the headline, with the story found only in Hit List, the Mid-Day gossip/Bollywood pages. DNA has nothing in the main paper, with front page coverage in After Hours, the film/TV/gossip pages. The Telegraph, Kolkata, front pages the news, continuing in an inside page. So for Times of India the news is both national news and gossip, for Indian Express and Telegraph, it’s national news (but not gossip), for Mumbai Mirror and Mid-Day it’s city news and gossip and Hindustan Times and DNA think it’s only gossip. It was never going to be easy figuring out where to slot the slap, was it? And how thus The Hindu, which sees such content as beneath contempt, treat the SRK-Kunder slap? Does it ignore the news altogether, does it see it as film or gossip news or, heaven forbid, does it view as national news? Well, it’s on the main paper of the Chennai edition, on page 16 — under a slug which says ‘Variety’ rubbing shoulders with another slug which says news. On the dotcom, though, it’s filed under the
‘National’ section
. Keeping up with the Joneses?
Anant Rangaswami was, until recently, the editor of Campaign India magazine, of which Anant was also the founding editor. Campaign India is now arguably India's most respected publication in the advertising and media space. Anant has over 20 years experience in media and advertising. He began in Madras, for STAR TV, moving on as Regional Manager, South for Sony’s SET and finally as Chief Manager at BCCL’s Times Television and Times FM. He then moved to advertising, rising to the post of Associate Vice President at TBWA India. Anant then made the leap into journalism, taking over as editor of what is now Campaign India's competitive publication, Impact. Anant teaches regularly and is a prolific blogger and author of Watching from the sidelines.