Thoughts on Journalism from Journalists

With changing times and changing patterns of 'content consumption,' journalism itself has undergone major changes and journalists have had to adapt to the new ways of doing things

I have no formal education in journalism, haven’t studied journalism in a college and do not have a degree or a diploma in journalism. And yet, I’ve worked as a journalist for close to three decades and have been fortunate enough to have written for leading newspapers, magazines and websites across the country. I started in the mid-1990s, when there was only print and television. Over the years, with the rise of the Internet, I saw the Web become the dominant medium, what with thousands of websites, blogs, YouTube channels, along with social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram vying for people’s attention and diminishing the power that print and TV once had.

Golden Rules for Magazine Editors

From 1998 till 2017, I worked with various magazines as a writer/editor. These were mostly automotive and technology publications based in Bombay, Pune and New Delhi. Also wrote for newspapers and websites during this period. Over the years, I was fortunate enough to have some great bosses – fabulous Editors – who taught me some valuable lessons in journalism. Of these, one of the greatest was Gourav Jaswal, Editor of CHIP, who hired me to join his editorial team in Bombay, in 1998. Gourav, who is now based in Goa, is an amazingly well-read, outstandingly brilliant person. Smart, articulate, all-around knowledgeable and sharp, he’s someone whom I’ve always looked up to. He’s the one who gave me first break in full-time journalism, which allowed me to go to Bombay and work there for many years – it’s what helped me build my life and do whatever little that I’ve been able to do.

Back in 1998 or 1999, he gave me a list of some ‘golden rules,’ which he said every magazine Editor should follow. While journalism itself has changed a fair bit since that time, I find that GJ’s rules are still as relevant as ever. And hence, I present that list here in the hope that some young Editor(s) will read this and, perhaps, benefit from these rules.

‘You’re a road test editor?! What on earth is that??’

That's me, 'testing' the 2003 Honda City. BSM lensman Param clicked this photo

I got married 21 years ago and one funny incident from back then has remained in memory. During one of the pre-wedding ceremonies in my wife’s hometown, Jabalpur, someone from her side of the family asked me – as is inevitably asked during such times – what I did for a living. Having asked this all-important question, this gentleman, who had a triumphant smile on his face (for having coming up with the most original of all questions, no doubt) and other relatives from my wife’s side of the family eagerly awaited my reply. Doctor? Engineer? An MBA who’s in sales or marketing? Lawyer? Architect? Any one of those replies would have, I’m sure, elicited nods of approval all around. So, when I said I’m a journalist – more specifically, a road test editor with Business Standard Motoring magazine – it’s hardly surprising that my response was met with blank stares and uncomprehending faces.

What’s a ‘road test editor,’ people wanted to know. Did I test roads, someone ventured with a nervous chuckle. Clearly, some mistake had been made. How could the bride’s father have deigned to give away his youngest daughter’s hand in marriage to someone who tested roads? What future could such a man have? And how much could he possibly earn? On my part, I did not have the courage to say I tested and reviewed cars, not roads, for then that might have triggered suspicions of me being a mechanic in a car workshop. And, of course, there was no question of mentioning the fact that a lot of my work was driving the aforementioned cars, for then I would have been someone’s chauffeur in people’s minds.

In any case, the wife-to-be soon arrived on the scene and in her usual gentle and graceful manner, steered me away from the conversation, averting the social disaster that was almost certainly in the making. Little did I know back then that this was only one of the many occasions when she’d end up rescuing me from socially difficult situations. In the meanwhile, on that fateful day, the group of people interrogating me ultimately went back to their drinks and paneer tikka, and all was well.

Back then, automotive journalism was a somewhat unusual profession. Today, it has been cheapened and commoditised. But that's a different story, which I'll save for another day.