I am a reader of ToI since the beginning of time.. Ever since i started reading news papers in general. I have been noticing the changes to as I read almost every column in the news paper which was real and more touching. Even though the online news media has more fast updates to it and much more interactive format, I choose to use the news paper as much as possible. There is nothing that gives a good feeling of rattling paper and messing it up while reading and arranging it back to good form, that I enjoy.. :)
Times have changed and my reach to get the hard news paper form India is very less as I travel outside India. This has also changed the way i look for updates in media and news sites, especially ToI, The Hindhu, CNN IBN...etc.. I do check the news almost every hour some days as I expect there is something happening in India every minute. As I sift through the news sites, I do see a considerable shift of the ToI towards more sexist and more motivated to the wrong side of the reader than to the knowledgeable side. This said, I am not portraying the biased view, but what I feel from years or reading the same media.
Of late ToI's readership has increased stunningly and more so due to the fact that its more glamour than news. Most of the people reading ToI as disappointed that it reports highly irrelevant news and updates, but can't help reading them.
So today I think I can post some pictures of the Times media sites as I see it.
Essentially, ToI is good at controlling the readers views and comments and not their own way of portraying themselves as a free media for people to express themselves.
Times have changed and my reach to get the hard news paper form India is very less as I travel outside India. This has also changed the way i look for updates in media and news sites, especially ToI, The Hindhu, CNN IBN...etc.. I do check the news almost every hour some days as I expect there is something happening in India every minute. As I sift through the news sites, I do see a considerable shift of the ToI towards more sexist and more motivated to the wrong side of the reader than to the knowledgeable side. This said, I am not portraying the biased view, but what I feel from years or reading the same media.
Of late ToI's readership has increased stunningly and more so due to the fact that its more glamour than news. Most of the people reading ToI as disappointed that it reports highly irrelevant news and updates, but can't help reading them.
So today I think I can post some pictures of the Times media sites as I see it.
The picutres are the screen shots form the Times sites from India. The point here is whether the news media need to be discrete about its adverts than the news itself? Yes, I agree if someone interested in LIFE & STYLE column can make sense of the adverts in the said sense, but for a media like ToI, read by school kids, too teens to middle aged to Old aged, does it need some discretion in providing online ads?
Sex seels and its multi billion dollar industry since the age of internet. Accept it or not, that is the very reason that countries like India and others, who shout free trade support this business even though they do not encourage it. The only trade that goes on forever without any advert or push from the governments.
My only opinion is, do the news media have to control thier marketing strategy to push their sales in a manner to just being awkward on the opening page itself? Can they be discrete like the New York times or our own The Hindhu? Can they be more people friendly and less graphical and still attract readers?
I suggest ToI should pay heed to the viewers comments too and act responsible to the comments. More often than not, ToI censors the comments but no the adverts on their own site. What a pity.Essentially, ToI is good at controlling the readers views and comments and not their own way of portraying themselves as a free media for people to express themselves.
