Thread by @iconohclast

I'm exhausted, but then the study must go on. Here's month four of the state of #OpEds in @IndianExpress @htTweets & @the_hindu.

April has been rougher than March.

It's actually been really really awful. In general, and for #OpEds too.

THREAD

Again, excluded Sundays since they're reserved for the usual columnists.

The quality of #writing has remained the same as the same writers have been writing here since time immemorial.

@IndianExpress had 130 #OpEds, @htTweets 78 & @the_hindu 122. #BringInMoreWomen

Of the 130 in @IndianExpress, women got only 18 bylines. This includes four joint bylines.

Their 'The Editorial Page', gave top billing to women ONLY ONCE. Wow. Aruna Sundararajan wrote on the lockdown dilemma.

This was also the only day this page had 'only women' writers.

Geetanjali Kala wrote about how the government must answer the citizens.

Again. WOW @IndianExpress

Women opened the Ideas Page ONLY THRICE, and each was a joint byline.

Nikhil Dey & Aruna Roy
Sonalde Desai & Santanu Pramanik
Jayati Ghosh, Prabhat Patnaik & Harsh Mander

14 men got more than one byline (!!) in April in @IndianExpress

PB Mehta(3), C Raja Mohan(5), Khaled Ahmed(4) & Suhas Palshikar, Vikram S Mehta, Venkaiah Naidu, Kapil Sibal, D Raja, Ashok Gulati, Harsh Mander, Dushyant Dave, Christophe Jaffrelot, Ram Madhav, Deepak Nayyar 2 each

I'm flummoxed as to how the editors couldn't get ONE #female #journalist from #Pakistan to write ONE OpEd. The quality of the centrefold will increase manifold!

Also how this paper couldn’t get more females to open ‘The Editorial Page’ & the 'Ideas Page'—How do you explain this?

@IndianExpress needs to bring in voices other than Raja Mohan for anything international. He has his Raja Mandala column; shouldn’t that be enough?

How is it possible that IE cannot appoint ONE #female contributing editor? Why is it only Pratap Bhanu Mehta and C Raja Mohan?

Of the 78 in @htTweets, women got 16 bylines, including four joint bylines.

Women opened the #OpEd five times--Barkha Dutt (2), Yamini Aiyar (2, this includes a jt byline) & Shreerupa Mitra (1).

Namita Bhandare wrote twice.

Other than regulars Yashwant Raj, Shashi Shekhar & Rajdeep Sardesai; men who got > 1 byline in @htTweets = Praveen Chakravarty, Yashovardhan Azad & Pulapre Balakrishnan.

Praveen is also senior officer-bearer of the Congress.

Every Saturday, @htTweets also features #EditorsPick--a #book recommendation.

#Authors recommended this month are Frank Snowden, Albert Camus, Eric J Hobsbawm and Henry Kissinger.

VERY interesting lineup.🤔

Of the 122 in @the_hindu, 24 featured women, with seven joint bylines.

Five men got more than one byline this month, including MK Narayanan, T Jacob John, Rajeev Bhargava, Harsh V Pant & Suhrith Parthasarathy.

How @the_hindu has never gotten someone as talented as @nehaachaudhari (in the last four months) to write for them is beyond my ken.

Please just read up on her.

Women opened the #OpEd in @the_hindu ONLY THRICE, including one joint byline--the woman, Tejal Kanitkar, got 1st billing.

Sole openers were Neera Chandhoke and predictably Suhasini Haidar.

#Parleys moderated by Radhika Santhanam are always fun and I hope she does it more often.

This is only the second time in four months that she's moderated one.

Happy to note #ReetikaKhera make a comeback to the #Parley, which was moderated by G Ananthakrishnan.

The topic was how #India will emerge from the #lockdown.

All papers @IndianExpress @htTweets @the_hindu were unable to pull off the #allwoman #OpEd. I don't understand.

If you can get SO MANY MEN to write EACH DAY, why aren't you giving more chances to the women? What's the matter with the #Edit team?

While I also understand the love these three papers have for Gautam Bhatia, Suhrith Parthasarathy and Apar Gupta, branch out, please?

Maybe ask *them* if *they* know female writers? Can you do that @IndianExpress @htTweets @the_hindu?

I know it's important to hear voices like #HarshMander, who've only done great stuff and write with utmost sensitivity.

Please get #JayatiGhosh and #ArunaRoy to write more often. They're just as nice.

So many #male #ministers/ RS members/ party #spokespersons keep writing in @IndianExpress @htTweets @the_hindu -- right from Venkaiah Naidu to Ramesh Pokhriyal to Kapil Sibal to Derek O'Brien.

Sad to note the obvious #absence of #women.

I also feel each time #AmitabhKant writes, he ought to take second billing--giving writers like #SarahIype more importance.

Better still, encourage the young women at #NITIAayog to write and publish more often.

And when I read an influential man write an #OpEd in @IndianExpress @htTweets @the_hindu, I think of the influential women who could have written, or even the upcoming writers who SHOULD have gotten a chance.

Most of these #men are mediocre #writers. They're not lifting the #OpEd space. They're not creating anything worth a conversation.

I think of the #women who could have, and who very easily can.

This again, is a failure on part of the #Editorial teams at @IndianExpress, @htTweets & @the_hindu.

Please do some leg and mind work to get optimum #representation.

I know #women who keep #pitching to your #Edit teams, but get NO response.

Please don't publish *only men* from #publicpolicy/ #legal/ #climate/ #defence/ government #thinktanks.

You've monthly contracts with the men, come on!

Do ask them "where are your #women?"

RESPOND to pitches by women.

I've read pieces published on popular #thinktank websites, and it's clear as day to me that the #women are cogent thinkers and good #writers.

PUBLISH THEM

I also feel that the #financial papers do a far better job in publishing #women.

Just see what lawyers like @shaishavi, @shalakapatil1 @nehaachaudhari @shohinisengupta & @bhargavizaveri have to offer.

I hope you also know of the existence of @WILPodcast?

It's a wonderful and pertinent #podcast featuring the brightest women of our country.

PLEASE collaborate with them!

NOT ONE PAPER published the #same #woman more than once. I'm of course not talking about regulars like Barkha, Yamini and Namita.

This is an absolute shame @IndianExpress @htTweets and @the_hindu.

Really!

Dear @IndianExpress, @htTweets, @the_hindu, work on a solid bank of female/ non-male writers. It’s never been difficult.

You're of course going to continue publishing the same men every month.

Why don’t you extend that courtesy to the same women?

To begin with, you can go through the list of #women you've already published @IndianExpress @htTweets @the_hindu.

GET THEM TO #WRITE AGAIN.

Please build a #conducive #environment for women to #pitch and write.

You don’t know how important our #voices are.