I've been doing this for six months now. SIX 😭
Tracking #OpEds of @IndianExpress, @htTweets and @the_hindu is painful and the results continue to be abysmal.
THREAD
Tracking #OpEds of @IndianExpress, @htTweets and @the_hindu is painful and the results continue to be abysmal.
THREAD
Of course everything #Covid is horrifying and demoralising, but certain things needn't be.
Those are the #OpEds. I'm convinced #Editors don't care about #representation.
@IndianExpress had 130 #OpEds, @htTweets 78 & @the_hindu 122.
#PleaseBringInWomen
Those are the #OpEds. I'm convinced #Editors don't care about #representation.
@IndianExpress had 130 #OpEds, @htTweets 78 & @the_hindu 122.
#PleaseBringInWomen
I haven't included #Sundays from the beginning of the study since they're reserved for the same old #columnists.
The quality of #writing overall could be better, but a part of me gets the constraints.
The quality of #writing overall could be better, but a part of me gets the constraints.
I really really wish #Dalitality becomes a #weeklycolumn instead of the current fortnightly and would love for it to appear on a weekday too.
If @surajyengde could please look into this, it'd be great.
If @surajyengde could please look into this, it'd be great.
Of the 130 in @IndianExpress, #women got only 21 bylines.🤷♀️
This includes two #jointbylines, with #ElaBhatt getting second billing when she wrote with #KaushikBasu.
This includes two #jointbylines, with #ElaBhatt getting second billing when she wrote with #KaushikBasu.
On @IndianExpress's #TheEditorialPage, women got top billing ONLY TWICE.
*I really ought to give up*.
These two women were Sonia Gandhi and Coomi Kapoor, who's IE's consulting editor.
*I really ought to give up*.
These two women were Sonia Gandhi and Coomi Kapoor, who's IE's consulting editor.
The day Coomi wrote was also the *only day* this page had 'only women' writers (25 June).
Rajni Bakshi wrote on the right to differ.
(Please cry with me, or lend me a shoulder)
Rajni Bakshi wrote on the right to differ.
(Please cry with me, or lend me a shoulder)
Women opened the #IdeasPage four times--one was a joint byline (Kaushik Basu + Ela Bhatt).
Sole openers were Roshan Farokh Chinoy, Meenakshi Gopinath and Dolly Kikon.
Please #OpEd person of @IndianExpress, please help.
Sole openers were Roshan Farokh Chinoy, Meenakshi Gopinath and Dolly Kikon.
Please #OpEd person of @IndianExpress, please help.
Nine men got more than one byline in June in @IndianExpress -- Pratap Bhanu Mehta(3), C Raja Mohan(6), Khaled Ahmed(4), Ram Madhav(3).
Ashok Gulati, Arun Prakash, Vijay Gokhale, Sanjaya Baru, Swami Agnivesh = 2 each
Ashok Gulati, Arun Prakash, Vijay Gokhale, Sanjaya Baru, Swami Agnivesh = 2 each
It's exceedingly boring to keep reading Raja Mohan for everything international.
Let his views remain to his #RajaMandala column, please.
Let his views remain to his #RajaMandala column, please.
What's actually embarrassing is that NOT A SINGLE #WOMAN GOT MORE THAN ONE #BYLINE.
How do you account for that, @IndianExpress?
None of them got featured more than once even in the exclusive online #OpEds.
How do you account for that, @IndianExpress?
None of them got featured more than once even in the exclusive online #OpEds.
A somewhat interesting feature this paper has begun is something called #IdeasOnline, where because print is prime real estate, you get space online.
Swami Agnivesh holds the distinct record of being published in print (a joint byline with Valson Thampu) and an online byline.
Swami Agnivesh holds the distinct record of being published in print (a joint byline with Valson Thampu) and an online byline.
#IdeasOnline has featured fab women like @VrindaBhandari, @bhargavizaveri and Sohini Sengupta.
Having said, in June, of the 52 #IdeasOnline, women got 17 bylines, with six joint bylines.
It's deeply disappointing that @IndianExpress couldn't make it 50% even here.
Having said, in June, of the 52 #IdeasOnline, women got 17 bylines, with six joint bylines.
It's deeply disappointing that @IndianExpress couldn't make it 50% even here.
Barkha Dutt and Namita Bhandare continue to be the only women getting more than one byline, because they're regular columnists with @htTweets.
Other than regulars Yashwant Raj, Shashi Shekhar & Rajdeep Sardesai; men who got > 1 byline = C Uday Bhaskar, Shyam Saran and Kapil Sibal.
Every Saturday, @htTweets features #EditorsPick--a #book recommendation.
June recommended authors are Ta-Nehisi Coates, Elizabeth C Economy, Probal Dasgupta and Benjamin A Elman & Sheldon Pollock.
Nice line up, I guess?
June recommended authors are Ta-Nehisi Coates, Elizabeth C Economy, Probal Dasgupta and Benjamin A Elman & Sheldon Pollock.
Nice line up, I guess?
The Saturday page now features the cartoon #FaultLine by Jayachandran.
Would be curious to know if @htTweets has ever had a non-male cartoonist.
Would be curious to know if @htTweets has ever had a non-male cartoonist.
Of the 122 in @the_hindu, 25 featured women, with four joint bylines.
Meera Srinivasan, who works with Hindu, and Kiran Bhatty are the ONLY women to be feature more than once.
That's really, really sad.
Meera Srinivasan, who works with Hindu, and Kiran Bhatty are the ONLY women to be feature more than once.
That's really, really sad.
Because 13 men got more than one byline this month (!!) including
MK Narayanan, Mukul Sanwal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Happymon Jacob, RK Raghavan, MS Seshadri, T Jacob John, Hamid Ansari, Rajeev Bhargava, Md Ayoob, Jayant Prasad. @the_hindu
MK Narayanan, Mukul Sanwal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Happymon Jacob, RK Raghavan, MS Seshadri, T Jacob John, Hamid Ansari, Rajeev Bhargava, Md Ayoob, Jayant Prasad. @the_hindu
Women opened the #OpEd ONLY THRICE in @the_hindu.
Suhasini Haidar as usual. The other two were Nirupama Rao, who wrote on Galwan, and Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal, who wrote how Jammu is the pawn on the Kashmir chessboard.
Each piece is fascinating. OBVIOUSLY.
Suhasini Haidar as usual. The other two were Nirupama Rao, who wrote on Galwan, and Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal, who wrote how Jammu is the pawn on the Kashmir chessboard.
Each piece is fascinating. OBVIOUSLY.
. @the_hindu created history this month by featuring an #allwoman #Parley (26 June).
Moderated by Puja Pednekar, it featured Kiran Bhatty and Reeta Sonawat.
The Parley had 2 female participants *once* in the past, but the moderator was Jayant Sriram.
Moderated by Puja Pednekar, it featured Kiran Bhatty and Reeta Sonawat.
The Parley had 2 female participants *once* in the past, but the moderator was Jayant Sriram.
The number of men from the #armedforces who've written for @IndianExpress @htTweets @the_hindu in the last six months is pathetic, because it's ONLY men.
I had NO idea that women aren't part of the armed forces and don't have views on government policies.
I had NO idea that women aren't part of the armed forces and don't have views on government policies.
If it helps, please do try and get these #Pakistani #women to write for you.
Their immense knowledge and acerbic wit is legendary: @rtnvir, @AtiyaAbbas_, @curlistani.
Again don't @ me with "WHY PAKISTAN"?
Their immense knowledge and acerbic wit is legendary: @rtnvir, @AtiyaAbbas_, @curlistani.
Again don't @ me with "WHY PAKISTAN"?
Again, the love that all these papers have for male lawyers, who seem to have monthly columns, cannot be done away with.
If possible, get @kirubamunusamy to write for you. She's beyond fabulous.
If possible, get @kirubamunusamy to write for you. She's beyond fabulous.
It shall always remain a mystery as to how all of these papers are incapable of getting (more) women to write for them.
Yet again, @IndianExpress, @htTweets, @the_hindu were unable to pull off the #allwoman #OpEd.
How does it not seem to bother the editors? Seriously? What seems to be the problem? Why are you unable to let women write?
How does it not seem to bother the editors? Seriously? What seems to be the problem? Why are you unable to let women write?
It's not just print media that lacks in optimum representation. @SapniGK and @ranting24x7 had conducted a detailed study tracking online media platforms that publish on tech, law, policy and society. Their results are also stark.
#American #newsrooms are no better, really.
#Studies have been conducted and are being conducted to bring in more #diversity because the world sucks, and newsrooms are a bigger sux.
#Studies have been conducted and are being conducted to bring in more #diversity because the world sucks, and newsrooms are a bigger sux.
None of these studies are surprising, & I fail to understand how editors have let this happen, time & again. All of you carry reports on the importance of representation; all of you talk openly abt discrimination; yet none of you seem to want to do anything to improve conditions.
Until change happens, I'd like to dedicate HH Madhuri Dixit's best ever song, on behalf of the parched #OpEds
"Din baney haftey, re haftey maheene, maheene ban gaye saal"
"Din baney haftey, re haftey maheene, maheene ban gaye saal"
