Here's month eight of tracking the sorry #OpEds of @IndianExpress @htTweets and @the_hindu.
THREAD
@IndianExpress had 129 #OpEds, @htTweets 78 & @the_hindu 120.
@IndianExpress adopts a convenient trope of getting multiple joint bylines featuring women. At times, as many as 3 women for one small piece.
While this is just sad, it ups the numbers.
Prachi Mishra, Vandita Mishra, Naina Lal Kidwai, Coomi Kapoor, Oshin Dharap & Pranjul Bhandari.
Like #July, this month too, women got the second lead 10 times.
Rukmini Bhaya Nair, Mrinal Pande, Hena Singh + Swati Parashar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nirupama Subramanian, Neeti Nair, Ritika Juneja (jt w/Ashok Gulati).
Of course, this is NEVER the case for IE's men though.
Never ever. Nope. Not even in the #OpEd editor's dreams.
PB Mehta(4), C Raja Mohan(4), Khaled Ahmed(5), Ashok Gulati(3)
Christophe Jaffrelot + SY Quraishi = 2 each.
Of course, this didn't happen for any #female. Why would it?
Again, WHY am I doing this?!
These #OpEd numbers are utterly, bitterly disgusting.
Please. They don't deserve any congratulations.
Jayachandran's #FaultLine continued its weekly spot in @htTweets.
You're never going to even strive for #diversity. It's beyond your ken. Clearly.
Meera Srinivasan, who works at Hindu, got three bylines this month--an incredible feat this paper has granted one of its own.
Faizan Mustafa, Rajeev Bhargava, Justice Madan B Lokur, Pulapre Balakrishnan, T Jacob John + MS Seshadri, Krishna Kumar, Mohd Ayoob, Sajjan Kumar.
These were Sonia Gandhi, Mary E John, and Ashwini Deshpande (jt w/ Rajesh Ramachandran).
Mazaak banaakar rakha hai sabko.
Similarly, Harsh V Pant wrote in @the_hindu on 13 Aug and in @htTweets on 28 Aug.
Neither was a joint #byline.
Mani Shankar Aiyar in @the_hindu on 6 Aug, @IndianExpress on 27 Aug.
Wow.
While that was the separation of lovers, I'd now like to think it's the glaring separation of 'sense' from #OpEds in @IndianExpress @htTweets @the_hindu.
You know you've all done a pathetic job because the #OpEds will always remain sorry.