The Second 100: A Selection of Editorials — 1978-2016 , a compilation of one hundred editorials that were published in The Hindu between 1978 and 2016, was released here on Tuesday. These editorials were written mostly under the editorship of N. Ravi, N. Ram and Malini Parthasarathy.
A sequel to The First 100: A Selection of Editorials — 1878-1978 , that was published on the occasion of the newspaper’s centenary celebrations in 1978, the book was released jointly by Mr. Ram, Chairman of The Hindu Group’s publishing company, THG Publishing Private Limited; Dr. Malini Parthasarathy, its Co-Chairperson; Mr. Ravi, Publisher of The Hindu and the other publications of The Hindu Group, and Mukund Padmanabhan, Editor, The Hindu , at Kasturi Buildings.
Underlining the significance of editorials, Mr. Ram said they represented one of the most important components of a newspaper’s content. “At one point I was raising the question to myself whether we were spending too much time discussing editorials, but I think it is well worth it. It differentiates us from other newspapers.”
“Sometimes we took ourselves too seriously. But I think we were heard. The real test was when we wrote something highly critical of someone in authority, [if] we didn’t hear from them… their disapproval or disappointment, then you ought to be disappointed. That’s the real impact of editorials,” Mr. Ram added. He pitched for a Kindle-friendly edition.
Mr. Ravi said that though readership surveys often revealed readers largely did not read editorials, it was only true of other newspapers. “I think in the case of The Hindu , people read the editorials more carefully,” he said. “Despite different writers writing at different points of time, there is this The Hindu spirit in the air, which they all imbibe and continue along the same line more or less. Though the stride of writing and tone may be different, the basic, fundamental issues are addressed the same way at different points of time.”
Democracy connect
Dr. Parthasarathy said: “The democracy connect for newspapers is really through editorials since news content is geared towards the demands of readers. Through edits, we exercise our function of being a watchdog of democracy and hold institutions accountable.” She added, “ The Hindu has a proud tradition in this regard. In the age of social media, we can keep our head above the water by a strong emphasis on editorials which command public attention.”
Mr. Padmanabhan recalled his own experience in editorial writing, and said The Hindu has taken its editorials much more seriously than other newspapers. “It defines who we are.”
In a foreword to the book, Mr. Padmanabhan said most of the editorials that have found their way into the new volume, were selected for their historical significance of the subject matter or event they have dealt with. “A few others elected themselves to showcase the range of issues that we have commented on.”
R. Srinivasan, Head - Magazines and Publications, thanked those involved in the production of the book.
The Second 100... is priced ₹399, while the reprinted The First 100: A Selection of Editorials — 1878-1978 costs ₹499.
Copies can be booked at https://www.thehindu.com/publications . For bulk requirements or queries, readers could write to bookstore@thehindu.co.in
