This year marks the 20th anniversary of this newspaper’s foray into the digital world. In 1995, The Hindu became the first Indian newspaper to have a web platform. It was the newspaper’s desire to reach out to readers living in areas where the physical copy of the paper was not available. The decision was in tune with the newspaper’s philosophy to keep abreast of the technology curve. It happened two months before Microsoft launched its Windows 95 and the web browser, Internet Explorer. To celebrate this milestone, we are hosting a digital Open House on Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 5 p.m. Indian Standard Time, and we invite our readers for a virtual meet. A special discussion forum will be on the homepage www.thehindu.com.
The digital journey has been as eventful as the print platform’s journey for this newspaper. In the early years, the web version was not different from the print version. The technology, both in terms of the processing power of the computer as well as the bandwidth of Internet connectivity, was a limiting factor. But it paved the way for a decisive shift towards the digital world. The changes were incremental. Breaking news was a feature that was introduced later as a scroll.
Redesigned but retained core values In 2009, the website was redesigned by Mario Garcia Jr., of Garcia Media, to leverage the multiple possibilities offered by the emerging digital technology. It was launched on August 15, 2009. A note from the Editor explained how the website of a 130-year-old (then) newspaper of record retained its core values of independence, authenticity, and credibility while adopting contemporary web design principles, tools, and features.
The redesign made the site an interactive space: it allowed readers to post comments, and has an architecture that lends itself to constant improvement. The readership grew manifold. Reporters got used to the “web first” principle. From a single deadline, they moved to filing developing stories through the day before coming up with a full wrap report for the print edition late in the night. The web platform of the paper is now available across multiple devices — from desktops to tablets to mobile devices.
Significant offerings Some of the significant offerings on the web platform are: the full archives of content from January 1, 2000; a detailed resources vertical that publishes major documents: texts of speeches made by the President and the Prime Minister during bilateral and multilateral visits, Supreme Court and High Court judgments on important cases, texts of bilateral and multilateral agreements, full texts of the annual budget as well as economic surveys, among others; a data vertical; a timeline vertical; a theme-based photo feature slideshow vertical; videos; and podcasts. There is a discussion forum where reporters and in-house domain experts have lively online chats on important developing news and issues that have major ramifications. A special section called “In-depth” curates articles, reports and data on all significant issues to provide a comprehensive picture.
The blogging section has opened up the newspaper in a way that was not possible a few years ago. Some of the sections in the blogs forum are: ‘By the way’, which takes an alternative view of the world; ‘Datum line’, a forum to debate and discuss the urban landscape, places for people, heritage and architecture; ‘Science of Times’, which looks at science and reasoning with a keen eye on physics, astronomy, mathematics, and aspects of computer science; ‘Data delve’, a blog that explores happenings in the realm of data and provides insights into the world we live in because people matter, not numbers; and ‘Hawk eye’, a sporting blog that seeks answers to major sporting questions with an idea of redefining our understanding of sport in modern society. While there is a strict word limit in print, as space is at a premium in newsprint, the web platform has given a forum for reporters to explore further.
Awards for excellence It is heartening to note that the efforts are getting recognition. The website has won the >Website of the Year (WOTY) India award for 2014 in the News and Information category. The selection of the 'Website of the Year India' was done in an online public process that seeks to identify the best and most popular websites in 21 categories. It was organised by MetrixLab, a global provider of consumer insights and marketing analytics. The Hindu was shortlisted for the global Data Journalism Awards 2015 in two categories — data journalism website and individual portfolio — by the Global Editors Network.
This virtual Open House is not replacing the physical Open House. This time around there is going to be a series of Open House meetings in multiple cities. I hope to share the date and time for various cities within a month. Two years ago, following the first Open House, I observed that a significant outcome of constant engagement with the readers was the creation of a mutual learning system. The editorial team gets an idea of the changing demands and new expectations of the readers, and the readers learn a few things about how a newspaper functions and why it reports or comments on crucial issues in the manner that it does. The digital Open House will focus mainly on the website. We solicit ideas and suggestions from those of you who may not be able to join us on Wednesday evening.
readerseditor@thehindu.co.in
