The Telegraph (India)

Last updated

The Telegraph
Telegraph india.750.jpg
The 20 August 2013 front page of
The Telegraph
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) ABP Group
Editor-in-chiefAtideb Sarkar
Founded7 July 1982;42 years ago (1982-07-07)
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
CountryIndia
Circulation 352,972 Daily [1] (as of December 2019)
Sister newspapers Anandabazar Patrika
OCLC number 271717941
Website www.telegraphindia.com

The Telegraph is an Indian English daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 7 July 1982. the upper market newspaper is published by the ABP Group and competes with the Middle-market newspaper The Times of India . The newspaper is the eighth most-widely read English language newspaper in India as per Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2019. [2]

Contents

The Telegraph has three editions Kolkata, South Bengal and North Bengal. [3] [4]

History

The Telegraph was founded on 7 July 1982. The design director of London's The Sunday Times , Edwin Taylor, designed the newspaper and provided a standard in design and editing. In 31 years, it has become the largest-circulation English daily in the eastern region published from Kolkata. In 1982, M. J. Akbar used to edit and design the daily newspaper; thus it had a major impact on newspaper journalism in India.

The Telegraph is published by media group Ananda Publishers closely associated with ABP Pvt. Ltd; the group also published Anandabazar Patrika (a Bengali language newspaper) since 13 March 1922. [5] Apart from newspapers the group even published Bengali and English periodicals like Anandamela , Unish-Kuri , Sananda , Anandalok , Desh magazine , The Telegraph in Schools and Career.

Businessworld , which was initially part of the ABP group, has been sold to Anurag Batra, of Exchange4Media and Vikram Jhunjhunwala, an investment banker for an undisclosed amount. [6]

The paper currently has three editions Calcutta, South Bengal and North Bengal. Previous editions include Northeast edition (Guwahati split), Jharkhand edition (Jamshedpur and Ranchi splits), Patna and Bhubaneshwar editions. Bhubaneshwar & Patna Editions ceased on 14 December 2018 and Northeast and Jharkhand editions on 20 May 2020. [7]

Editorial stance

According to an analysis of the major English language newspapers in India, during the run up to the 2014 Indian general election, the political coverage of The Telegraph was found to be less aligned in favor of the Bharatiya Janata Party and less negative of the Indian National Congress relative to that of The Times of India and the Hindustan Times . [8]

In a 2020 Newslaundry article, the paper's coverage of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by the central government and that of the Bengal government were contrasted; according to it the paper provided more critical coverage of the former and less of the latter in its editorials and frontpage headlines. [9] In an interview to Outlook, The Telegraph editor R. Rajagopal rejected the conception that it was harsher on the former and soft of the latter, stating that the scope of the events decide the prominence they receive in the paper which is being noticed because only a few others are providing similar coverage and that the tendency among media outlets to seek a false balance just to be able to claim neutrality was detrimental to journalism. [10]

Criticism

In 2016, The Telegraph, in its edition took a jibe at the then HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who gave a speech on nationalism in the Lok Sabha, by calling her "Aunty National". [11] This incident was widely criticized by many, who described the usage of such term as 'sexist' and 'misogynistic'. [12] [13] [14] The News Minute wrote, "Smriti Irani deserves all the criticism we can cobble up together, but for her politics and policies. Personal attacks based on her age and gender do not bode well, and contribute to debasing the discourse on important issues. What we are perhaps forgetting is that in adopting such an acrimonious discourse against those who threaten our liberalism, and by cheering-on such headlines, we are threatening the very idea of the liberalism that we want to foster. [15]

In 2020, The Press Council of India issued a show-cause notice to the editor of The Telegraph for its frontpage headline for the news report about former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi's nomination to the Rajya Sabha. In its frontpage headline, The Telegraph wrote, "Kovind, not Covid, did it" – a reference to the COVID-19 pandemic. [16] In a press release, the Press Council said "satirical comments ridiculing and denigrating the first citizen of the country is uncalled for and beyond the call of fair journalistic content". [17]

The Telegraph's headline, comparing the president to a virus, was also called out for being 'disrespectful' to Dalits. Guru Prakash, Assistant Professor (Law), Patna University and Adviser at Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DICCI), said in a piece in India Today that the headline was "indicative of the deep-seated caste-based prejudice of the establishment". He added, "The establishment entails the ones who control and dominate the narrative in academia and the media." [18]

According to Tarun Ganguly, a former bureau chief at The Telegraph, the idea behind such headlines is to be 'catchy'. Another former editor of The Telegraph states that such headlines started when Aveek Sarkar was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper. He added that Sarkar preferred a 'shock-factor' and thought these would generate more impact. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smriti Irani</span> Indian politician and former actress

Smriti Zubin Irani is an Indian politician and former actress, fashion model and television producer. She was Minister of Women and Child Development from 2019 to 2024, and also Minister of Minority Affairs from 2022 to 2024. She previously served as Minister of Human Resource Development, Minister of Textiles, and Minister of Information and Broadcasting. She was the youngest minister in prime minister Narendra Modi's second ministry in 2019.

<i>The Statesman</i> (India) Indian English-language daily newspaper

The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1818 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. It incorporates and is directly descended from The Friend of India. It is owned by The Statesman Ltd and headquartered at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Kolkata, with its national editorial office at Statesman House, Connaught Place, New Delhi. It is a member of the Asia News Network.

<i>Hindustan Times</i> Indian newspaper

Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter of K. K. Birla.

<i>Malayala Manorama</i> Kerala-based Indian newspaper

Malayala Manorama is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew, it was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1888, and currently has a readership of over 8 million. It is also the second oldest Malayalam newspaper in Kerala in circulation, after Deepika, which is also published from Kottayam. Manorama also publishes an online edition.

<i>Mumbai Mirror</i> Indian English-language daily newspaper

Mumbai Mirror was an English-language newspaper that was initially launched in 2005 by the Times Group as part of a ringfencing tactic to fight emerging competition in the city, mainly from Zee–Bhaskar's then joint newspaper, Daily News and Analysis. Mumbai Mirror was downsized and digitised by its owners at The Times Group on 5 December 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown.

<i>The New Indian Express</i> Indian English-language daily newspaper

The New Indian Express is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as The Indian Express, under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu and was bought by Ramnath Goenka from the monies of capitalists partner Raja Mohan Prasad and is held in trust by the current legal heirs for the family of Raja Mohan Prasad as per the trust deed given by Ramnath Goenka to Raja Mohan Prasad. In 1991, following the death of owner Ramnath Goenka, his family split the group into two companies. Initially, the two groups shared the Indian Express title, as well as editorial and other resources. But on 13 August 1999, the northern editions, headquartered in Mumbai, retained the Indian Express moniker, while the southern editions became The New Indian Express.

<i>Dainik Jagran</i> Indian Hindi language daily newspaper

Dainik Jagran is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper.

<i>Dainik Bhaskar</i> Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper

Dainik Bhaskar is a Hindi-language daily newspaper in India which is owned by the Dainik Bhaskar Group. According to the World Association of Newspapers, it ranked fourth in the world by circulation in 2016 and per the Indian Audit Bureau of Circulations was the largest newspaper in India by circulation as of 2022. Started in Bhopal in 1958, it expanded in 1983 with the launch of Dainik Bhaskar's Indore edition. The Dainik Bhaskar Group is present in 13 Indian states with 65 editions in Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati.

<i>Business Standard</i> Indian English-language daily newspaper

Business Standard is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international business and trade, information on financial quotations, corporate governance, and a range of other financial news, opinions and insights.

BW Businessworld is an Indian business magazine owned by media entrepreneur Anurag Batra. The magazine was published by ABP Group, whose most prominent publications are The Telegraph, Anandabazar Patrika, Sananda, Anandamela and others. On 19 September 2013 ABP Group owners Ananda Publishers sold Businessworld to Anurag Batra, owner of media group exchange4media, and Vikram Jhunjhunwala, who runs investment banking and asset management firm Shrine Capital for an undisclosed amount.

Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz is an Indian Muslim activist organization based in Patna, Bihar. Founded in 1998, it represents the concerns of the "Pasmanda" Muslims, a new identity that integrates the Dalit Muslims (Arzals) and backward-caste Muslims (Ajlafs). The organization represents the union of several Dalit and backward-caste Muslim organisations under the leadership of Ali Anwar, who is himself a backward-caste Muslim of the Ansari (weaver) caste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patna</span> Metropolis and state capital of Bihar, India


Patna, historically known as Pāṭaliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. Covering 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) and over 2.5 million people, its urban agglomeration is the 15th largest in India. Patna is the second biggest city in East India. Patna also serves as the seat of Patna High Court. The Buddhist, Hindu and Jain pilgrimage centres of Vaishali, Rajgir, Nalanda, Bodh Gaya and Pawapuri are nearby and Patna City is a sacred city for Sikhs as the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh was born here. The modern city of Patna is mainly on the southern bank of the river Ganges. The city also straddles the rivers Son, Gandak and Punpun. The city is approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) in length and 16 to 18 kilometres wide.

<i>Hindustan</i> (newspaper) Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper

Hindustan is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper. According to WAN-IFRA, it ranked 13th in the world by circulation in 2016 and per the Audit Bureau of Circulations was 6th in India in 2022. Madan Mohan Malaviya launched it in 1936. It is published by Hindustan Media Ventures Limited. Earlier it was part of HT Media Ltd group, which spun off its Hindi business into a separate company named Hindustan Media Ventures Limited in December 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amethi district</span> District in Uttar Pradesh, India

Amethi is one of the 75 districts of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Ayodhya division in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh. It covers an area of 2,329.11 km2. Gauriganj is the administrative headquarters of the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Shankar Katheria</span> Indian politician

Ram Shankar Katheria, is an Indian politician and former chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. He is a member of the 17th Lok Sabha of India representing Etawah constituency of Uttar Pradesh. He represented the Agra constituency of Uttar Pradesh previously. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was a Minister of State in the Human Resource Development Ministry till 6 July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Nath Kovind</span> President of India from 2017 to 2022

Ram Nath Kovind is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 14th president of India from 2017 to 2022. He is the first person from Uttar Pradesh to serve as President of India. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and also the first person from BJP to become the President of India. Prior to his presidency, he served as the 26th Governor of Bihar from 2015 to 2017. He also served as a Member of Rajya Sabha from 1994 to 2006. Before entering politics, he was a lawyer for 16 years and practised in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India until 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohith Vemula</span> Indian doctoral student (1989–2016)

Rohith Chakravarthi Vemula was an Indian PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad. From July 2015 to December 2015, the university stopped paying Rohith his monthly stipend of 25,000 till December 2015, with friends alleging that he was targeted for raising issues on campus under the banner of Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA), an Ambedkarite student organisation.

<i>Taasir</i> Urdu language newspaper in India

Taasir is an Urdu-language daily newspaper published in India. It was established in 2013. It launched in Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Taasir is being published from eleven Indian states with 12 editions, and is the country's highest circulating Urdu-written daily newspaper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 Ranji Trophy</span> Cricket tournament

The 2021–22 Ranji Trophy was the 87th season of the Ranji Trophy, the premier first-class cricket tournament in India. The tournament was split into two phases, with the league stage being played from 17 February to 15 March 2022, and the knockout phase played from 6 to 26 June 2022. Due to the delayed start of the tournament because of the COVID-19 pandemic, teams were split into eight Elite groups, instead of five as per previous editions, and the Plate Group. The seven teams that won their Elite Group with the best points progressed to the knockout phase. They were joined by the winner of the pre-quarter-final match between the Elite Group winning team with the fewest points and the winner of the Plate Group.

References

  1. "Highest Circulated Daily Newspapers (languages wise)" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  2. "Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2019" (PDF). Newswatch.in. 30 June 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. Media Newsline.com Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 30 October 2009
  4. About The Telegraph Retrieved on 30 October 2009
  5. "ABP Group launches Bengali tabloid, Ebela". afaqs. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  6. Bhattacharyya, Anushree. "Exchange4media's Anurag Batra, investment banker Vikram Jhunjhunwala buy Businessworld from ABP". Financial Express . Archived from the original on 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  7. Tiwari, Ayan Sharma, Ayush. "Telegraph closes operations in Northeast and Jharkhand, lays off over 35 staff". Newslaundry .{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Barclay, Francis P.; Pichandy, C.; Venkat, Anusha (1 June 2014). "Indian Elections, 2014: Political Orientation of English Newspapers". Asia Pacific Media Educator. 24 (1): 7–22. doi:10.1177/1326365X14539215. ISSN   1326-365X. S2CID   144589776.
  9. Sharma, Ayan. "Tough on Modi, soft on Mamata: How Telegraph covered Covid responses by two governments". Newslaundry. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  10. Yadav, Puneet Nicholas. "Credibility of Media Has Reached A Nadir That Audience Doesn't Care: Telegraph Editor R Rajagopal". Outlook . Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  11. "The Telegraph calls Smriti Irani "Aunty National"; Twitter reacts".
  12. Rizwan, Sahil (25 February 2016). ""The Telegraph" Is Being Called Sexist For Calling Smriti Irani "Aunty-National"". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  13. Dasgupta, Piyasree (25 February 2016). "Why I'm Miffed With The Telegraph For Their 'Aunty National' Headline". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  14. Talukdar, Sreemoy (25 February 2016). "Aunty National: The Telegraph has denigrated women, and itself, by carrying such a misogynist headline". Firstpost. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  15. Muralidharan, Kavitha (25 February 2016). "Why The Telegraph's 'Aunty National' dig at Smriti Irani needs to be called out". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  16. "'The Telegraph' gets Press Council notice for 'Kovind-Covid' wordplay on former CJI's RS nomination". Scroll.in. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  17. "'Satirical comments ridiculing President uncalled for': Press Council sends notice to Telegraph for headline". Newslaundry. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  18. Prakash, Guru (18 March 2020). "Comparing President Kovind to Covid-19 is disrespectful to Dalits". India Today. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  19. Mitra, Dola (27 May 2018). "Making Headlines". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023.