The virtual Open House, an interactive session with the readers hosted by The Hindu on Saturday, served as a platform for readers from different regions to exchange their views on news coverage and impact of digital media.
Moderated by Readers’ Editor A.S. Panneerselvan, the meeting had many participants who gave their suggestions about news coverage and the areas that could be improved. Alan Herbert, one of the readers, felt the newspaper must balance between positive and negative news. He noted that the sports pages had more “positive” news.
Responding, Editor of The Hindu Suresh Nambath said the newspaper does not segregate news as “good and bad news”. But it presents news that is in the public interest.
“We have news that highlight achievements and point out deficiencies in policies so that corrective measures are taken by those in power,” he said.
Many participants, who introduced themselves as ardent readers of The Hindu, appreciated the newspaper for its authentic news coverage. Some of them, including Arun Jee from Patna and Simon from Bengaluru, suggested more space be allotted for regional and local news.
There were also queries and suggestions on content in the Sunday Magazine and supplements and change in font size and look of the newspaper. While some readers wanted a creative writing section to be started, some participants wanted pocket cartoons to be revived.
To a question from George Mathew, a reader from Kerala who wanted to know how the newspaper manages “irrational commands from those in power and minimise sensational news,” the Editor said the newspaper does not yield to pressure from those in power or advertisers.
On Abishek Bisnoi’s query on extensive coverage about cricket in sports pages, it was pointed out that this reflected readers’ interest and that the newspaper also covered other sports as well. The readers were told that all suggestions would be taken up with the editorial team for discussion.
