IT is a sad fact, but it is true. Like many western papers, the French newspaper Le Monde is in financial trouble. It is seriously in debt-to the tune of 100 million Euros. If it can’t raise the money, one of the greatest-not just French or European-newspapers may have to close down. If Thierry Dussard, a journalist, who teaches at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris, is to be believed, Le Monde “like a bank, is too big to fail”. But it is struggling with high printing and distribution costs, and if no new investor comes through, to start with, it won’t be able to pay wages and salaries of its staff through summer.
Le Monde is no ordinary paper. It is not only in the same class as its international contemporaries like The New York Times, The Times (London) and Die Welt (Germany) it is in some ways far superior to them all, because of some of its unparalleled management features. It came into being in 1944, in the newly-liberated Paris. Its founder, a French journalist called NHu-bert Bouve-Mery, had pledged to keep the newspaper “politically, economically and morally” independent.
It must be remembered that France had come under the brutal supervision of the Nazis during the Second World War and Le Monde now wanted never again to be dictated to by whosoever. Almost overnight, as it were, it established itself as a leading paper, famous for its editorial independence. To preserve the freedom of the Press, the reporters and editors were granted extraordinary powers, including a controlling ownership stake and the right to dismiss an erring editor and publisher! One does not know any such power given to reporters and other editorial staff of any paper anywhere else in the world. In that sense, it is a unique organisation.
How one wishes there was a similar newspaper in India where reporters and editorial staff decide policy and not the management! But with badly wanted cash, can the editorial staff afford to dictate policy to any new body willing to dole it? Denis Olivennes, publisher of Le Nouvel Observateur is reportedly willing to buy into Le Monde. But he wants to make money. If policy is to be dictated by reporters, what money can he possibly make, unless, of course, reporters and others give up their high-and mighty attitude and let the new Publisher turn Le Monde into trash, the way some of our publishers in India are doing. Then money will pour in at the cost of reputation.
Le Monde has been trying to get some revenue from its web site but to no avail. It seems, under the circumstances that the days of an independent and straight forward Le Monde are over. Business is business. At worst reporters can refuse to give their by-line to paid reports. In the end journalists must come to terms with the fact that principles are all very well, but they have family responsibilities to fulfil. There was a 25 per cent job cut in Le Monde in the past five years. Time may come when journalists will be taken on contract which means they will simply have to take orders and do what they are told to do. End of the story.
In India today, pages after pages are given to society parties and pictures of those attending them. Don’t ask whether they are paid pictures. We are told that is none of the readers’ business. But can one softly ask our rich dailies blossoming with advertisements to bring out one Obituary page that is devoted to write about the contributions made by some of the distinguished dead and departed?
In recent days we have learnt about the passing away of a former Vice President Shri Shekhawat, a distinguished historian and biographer BR Nanda and even more recently of a well-known writer Manohar Malgaonkar. Yes, their passing away was reported in a quarter column as if they were individuals of no significance, who just about made news. Shouldn’t the media have given their contribution, by no means unsubstantial, to Indian life, thought and politics more space? Time was when leading newspapers did provide long obituaries. It was a recording of social and political history, may be on a nano-scale, but it was service nevertheless.
I have been reading and re-reading Nanda’s biographies of Gopala Krishna Gokhale and finding it fascinating. Nanda had a style of his own, and stood far ahead of contemporary biographers. Manohar Malgoankar’s last book was on “Who killed Gandhi”; it was banned during the Emergency. Even though he didn’t write many books-he wrote five, if I remember rightly (Distant Dream, Combat of Shadows, The Princess, A Band of Ganges Striving and Desert Wind); they brought him quite a lot of fame. He also used to write a weekly column for The Statesman and Deccan Herald. Surely he deserved a sound obituary discussing his times and his work? Is that asking too much of our dailies who spend more news columns to portraying half-naked ladies than to solid writing? Time was when some newspapers had a permanent staff member who wrote lengthy obits of distinguished men and women taking time to constantly update them? Making them ready for publication any given time. That was journalism.
