MJ Akber, Editor in chief, The Asian Age

Definition of content has changed over the years. Now you see a little bit of the MTV factor everywhere. At times, one feels that the balance has changed more towards entertainment.

A renowned name in Indian journalism, M J Akbar has many achievements to his credit. In the seventies and eighties his career was marked with successes like the weekly newsmagazine, Sunday and The Telegraph. In 1989 he quit The Telegraph and ventured into active politics. However, his affair with politics was brief, and he returned to what he did best - write.

He is the founder and Editor-in-chief of the national daily, The Asian Age. He is a well-known columnist and has authored several books like India: The Seige Within, Riot After Riot, Kashmir: Behind the Vale and The Shade of Swords. He also hosts a one-hour weekly show 'Akbar Ka Darbaar' on Star News.

Noor Fathima Warsia of exchange4media spoke to Akbar on The Asian Age, editorial credibility in print publications, and other issues.

Q. On the content of talk show, Akbar ka Darbar... Content for Akbar Ka Darbar is a different story altogether. As far as preparing content for a show like this, when you are a professional, it really doesn't matter. You just see what is logical and you put it across. It is all common sense but as you know that is an uncommon commodity these days.

Q. On the editions of The Asian Age which are performing well... Presently, we are concentrating more on the Mumbai market. We believe that Mumbai is the centre where we can get the business moving. And advertisers here are seeping in steadily, I wont say flooding in but there is definitely more action here.

Q. On the target audience: A common man or literary The first purpose of language is to communicate. We are not writing high philosophy. We are a medium of mass communication, addressing the masses, not Hegel. Appropriate language is just putting across good, correct English, which these days, is an achievement of sorts. Difficult words or phrases are boring. They are passé. But addressing the masses does not mean that one would like to join the common man, if his language is incorrect.

Q. On the difference between the content of a daily and weekly magazine... The differentiation is like that of chalk and cheese. A newspaper is treated differently and a weekly is edited in a completely different mind frame. Newspaper is like a buffet. You put in a variety of things. Ideally, people select what they want to read and leave the rest. Just as in a buffet, where people don't eat everything. They select. For a weekly, it is like a la carte. There is a careful selection before presentation. And your weekly is only as good as the quality of your content. Perhaps one factor that one must remember while editing a weekly is that the selection and presentation of news should be of the kind that prepares people for the week ahead. Many people think that a weekly is looking back at the week's happenings. No, a weekly is looking forward. What would one get by looking back?

Q. On the change in the definition of good content... I don't know if the definition of good content has changed but content has changed over the years. Now you see a little bit of the MTV factor everywhere. Sometimes one feels that the balance has changed too much towards entertainment. There always were human-interest stories, social issues and entertainment. These elements are necessary. Who wants to wake up every morning and be bored to death? But confusing serious with boring is wrong. You should realise the seriousness of the issue and give it due treatment. Don't decry or degrade serious matters just to make them amusing or interesting.

Q. On whether newspapers are losing their voice as instruments of social reform and education... I have a lot of trouble with this word 'education'. You know, we are not a university. Our duty is to disseminate information. It is not to get moral distinction. One must not get pompous. We play the role of a mirror. We reflect a reality, of happenings in society, country and world. A mirror is not a portrait. We have the disadvantages and advantages of being a mirror. A mirror projects changing realities, whether they are good or bad and can be used to improve that reality.

Q. On why Asian Age is not a commerical success... That is difficult to answer. Well, for a variety of reasons. For one, I would say we have taken the paper as a business only for the last three years. Prior to that it was a media product, not with an absolute commercial bent. If you see the advertisements in the paper three years ago and compare them with the advertisements today, you will see the difference. And then subscriptions, advertisements, circulations are all algebra. Even when they indicate a problem, they don't really give a reason behind the problem. Advertising is a tough game with figures and statistics involved. It takes its time. You know the old joke, 'How do you become a millionaire in the newspaper business? You start as a billionaire.' Nonetheless, efforts are paying and advertisers are coming in. Barriers are being broken and the results are obvious.

Q. On why success of Telegraph could not be replicated with Asian Age... That's a myth. One says something like this only in retrospection. Nothing in this world is an instant success. I was with The Telegraph for seven years, from 1982 to 1989. The paper started picking up only five years after its inception. There again one had the advantage of the support of a bigger news house. That gave way to cross-product advertisement and mutual benefits. We don't have that kind of advantage. And The Telegraph only has a regional presence, in Calcutta. We have a bigger task. It's not just regional but international presence we are striving for.

Q. On other factors that attract audience... Content of course is the key. You begin with content and take it from there. There are various add-ons that attract the readers, like supplements, the way information is packaged. For example, we are starting a supplement called Carriage. The supplement will provide information on automobiles and will attract that kind of readership. Even good advertising pulls audience. Any advertising is information and readers seek this information as well. People are interested in knowing how various brands develop, change, improve or even survive. For that matter, even changing the newspaper's design, layouts and the way news is presented can be a hook. It is a mixture of all such factors that places a newspaper on the reader's priority list.

Q. On the core competence of Asian Age... For one, we still believe in good content. We try to bring in quality and substance in content rather than screech. There are papers that have screeching headlines like 'We did this', 'We did that', to draw attention. It's not sensationalising, just screeching. Second, I would say is providing a congenial advertising atmosphere. For an advertiser, readership should consist of the class he is targeting. We aim at providing such quality in our readership

Q. On the issue of content being tailored for advertisements... You have to be specific with reality here. Ad revenues are important for any business to survive and grow. People have to make space to accommodate advertising in some way. One doesn't have to launch a crusade against an advertiser or derogate anything or anyone unnecessarily. But when a story has to be told, your job is essentially to your readers.