Opinion - News Analysis   

Traditions, values - and modernity

K. Narayanan

Most of the concerns of readers regarding advertisements, mentioned last week, got individual responses from the advertisement department. I deal with them in a general way here. My thanks are due to V. Kalidas, Vice-President, Advertisement, who provided the inputs. The issues are dealt with in the order in which they appeared in the earlier column.

Newspapers round the world now accept innovative advertisements, such as "wrap around". The Hindu does not encourage them, but it has to be flexible when large campaigns are mounted. If they are rejected, the paper stands to lose when its production costs are high. But in accommodating them, care is taken to ensure that continuity of sentences is maintained and there is no loss of readability. And there is a clear distinction between news and advertisement.

Similarly when the last page carries a full-page advertisement, the regular features are not affected in any way. Production problems and additional revenue are the factors considered here.

What constitutes vulgar advertisements is a highly subjective matter. A display that is vulgar in the eyes of one group may not be so to another. As for causing embarrassment to families, do they not watch TV together and do they not see the billboards on the roads? These may carry equally, or more, "provocative" stuff.

It is impossible for a single newspaper to arrest or thwart certain trends in advertising, which reflect customs and mores prevalent in contemporary society. The Hindu has its own values and traditions and adheres to them. But it cannot impose them on others and sit in daily judgment. What is considered obscene is rejected, as in the case of "Kamasutra" advertisements. A general application of these considerations would lead to customer dissonance and loss of revenue.

Pop-ups, animated ads, other distractions are part of most on-line versions of newspapers. In the case of The Hindu, following some reader complaints, action has been taken to minimise and, where possible, eliminate pop-ups and animated ads on the group's websites. This has meant a sacrifice of revenue, for the on-line edition has separate staff running it.

The positioning of death "advertisements" needs some clarification. The line announcements appear on the Sports page, because in the production schedule it is the last page to go to press and so can accommodate late insertions. The displays, usually incorporating photos, are got ready and positioned much earlier. It did happen that in one edition one day, a congratulation notice was by the side of a death announcement. This is a result of production schedule pressures.

Advertisement copy is always scanned for errors and corrections are done by advertisement copy editors. (The editorial department is not concerned with this.) But this does not mean editing or improving the text — that is not the department's job. Many of the death announcements come late in the night when revision is not feasible (or advisable).

A strict code is maintained regarding medical advertisements. Each advertisement is scanned to see whether it follows the guidelines laid down by the Drug Controller. The Drugs and Magic Remedies Act is a deterrent to the publication of advertisements that flout norms. Sometimes advertisers try to circumvent them but the scrutinisers are careful. Readers' queries about the 64-slice heart scan were referred to the advertisers, but there was no response. My efforts to get a news report on this were unsuccessful as no cardiologist we approached was willing to be critical, on record!

A large number of insertions appear under "Health Care", which, some readers say, are dubious. It is impossible to check the veracity of each one of them; they are accepted in good faith. A stringent watch is kept.

What sort of pressures does the Advertisement Department face? Is there a quid pro quo, seeking editorial coverage?

The main area of concern for the department is the pressure for positioning. The right hand page, and its top half, are the eye-catching spaces in a newspaper and there is always demand for such positions. Even with a premium loaded for these spaces, the demand is there. And there are those who exert pressure to get in there without a premium. In handling these requests and pressures, the total spending on the advertisements, the nature of the campaign and the kind of advertiser are all factored in.

There is a clear division between advertising matter and editorial content and no pleas by advertisers for a quid pro quo are entertained. This is a principle set in stone in the newspaper and the company. Therefore, advertisements in The Hindu enjoy a high degree of credibility.

Does the editorial department face such pressures? Its response will be part of next week's column.

readerseditor@thehindu.co.in

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