Insight Bureau: This is a time when the space for free speech is shrinking in India, along with a growing intolerance of contrarian views. The right to dissent, which should be the bedrock of any democracy, is seriously endangered. There is widespread belief that we are in an undeclared emergency. Not everyone agrees with this, though, and the jury is out on the state of play in the world’s largest democracy. As charges and countercharges fly, with no unanimity in sight, India’s national discourse, particularly its news media, is becoming increasingly divided and polarized.
In Editor Missing, veteran journalist Ruben Banerjee attempts to provide clarity on the state of Indian media at a time when there is consensus only on the lack of it. The media mirrors society, and Banerjee is best placed to tell its contested story in contemporary India. As a top editor for various publications, he has had a ringside view for years of the decline in its standards, quality and objectivity. His own experiences reflect the time we live in. The book provides rare insights into the minefield that an editor today runs into – from pressures that are exerted to the risks of upsetting the powers that be. At the end of it, the reader is left with a chilling realization that defending the truth can come at a huge personal cost in present-day India.
“Editor Missing is an important book, more so because of our troubled times. It is not just the story of an editor who went missing from action after running a controversial cover that possibly angered those in power. More pertinently, the book tells the story of India’s media and the reasons for its decline – from political to financial to the lack of a collective spine. Largely agenda-driven – both for and against the government – the media is shorn of balance and objectivity and its credibility is at an all-time low. Citing names and real instances, Editor Missing minces no words in identifying what the problems exactly are. That’s precisely the reason why anyone interested in India and Indian democracy should read this book.”
“The Indian media has come under close scrutiny in recent times, for reasons ranging from a lack of substance to a lack of balance. Ruben Banerjee has observed this world as an insider for decades, and in recent years as a senior editor and as editor-in-chief in mainstream publications. In Editor Missing, he gives us his undiluted perspective on what is wrong, and right, about Indian journalism, and in the process presents a picture that is as stark as it is disconcerting, in a book that is as riveting as it is worrying. A must-read for all those who begin their day with the news in any form – broadsheet, magazine, e-paper, or on social media”, quoted Swati Chopra, Executive Editor, HarperCollins India.