Manas Ghosh, Editor, Dainik Statesman
We know our limitations. We are in no way intending to fight with the Goliath. I know I am David, but I also have a sling in my hand. We will build a distinct identity for Dainik Statesman with unbiased content; that will be our strength.
‘Statesman is in my veins’ – that’s how he describes his association with the oldest newspaper of India. Born to a father who served the organisation for as long as 35 years, Manas Ghosh, with his 38-year background in journalism, has taken up the responsibility of editing the iconic – often referred to as the last vestige of the British Empire -- The Statesman’s month-old Bengali vernacular avatar, Dainik Statesman (the daily Statesman).
In a market saturated with quite a few established heavyweights, it’s a huge challenge for Dainik Statesman to get a foothold. But Ghosh is ready to do battle with his ‘reporters’ paper’. In a conversation with Kumar Chatterjee of exchange4media, Ghosh shares his views on present-day journalism in India, speaks on his strategy of making content his paper’s forte, and dwells on plans to build the brand by maintaining an open interaction with readers. Excerpts:
Q. A Bengali subsidiary from a true-blue British media brand – how difficult is the image building exercise?
The Statesman has always stood out with its distinct image. The group has a strong and stable brand equity built over more than a century. Readers have always valued Statesman for its unbiased and reliable presentation of news. Dainik Statesman stands on the same platform. Readers will accept Dainik Statesman with the same credibility. Statesman has always served a niche category of readers. But, in this part of the country, penetration of English language papers is far less compared to a vernacular daily. So Dainik Statesman will follow the same approach of in-depth analysis and serious presentation of news in Bengali. In just a few days since of our launch, we have gained an impressive response from readers.
Personally, I have extensively covered this part of India. As a reporter with The Statesman, I have spent years in the North-East, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Despite being born and brought up in Delhi, I am thoroughly familiar with the people, the culture and the psyche of this region.
Q. In a market with one giant brand and two-three established Bengali newspapers, how have you planned your content strategy to meet the competition?
Statesman has been there for over a century. Our strength, as I said, is content. The same stands for Dainik Statesman as well. We are already being recognised for our coverage. We have broken a number of stories within these few days and we were the first to bring out such significant issues like a former vice-chancellor conning people with fake qualifications. This is one of the burning issues today. In another instance, we broke the chauvinistic and fanatical attitude of a local Madrasa (a Muslim religious school) which refused to preach girl students. This is our image. Dainik Statesman is completely a reporters’ paper.
Well, as far as competition is concerned, we are not focusing on the number game. We are more interested in printing credible news and offer an unbiased presentation, which would certainly give us a distinct image. At the same time, we know our limitations. We are in no way intending to fight with the Goliath. I know I am David, but I also have a sling in my hand. We will build a distinct identity for Dainik Statesman with unbiased content; that will be our strength.
Q. Dainik Statesman has been launched at a time when the vernacular media is making rapid strides all over the country. Vernacular media, being more local in content, finds it easier to strike an accord with people. Have you structured your content keeping the local factor in mind?
We have a well-organised network across the region. We are equally focused on giving maximum coverage to local issues. There has been an impressive response from rural areas. Dainik Statesman was launched from two places – Kolkata and Siliguri -- on the same day. Presently, we have these two editions. We have plans to strengthen our rural base to provide better coverage.
Q. Statesman has always been somewhat reluctant about business issues. Are you following the same trend or would there be adequate focus on business as well?
We are carrying business news and we have a special team for this section. There’s an interactive column where viewer can discus different investment issues with an expert. We have invited Sarbadaman Roy (a board member of Apeejay Group) to share his analytical views on the capital market and stock market trading.
Q. A hurried glance at page one and then quickly rushing to the sports pages – that’s the quintessential Kolkata reader. How focused are you on sports?
We are covering sports extensively. We have a dedicated team of experienced sports journalists. We are trying to look deep into the issues of Kolkata football. Cricket is the other focus area for us. We will provide in-depth analytical coverage of the Asia Cup. Dainik Statesman has roped in some of the legendary sports personalities to share their views in the guest column. Alongside local and national sports, we also carry relevant international developments from different arena.
Q. Almost every newspaper has a special Metro section. You don’t have any such section yet. Isn’t that unusual?
You are right. But we are working on a dedicated section on Kolkata. Very soon we will come up with a Metro section. We are just few days old. We have started the paper and will keep revamping it as we mature.
Q. News media is losing credibility due to a perceptible bias – either a political bent or corporate patronisation. How do you intend offering trustworthy content?
We are out-and-out apolitical. And this is no bragging. No other newspaper dared to break the story on the fraud professor because he was a close associate of the ruling government. We declared open fight with the ruling party. But this does not amount to inclination towards the Opposition. We won’t spare anyone whenever there’s any information in our hands. And, we are always open to hear from our readers. We believe in ‘muktochinta’ (open thoughts). Everyone is welcome to write and share thoughts through our paper. We want to become a trustworthy platform for people to convey their opinions and grievances.
