The Hindu's Op-Ed Editor Rahul Pandita talks about why he quit the Hindu

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The News Minute| January 2, 2015| 11.05 am IST

Yet another journalist at The Hindu has left the newspaper over differences with the top editorial leadership.

Rahul Pandita, author and journalist, resigned recently from his position as Op-Ed Editor for The Hindu, saying that it had become impossible for him to continue to work in a constricting environment.

In an email to Malini Parthasarathy emailed on December 18, 2014, Pandita said: “An Op-ed editor, the way I see it, has to be given some broad guidelines in the beginning and then left free to run the page. But there is absolutely no freedom for the current editors to do so.”

He also said he had come to work with The Hindu “to steer some top-notch reportage and to strengthen the edit pages - by making it more accessible and more nuanced”, but was instead “bogged down” with “this hourly need to consult you”.

Pandita who had joined The Hindu on March 1, had sent his resignation to N Ravi, the Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. Malini Parthasarathy, the Editor replied to the email. Later, Rahul Pandita replied to Malini Parthasarathy's email saying there is 'absolutely no freedom for the current editors' and that it was a waste of talent that 'every article that comes has to be commissioned or has to go through Malini's approval.'

We have contacted The Hindu, but had not received a response at the time of putting this piece out. We will update the copy once we receive a response.

Rahul Pandita told The News Minute that he had 'differences over editorial autonomy' and a majority of editors do not have the courage to stand up for their rights.

"I quit because the journey had become too pointless. I had differences over editorial autonomy with the editor, Malini. There was hardly any excitement and it became too boring for me. There is freedom to pursue stories, but inside, there is no autonomy or freedom for the editors. But that is also because the majority of editors are pusillanimous and do not have the courage to stand up for their rights. It is the responsibility of every editor to tell the owner-editor where he or she may be wrong instead of agreeing to everything with a "yes ma'am, yes ma'am"

I wish the paper all best for the future. But, sadly, it has slipped into a coma of sorts currently. I'm still very fond of "The Hindu" and wish it all best."

Portions of the letter that Rahul Pandita sent to Malini Parthasarathy.

Dr. Parthasarthy,

"I think I made my point quite clear in my email to the editor-in-chief. In the current situation what the Op-ed page really needs is a bunch of interns who can seek instructions from you on an hourly basis and then get in touch with the authors on your behalf. An Op-ed editor, the way I see it, has to be given some broad guidelines in the beginning and then left free to run the page. But there is absolutely no freedom for the current editors to do so. Every article that comes to us or has to be commissioned has to go through your approval. And it really depends on what you think at that point.

"To tell you the truth, it is just a waste of talent, as far as I am concerned."

"I am a hardcore journalist and I came to journalism with a certain anger, with a certain cockiness. I have seen people dying in front of my eyes, their entrails in their hands. I have had guns pointed to my temple. Getting my blood pressure high in a conflict zone is a part of my life. But I do not like to get my blood pressure high while sitting in a cabin, waiting for a phone call from you.

"I have resigned with immediate effect. And that is what I have conveyed to the editor-in-chief."

Warmly,

r

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