Uday Shankar is one of the brightest minds in the Indian media ecosystem. And this is what he said a few days back in an E4M media conclave. “You couldn’t be at Lord’s to watch a match or in Chile during an earthquake, but the journalist could. We were the link. Then the world changed. Journalism didn’t. When Steve Jobs put a camera in every pocket, everyone became a journalist. Instead of innovating, journalists started sourcing stories from the same places as their readers – Twitter, FB, WhatsApp. The power of journalism began to vanish the moment journalists stopped being distinct from the audience they served.”
I think he hit the nail on the head. Journalists, a huge number of them at least, turned aggregators, and all of a sudden, there was no distinction. Each was using the same source, and there was no on-ground presence or first-hand reportage. Things plateaued, and social media took over. The sports media was left behind and soon started to suffer. Journalists did not cover matches from the ground anymore, and sitting in a studio set-up and giving gyaan became the norm. Initially, it worked because there was a novelty. Then, it became boring. Now, it’s stale and past its expiry date. The result is ominous – journalists are losing their jobs almost everywhere. Just weeks ago, a reputed media house laid off 100 journalists.
We at RevSportz are determined to buck the trend. Get the best minds in, as Uday said, and enrich the profession. Continue to distinguish between aggregators and journalists. Send people to Lord’s or Chile, wherever the action is. Not depend on Twitter, Facebook or WhatsApp.
Inadvertently, perhaps, we are doing what Shankar envisaged. For that’s the way to excellence. Be different and stand apart.
And may we say, it is working very well. We have hired four fresh minds in the last two weeks, and the team keeps growing. Streams keep getting added and the website has started to track phenomenal numbers. More bright young minds have started to reach out expressing a willingness to join us. It is gradually taking the shape of a winning team, and the disruption we were after is being seen and felt.
In all this, covering multiple sports remains our goal. The IPL doesn’t mean Sharath Kamal’s retirement takes a backseat. Or that India’s dismal effort against Bangladesh in football goes under-reported. You give readers and viewers holistic coverage and let them choose. You send people everywhere and let them grow as journalists. You continue to stay distinct, as Shankar suggested.
As I welcome the new members to the team, let me state one thing clearly – journalism is not about pleasing anyone. It is about doing the story exactly as it should be done. KKR fans might be upset with the pitch curator at Eden Gardens. Frankly, that is not our concern. We are concerned with the story. Both sides of it. What KKR wants and what the curator says. If we give in to fan passion and become an extension of that, we lose the essence of the story. We stop being distinct. Our objectivity goes for a toss.
As RevSportz grows bigger, the mission stays the same – excellence. Balanced, objective and constructively critical reporting. Report a story as is, and not how someone wants to hear it. Welcome to our new colleagues, and let’s enjoy the ride.