Complete list of my opinion articles in print (newspapers and magazines)
Rebooting Media for Research In its current avatar, this magazine does not give a flavour of contemporary Kerala journalism. It should offer a mix of media literacy and mediawatch approaches. (Media, Apr 2015)
‘Every Continent Has Its Design Culture’ Interview with news designer Sajeev Kumar T. K., who runs the newspaperdesign.in web community (Media, February 2015)
The Plagiarism Plague In November 2014, Kerala’s newspapers reported on allegations of plagiarism against the Pro-Vice Chancellor of a university in Kerala. What is plagiarism, why is it wrong, and how can it be avoided? (Media, Dec 2014—Jan 2015)
Open Sesame Scholars and universities should consider moving towards the open access system. Where does Kerala figure in the open publishing map of higher education? (Media, Nov 2014)
Informed Opinion in a Malayalam Newspaper Trying to practise what I preached, here’s what I found in a shoestring study about the poor quality of media debates on social and economic affairs. (Media, Oct 2014)
How to Compile a List of Standard Journals How should a university department that is genuinely interested in improving the state of research prepare its list of standard journals? I propose a method that journalism departments in Kerala’s universities can consider adopting. (Media, Sep 2014)
When a University Bored of Studies Sets the Standards When a University revises its list of ‘standard’ journals through a window-dressing approach, it will adopt low-grade tactics for university academics to survive (or thrive!) without seriously doing research. (Media, Aug 2014)
Old is Not Gold Kerala’s universities produce zero research output of international quality. How have they managed to achieve this feat after 25+ years of existence? (Media, Jul 2014)
Pointers for Journalism and Education What were the lessons for Kerala journalism and journalism education from the collaborative workshop in Kochi by the US-based Poynter Institute of Media Studies? (Media, Jun 2014)
Reporting on Religion A recent academic contribution was a paper in the Asia Pacific Media Educator journal about Kerala media’s reporting on religion. (Media, Apr 2014)
Storm over Doniger’s book: Rhetoric, Rights and Reform Much of the criticism has been righteous bile and rhetoric without reason. It is time to think constructively. (Daily News & Analysis, Feb 2014)
Don’t Shoot the Penguin Once we stop firing indiscriminately at Penguin, we can divert our energies to constructive action. (The Hindu Business Line, Feb 2014)
E-groups for Scholars I explore the potential use and abuse of electronic discussion groups in general, from the angle of Kerala media studies (Media, Feb 2014)
In the Beginning In 1969, at the University of Wisconsin in the United States, a study on Kerala journalism took shape in the form of a doctoral dissertation. It is the earliest academic study that I have come across on Kerala media. (Media, Jan 2014)
Forewarned is Forearmed Since 1956, when Kerala was formed, journalism has grown in the state by almost every yardstick. Why have we failed to produce an impressive corpus of studies on an industry that has thrived? Why and how should the media industry itself address the problem of scarce information and support efforts to chart its own future? (Media, Dec 2013)
Shaken and Stirred A study analyses the role of Malayalam newspapers in ‘initiating and maintaining a public controversy’ and shows the role played by Kerala media in shaping public attitudes to science. (Media, Nov 2013)
Small is Dutiful Research does not have to be undertaken always on a big scale, by professional researchers, or by spending lakhs of rupees. It can be useful to society even when conducted in a small way by non-researchers at a low cost. (Media, Oct 2013)
An Annual Arrival The sadya (feast) is one of the highlights of Onam celebrations. Why not prepare a media research feast—an annual Journalism in Kerala report—and serve it to Malayalis every year? (Media, Sep 2013)
Mavens in the Museum The Kerala Press Academy is planning to set up a Media Museum in Kochi. How can media research contribute to the Media Museum? In turn, what is expected of the Museum? (Media, Aug 2013)
Media’s Monsoon Fever Last month, when the rains began in Kerala, the newspapers reported on the incidence of dengue fever and the shortage of staff in government hospitals to tackle it. The prominent coverage reflected two strands in the scholarship on Kerala media. (Media, Jul 2013)
Jeffrey Meets Habermas in Kerala In the monsoon of 1968, a young Canadian teaching English in Chandigarh visited Kerala as a tourist and travelled along the coast from Kochi up to Kannur. Three things fascinated him: the land’s beauty, a tale about a dead relative, and the Malayalis’ passion for newspapers. (Media, Jun 2013)
Who is Studying Kerala Media? Quality research on Kerala media is skinny in general, not just in Media magazine. In this article, I present data from a rapid survey of international journals of the past five years (2008–2012) and offer suggestions to improve the situation. (Media, Apr–May 2013)
Keralites Running Scared of the Market The state of the State has its roots, not in irrelevant intellectuals strutting from stage to stage… (The New Indian Express, Apr 2004)
Where Are We Headed? In 2003, Kerala witnessed three trends: the rise of a selling society, a crisis of ideas, and a reconfiguration of the public sphere. (The Hindu, Dec 2003)
The Significance of Antony and His ‘New Politics’ Kerala does not need a third front. It needs a second front. (The New Indian Express, May 2003)
Kerala Society, Pushed to the Brink, Has Taken a Turn for the Better Amidst change, Kerala’s intellectuals are riding towards irrelevance. (The New Indian Express, Jan 2003)
Kerala’s New Champions of Democracy How far can violent public action really help us? It may be effective in the short run—forcing the Government to succumb and the capitalist to yield. But… (The New Indian Express, Oct 2002)
Noodles and Nonsense in Engineering Colleges The government’s role as a reformer is to help the education ‘market’ work well, rather than bridge the demand-supply gap directly. (The New Indian Express Jul 2002)
When Will Kerala’s Reform Guerillas Learn? The reform group in Kerala has been pursuing guerilla warfare. Its tactics have included taking shelter behind ministerial responsibility, dropping… (The New Indian Express, Apr 2002)
Where Is Kerala Reform Express Headed? In reform, economics is important, but politics is more important. Conservative handling of reform is evident from the traditional style of administration. (The New Indian Express, Jan 2002)
Textbooks Matter A lesson from recurring debates over history-writing is that in classroom discussions, there is a need to supplement school history textbooks of the past. (The Indian Express, Nov 2001)
Opposing Privatisation: How to, How Not to Kerala’s traditional style of opposing privatisation fails to recognise finer points. To protect the poor and ensure better quality services, we must… (The New Indian Express, Oct 2001)
Without Vision and Strategy The White Paper has jumped the gun by suggesting reform options without formulating a vision and strategy for the State’s development… (The New Indian Express, Jul 2001)
Antony Should Go In for Participatory Reform For the development of the State, A. K. Antony will have to lean on the Left, outline a vision, and democratically implement reforms. (The New Indian Express, May 2001)
Survival Principles in a Runaway World For Kerala, there are four principles for survival in a globalising world. (The New Indian Express, Mar 2001)
Mega Matters A project where the newspaper was used as a platform for public dialogue. (The New Indian Express, Mar 2001)
Amartya Sen: Sense or Nonsense In Kerala, Sen is conceived in three forms—St.Thomas, Pontius Pilate, and Serpent. But are we not missing somebody here? (The New Indian Express, republished in The Indian Express,Dec 2000)
Monitoring Public Services: The Unreleased Movie For monitoring public services and securing better facilities, we must popularise constructive public action involving government officials… (The New Indian Express, Dec 2000)
Opposition Politics: The Plus Two Concert The new political culture of Opposition is a reckless remix of old tunes. A studied approach to challenging the government is visibly lacking. (The New Indian Express, Jul 2000)
Kerala Politics: Shortage of Bowlers Cricket may have fallen from grace, but its cousin—‘Bashing the Market’—continues to be the favourite pastime of Kerala politicians. (The New Indian Express, Jun 2000)
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