HarperCollins announces the publication of 'Editor Missing: The Media in Today's India' by Ruben Banerjee

NEW DELHI, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperCollins is proud to announce the publication of the first book evaluating the current state of the Indian media, written by an 'insider' who has had a ringside view of it. Editor Missing: The Media in Today's India by Ruben Banerjee; Releasing on 16^th May, 2022.

Here is the brief synopsis of the book:

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." - Ruben Banerjee, the author.

"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."  - Swati Chopra, Executive Editor, HarperCollins India.

About the author:

Ruben Banerjee was the editor-in-chief at Outlook group during one of the most challenging times faced by the Indian media and there was never a dull moment. Even the manner in which his editorship ended was eventful, adding further drama to a long career characterized by many twists and turns.

Having started out as a reporter with Newstime, the now-defunct daily in Hyderabad, he worked across several states – first as a reporter with the Indian Express and then for India Today. He later went abroad and worked with Al Jazeera for twelve years in Doha, Qatar.

On returning and before taking over the reins at Outlook, he led the countrywide news network of Hindustan Times as its national affairs editor.

This is his third book, after The Orissa Tragedy: A Cyclone's Year of Calamity and Naveen Patnaik, an unauthorized biography of the Odisha chief minister.

About HarperCollins India 

HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live! Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Harvard University Press, Gallup Press, Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins India is now the recipient of five Publisher of the Year Awards – In 2021 and 2015 at the Publishing Next Industry Awards, and in 2021, 2018 and 2016 at Tata Literature Live. HarperCollins India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers. 

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