News and Reflections

The Law News E-Media had reported that a professor and two students of the National University of Juridical Sciences had written a letter to the Editors-in-Chief of the Outook and the India Today news mags expressing their displeasure on the law school rankings. In case you have not already read the newsreports and the letter, do check 'em out from these links below:

http://www.legallyindia.com/201008201213/Law-schools/nujs-ers-threaten-outlook-a-india-today-law-school-rankings-with-press-council-complaint

http://www.barandbench.com/brief/2/933/nujs-takes-on-outlook-for-faulty-ranking-methodology

You can access any of these links above to read the letter reportedly sent to those mags.

There was a specific complaint in the said letter that the said mag had invited NUJS to place ads. I quote and italicise the relevant portion of the letter:

(pardon the long quote)

"We wish to bring to your notice the fact that NUJS had received such an offer to advertise in your magazine in that particular issue by one Manish Kumar <manishk@outlookindia.com> (who claims to be the Assistant Manager of OUTLOOK) for varying rates starting from Rs. 1,00,000 and going up to Rs. 5,00,000.

The text of his email reads as below:

“From: manisk kumar [mailto:manishk@outlookindia.com]

Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 10:40 AM

To: 'registrar@nujs.edu'

Subject: Proposal for professional college issues.

Dear Sir,

Outlook – India’s Best Professional Colleges Survey – 2010

Outlook, India’s most popular and respected English news magazine is bringing out its eagerly awaited annual survey and ranking of The Best Professional Colleges in India, through a special issue in June 2010. For the past four years, Outlook’s ranking of the leading engineering and medical colleges has set the benchmark for tracking academic excellence. This year, we are expanding the breadth of the survey by covering six other professional streams – architecture, fashion design, hotel management, law, mass communication, and social work.

For parents and students, this special issue is an invaluable guidebook. For colleges and institutes, it’s a matter of prestige to be featured in this survey -- there is high peer recall of Outlook’s ranking.

The survey is based on both objective and perceptual data across relevant parameters. Conducted by leading market research firm MDRA, the survey would also undertake a random physical audit of institutes. Authenticity and evaluation process would be the key elements of this survey. Our research team is contacting close to 1,300 colleges and institutes for the survey. A brief on the categories:

Engineering – More than 600 institutes recognized by AICTE.

Medical – Over 300 (MCI approved) and approximately 100 of Dentistry (DCI approved).

Mass Communication – 60+ institutes are being contacted.

Hotel Management – More than 60 institutes.

Law – Around 50, recognized by Bar Council of India and All India Bar

Social Welfare – 50+ institutes are being contacted.

Architecture – 50+ institutes are being contacted.

Fashion Design – 60 institutes.

The survey will be based on the following parameters:

Selection Process

Academics

Industry Exposure/Placements

Faculty

Infrastructure

We invite you to advertise in this special issue dated: June 28th. Released on: June 18th. Deadline: June 10th

Full Page : Card Rate -Rs. 490,000 Special Rate: Rs. 2,00,000

Half Page : Card Rate: Rs. 3,00,000 Special Rate: Rs. 1,00,000

We look forward to your participation. Thanking you and with warm regards

Yours truly,

Manish Kumar

Assistant Manager

Outlook Group

(The entire email chain is attached as Annexure A.)

Was this email and its offer to advertise for a heavy sum in the very same issue where the rankings were to appear, done with a view to subtly inform the college that if it advertised, it faced the prospect of a better ranking? We would appreciate a clarification from you in this regard.

NUJS did not place any advertisement with your magazine. However, NLIU Bhopal did (see attachment: Annexure B). Both colleges had similar marks in the ranking i.e., 779.4: however, NLIU Bhopal was ranked at number 4, while NUJS was ranked at number 5. On what basis does one get precedence over the other? Shouldn’t both have been ranked at number 4 and the next in line should have been number 6. Isn’t this the standard practice? Please elaborate.

In any case, we hope that you will desist from this questionable practice in future. Sponsorships and paid advertisements in the very same issue in which you rank colleges taint the objectivity of ranking and create an impression of bias."

This allegation reminds me of the paid news issue that has been in the news for almost a year. On the paid news issue, have a look at these articles:

P. Sainath, The medium message and the money,
P. Sainath, Politics and the Praetorian Guard ,
Sathya Prakash M R & B K Ravi, India’s Prosperity Paradox and the Mass Media Disconnect,
Ashwin Mahesh, Invisible India is the elephant in your bedroom ,
Report of the Press Council of India on Paid News
Archna Shukla, Should Private Treaties be Made Public to Newspaper Readers?