Over the past 15 years, Indian publications have made half-hearted attempts to embrace the digital realm. It began with denial, moved to reluctant acceptance, and finally reached a grim realization: digital is the future.

Yet, no one in India has truly cracked the digital code. Online advertising revenues have plummeted as Facebook and Google monopolize the market, and subscriptions remain a hard sell—average quality content simply doesn’t attract readers.

Subscriptions for newspapers have plummeted from an initial Rs 4,999 a year to a mere Rs 899, yet few are willing to subscribe. I spend that much on just two Venti nitro cold brews!

The situation has deteriorated so much that a prominent online business daily asked me to pay Re 1 for an article on income tax. I refused, as the hassle wasn’t worth it.

If it were an article on anyone  from The Guardian, I’d happily pay Rs 1000. But that’s because I expect a certain level of quality. The Guardian offers free content while inviting donations to sustain quality journalism. That model resonates with me—and with many others who value exceptional writing.

In contrast, local publications are pushing reporters to churn out ten articles a day in a desperate bid for page views. Meanwhile, the digital managers, pocketing hefty salaries, know this approach is futile; it won’t even cover their salaries, let alone their air conditioning bills. No human mind should be reduced to producing ten articles a day.  Hey editor, this is a job for AI.No?

And now, for the hypocrisy. When a journalist is working on a story, the PR rep tentatively asks, as instructed, whether it’s for print or digital..