Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press

You can't be neutral about the media. Some are critical of it, some distrust it, but almost all of us are influenced by it. So why do newspapers in Goa behave the way they do? Can we get some clues from what insiders say about their experiences? This book covers over four decades of post-colonial Goa's newspaper scene. It offers colourful - if highly personalised, and often critical - stories of those who saw the media from the frontline. Read about the media and first assembly elections of 1963, and attempts in the 1970s to build alternatives in the English-language and Konkani. Many pages focus on the impact of the Herald (formerly O Heraldo) on journalism in contemporary Goa. In 1983, this paper switched from being the last Portuguese daily published in Asia, to an English-language newspaper printed using the latest in computers and technology. But not without challenges of its own.... Journalists explain their travails of covering rural Goa. Included is the story of the birth of the Gomantak Times. Outstation journos have their own insights on the media scene here. Two essays cover Konkani journalism, making some bold and contentious points. Among others, one essay also looks at the implications of the entry of the Times of India into Goa in 2008. Don't miss this commentary on the media in Goa if you don't miss your morning newspaper each day.