Cola controversy lesson for media management
the day after Union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss told Parliament that the Centre for Science and Environment's (cse's) exhaustive study on carbonated beverages was "inconclusive', the Delhi edition of the Hindustan Times carried the story as its lead story on page one. As part of the lead package, the newspaper juxtaposed Ramadoss's mugshot with that of cse director Sunita Narain. Below the two shots were quotes: Ramadoss's carried the operative part of his "inconclusive' claim and Narain's carried a statement pointing out that the health ministry report had quoted verbatim from the findings of a London laboratory funded by Coca-Cola. Balanced presentation and journalistic rectitude were in evidence. The same story also appeared in the paper's Patna edition