The next several days I will be attending the SAJA convention in NYC. Will do my best posting about the events at the conference.

Today, in a couple of hours actually, we will be meeting up at Columbia University for the first day-long photography workshop. It will be led by David H. Wells, a photojournalist and a teacher. We are headed to Jackson Heights for the day. I'll make a link to some of the best images produced today soon available here.

SAJA'er and Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria will address us tonight at the Asia Society. Salman Rushdie and his wife Padma Lakshmi will grace us with their presence tomorrow at a reception. Other heavy-hitters in the business of journalism will be present as well.

Should be fun (and naturally all bloggable!)

Gracing the cover of the resurrected LIFE magazine is none other than Norah Jones. According to the New York Times, the magazine will be distributed to almost 12 million people as a news supplement. If you remember LIFE died several deaths before.

“LIFE was first published as a weekly in 1936. It ceased publication in 1972, but returned as a monthly in 1978, going briefly to weekly frequency during the first Gulf War before suspending publication in 2000. LIFE has periodically published a number of special issues as well as series of books under the LIFE imprint.”

Time Warner Inc. which owns LIFE knows all too well about brand identity. So here they are again, giving it one more shot. This Time Warner press release has more information.

I am not sure what all of this means for photographers and writers. It comes down to advertising dollars and whether they can give Parade magazine a run for its money.

Time will tell.

Via Himal magazine

The editors of Himal Southasian have decided to suspend publication of the magazine for four months starting June 2004 in order to reorganise editorial, marketing and sales efforts. More than ever before, Southasia requires a top class periodical that takes a dispassionate, professional look at the region as a whole, with an eye on bettering the lives of its 1.4 billion people.

Recent events between and within Southasian countries indicate even more than before the need for an independent and extra-nationalist approach to issues and trends. Himal Southasian remains the magazine with the worldview and commitment to carry out such a mission, but the editors feel the need to carry out an introspective overhaul. This is the reason for the publishing hiatus, which will be a period to examine editorial content, carry out institutional restructuring, energise region-wide distribution, induct new staff, and so on.

Have questions? Address queries to: editors@himalmag.com .

Hope the navel gazing works out in their favor, though from my limited perspective, the magazine was still doing great work.

Ronald Reagan, the former POTUS, died last week. The media has naturally been abuzz, forgetting that we are at war in at least two fronts. While the death of a former president is definitely newsworthy, the voice of dissent (especially in this case) is smothered out of earshot as praise and primrose laurels are heaped on a shady memory.

Add to this the choices two editorial magazines, Time and Newsweek, have made to publish the same image of Mr. Reagan on their covers. It's not as if President Reagan wasn't photogenic or well-photographed during his tenure in office and beyond. When the left claims that there is some unambiguous conspiracy in the way information is collected, collated and then disseminated in this country, we finally have a shining example to look at now.

It's a fine image, no doubt. It's iconic; the former president as a cowboy, in a Stetson, smiling gently. It's an image that Goldwater types will cherish, put on their mantles and perhaps salute every morning. But the rest of the world will choose to see it and him differently. For Americans, however, Reagan will always be remembered as the Great Communicator, a gentleman, a man greatly protected and loved by Nancy, his wife and a president who brought conservative politics and thought to the forefront.

As the New York Times article sent to me by John Laxmi points out, the choice made by both magazines is only a coincidence. But it is a coincidence that occurs much too often. I am downright uncomfortable when I see something like this happen.

While the competition in the media industry is fierce, one would think that variety will impose a clear winner. Not in this case. What's making the newsstands these days is the same old drivel; celebrity profiles, shrinking space for images and real content, the rise of sidebars, sound-bites and eulogies that sell.

Is this what we really want? What does the mirror on your wall say?

Via Reuben Abraham

“Came across Cerebration, a webzine edited by Amrita Ghosh and ex-NDTV producer and host, Smita Maitra. Cerebration hosts writing from around the world on topics ranging from politics and science to literature and music. They also invite submissions for their poetry and short story sections. Other NDTV-ers involved include Barkha Dutt (editorial board) and Vishnu Som (who has submitted a poem). Figured some of you may be interested in reading and some interested in submitting amateur writing.”