Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press

Copyright (C) 2003 by the individual authors
Behind The News: Voices From Goa's Press
Copyleft, 2003. May be copied provided entire text is kept intact, and credit is given to all who have contributed to this work. While every attempt has been made to maintain accuracy, we would appreciate inaccuracies being pointed out. Feedback may be sent to goajourno@indialists.org
This book was collaboratively written between August 2003 and October 2003, through Goajourno, a cyber network of journalists and former journalists who have worked in Goa.
Copyleft 2003. Writers of the respective individual chapters retain their right to be identified as the authors of their work.
This is work-in-progress. and currently is in draft stage. Version 0.10 (draft release).
First e-version: October 10, 2003 (draft)
This e-book was created using Lyx, a free software product that was created by volunteers and which is freely sharable. We say a thank you to those whose work on this and other Free Software makes our work feasible and more practicable today.
Introduction
If you believe in miracles, here is a small one. An e-book, written collaboratively by over a dozen-and-half journalists, many with amazing stories to tell. Their willingness to do so, says something.
For one, it indicates a generosity to convert memories into history, which would otherwise have been consigned to the dustbin of amnesia. This is particularly true, as the media seldom writes critically about themselves in Goa. More importantly, it also suggests that there are many in Goa who have a story, and are willing to narrate it. If only they're given a chance. As mediapersons, we need to ask ourselves why these stories are not allowed (or encouraged) to surface in the first place. It's impossible to believe that there is such a drought of ideas and issues in Goa, and the general lack of debate in the media would make it seem.
October 10, 2003 marks the 20th anniversary of the Herald's English-language edition. Many of us journalists who contributed here are no longer, or perhaps never were, associated with that daily newspaper. But, the launch of this product undeniably opened up avenues for a generation of journalists in the state. In addition, it rewrote the rules of journalism for all of us here, for better or worse. Hence the choice of this date for the first release of this book.