Monday, 1 September 2014

Shekhar Gupta’s editorship at India Today group comes to premature end

In his previous job as editor-in-chief of the Indian Express, Shekhar Gupta clocked 19 years. In his new job as editor-in-chief at all India Today properties, he won’t complete three months.


India Today group chairman Aroon Purie today announced that Gupta and he have worked out a different arrangement from what they announced three months ago. Gupta will step back from his role as the company’s vice-chairman and editor-in-chief of all of India Today group properties (Mail Today newspaper, India Today magazine and Headlines Today news channel, among others). He will continue his association with the group as a columnist and editorial advisor.


Purie, founder of the magazine group, will take over as the group’s editor-in-chief.


“His widely read weekly column, National Interest, will continue to be published plus other long form articles, which he will write exclusively for the magazine. Shekhar, a dear personal friend, remains passionate to the India Today Revamp Project and will support me and the team,” Purie said in a statement.


Gupta hinted about his new venture on Twitter.


2/2 Aroon and I find the best of both worlds. Creative ideas & new venture beckon, just what excites a compulsive multi-tasker.—
Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) September 01, 2014



In the statement Purie put out welcoming Gupta back to India Today in June, had said that he and Gupta, one of India’s best-known journalists, will launch new editorial products together. It is unclear if those plans are still afoot or if Gupta will pursue his entrepreneurial interests on his own.


Gupta declined to comment for this story, except to quash speculation that his redesignation was a result of personality clashes with Kalli Purie, the chairman’s daughter and chief operating officer at the company.


“There is no question of it. I have had the most cordial, respectful and positive interactions with her. It will be grossly unfair and fallacious to attribute any changes in my role here to the relationship between me and her,” Gupta said.


A number of Gupta’s colleagues from The Indian Express had followed him to India Today. As Purie goes about revamping the media group, he will have access to that talent.




Shekhar Gupta’s editorship at India Today group comes to premature end

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