8. Sitaraman Shankar - Politicians need to develop a thicker skin

In this episode of Election Beat, Sitaraman Shankar, editor of Deccan Herald and CEO of the group that publishes Deccan Herald and Prajavani, says the government needs to be more transparent, interact with the media more and do less headline management. He says the newspaper’s editorial positions that are often critical of the Modi government  are not about being anti-BJP, but are critical of certain policies.  He also points out that the newspaper is an “an equal opportunity offender”, criticising the Congress-run state government, just as it has done when other political parties in the state were in office. He describes the Deccan Herald as a newspaper with a long ethos of “speaking up for the little guy”. Shankar, whose two designations put him on two sides of a wall that is supposed to exist in a newspaper, says his double hat is in fact an advantage, because he can see both sides and protect both.