[Reader-list] [Announcements] So that the owl can keep hooting

[Shivam Vij]

Pitch in!

The more the media matters, the more we must track what it does.
Updated twice a week, www.TheHoot.org brings you in-depth reports
from all parts of the sub-continent and further afield. As the
watchdog's watchdog we take a hard-edged look at issues that plague
the media, and offer riffs and reflections on what is in the news and
what ought to be.

We are delighted to announce that the Hoot has completed three years
of media watching on the Web. We are gratified that this milestone
has been possible, despite a rather precarious existence. We go from
grant to grant, and donation to donation, tiding over the in-between
periods with loans. Currently we are alive because of a 1.5 lakh
grant from the National Foundation for India, before that we were
able to keep going for a few months because the European Union
advertised on the site. Over three years, Rs 1.21 lakh has come as
contributions from journalists and others.

As of now, the money the Hoot runs on will run out in November this
year. The site needs to do much more than it does, and substantially
strengthen its coverage of South Asian countries other than India. It
needs staff, and possibly a small office. At the moment it has
neither. Funding from Indian sources has not been easy to come by,
and funding from foreign sources including individuals cannot be
taken under the rules of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act.

To put the Hoot on a footing whereby it can cover the media more
substantially, regularly and responsibly, we are making another
attempt to set up a subscription base which will bring in small
contributions on a regular yearly basis. Earlier we asked for Rs 100
a month or Rs 1200 a year. That may have been too steep for some
categories of Hoot visitors such as students. We have now decided to
target one thousand subscribers at Rs 300 a year. This Rs 3 lakh will
make possible some regular staffing support which will improve the
site and possibly make it attractive for appropriate advertisers.
Once registered as a subscriber, you will receive a reminder once a
year.

A fair number of students and teachers from the 100 plus journalism
schools and departments in the country now use the Hoot. It would be
good if journalism schools too could help support the existence of
this site. We are asking such institutions to please consider
contributing Rs 2000 a year. As always, all contributors will
receive tax exemption certificates and a listing on The Hoot. Please
forward this appeal to others so that the owl can keep hooting. Those
individuals who wish to pay more than Rs 300 are most welcome to do
so!

Please fill the subscriber's form below to send with your cheque, or
cut, paste and email it to us. Contributions via cheque should be
made out to * The Media Foundation * and sent to

180 National Media Centre,
Gurgaon 122002,
Haryana.

Please note that we cannot accept contributions from accounts abroad,
or those made in foreign exchange.


Thank you!
B G Verghese, Chairman
Sevanti Ninan, Secretary
The Media Foundation
New Delhi

www.thehoot.org
editor at t...

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