M Swaraj Dismisses Media Reports on Deshabhimani Weekly; Says Editorial Decisions Are the Newspaper's Prerogative

Thiruvananthapuram: Resident Editor M Swaraj has dismissed as baseless the media reports surrounding the absence of the Deshabhimani weekly edition on Sunday. He said the publication was delayed by a day solely due to technical issues related to printing.

According to Swaraj, misleading narratives emerged one after another. Initially, it was claimed that the newspaper had been printed but was not distributed. This was followed by allegations that a memorial tribute to V S Achuthanandan had been dropped. Later, reports claimed that the edition was withheld because an article about a theatre personality had been removed. Swaraj said all these claims were false and reiterated that the delay was caused purely by technical reasons.

He noted that such technical disruptions are not unprecedented and occur in newspaper publishing from time to time. However, unlike in this case, they do not usually become subjects of controversy. He also clarified that the article about the theatre personality referred to in media reports was never part of the Deshabhimani weekly.

Swaraj said the weekly receives hundreds of articles for publication. Some are published, some are deferred, and others are rejected. Deciding what to publish is entirely the newspaper's editorial prerogative, he said, adding that it is not for other media organisations to decide what Deshabhimani should or should not publish.

He further explained that the editorial team had decided that the lead feature in the weekly edition released ahead of V S Achuthanandan's death anniversary should be a tribute to the veteran Communist leader. Accordingly, the front page was designed around the memorial. The editorial board also decided that the final page should likewise be dedicated to V S, with no other content taking precedence. The magazine was prepared in that format, but the technical issue delayed its publication by a day.

Swaraj also clarified that Deshabhimani had not taken action against anyone. He said everyone, including journalists, is free to submit articles to the weekly. Whether an article is published or not is an editorial decision of the newspaper. Describing an unpublished article as having been "suppressed" is inappropriate, he added.