UTTERLY NAUSEOUS NONSENSE NEWS - TOI

I guess TOI has a simple selection process to hire journalists. Its h.r. calls in bulk candidates for a test and picks the worst 10! How else do you explain the incomprehensible shit on virtually every TOI page?

Look at the lead story today (April 27 Thursday) in the Delhi edition.

Quota protests turn ugly, docs on strike
OPD Services To Be Affected At Govt. Hospitals
Times News Network

New Delhi: Anger over the proposal to impose OBC quotas in Central institutions spilled onto the streets of the Capital on Wednesday even as doctors at some of the main government hospitals announced an indefinite strike after police fired tear gas shells and used water cannons on protesting medical students trying to march to HRD minister Arjun Singh’s house.

57 words! 57 words!!

Clichés –
Anger over
To impose
Spilled onto the streets
Even as

Assumptions –
(1) All readers know there’s something called OBC quotas
(2) All readers know why these students were marching to HRD minister Arjun Singh’s house

Some days back I posted below a link to the Northern Star newspaper’s website that carries good journalism tips. Northern Star is a daily newspaper published by students at Northern Illinois University in the U.S. Some tips on the site –
(1) Write short sentences. Anything beyond 25 words is not good.
(2) There should be one idea per sentence.
(3) A flabby lead says, “I don’t know what this story is about.”
(4) KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID.

Can you write back a tight intro for the above story?

Let’s look at the second story on TOI P1 on the same subject –

In Germany, Sibal speaks out against Arjun’s designs
By Sidhartha/TNN

Hannover: In the first expression of disquiet in the Union Cabinet over OBC quotas in Central educational institutions, science and technology minister Kapil Sibal has said that the government must not initiate any measures that could dilute India’s excellence and ability to compete in the global economy.
“No policy initiative should be taken to dilute the level of excellence in research and development and education institutions which will negatively impact our ability to compete in the global economy,” Sibal said at the Hannover Technology Fair.

There are many things wrong with this intro such as the terrible cliché “first expression of disquiet”. But I reproduce it here to show it’s bad journalism to repeat information almost verbatim in succeeding paragraphs.

Paragraph 1: “…must not initiate any measures that could dilute India’s excellence and ability to compete in the global economy.”
Paragraph 2: “No policy initiative should be taken to dilute the level of excellence in research and development and education institutions which will negatively impact our ability to compete in the global economy.”

I have asked my spies to find if TOI has sold off the rewrite desk.