A ‘mission’ that still holds true

When The Hindu Business Line made it debut on January 28, 1994, the world was in the throes of dramatic change. As our first day’s editorial ( reproduced alongside ), which outlined the newspaper’s ‘mission statement’ of sorts, observed, India and the rest of the world were surging ahead, but the familiar ‘comfort zones’ of the past were no longer around. Making sense of the tectonic shifts required fact-based, level-headed quality journalism – and The Hindu Business Line made an explicit commitment to its readers that it would maintain that high standard.

Our mission – as articulated that first day (and to which we have maintained steadfast fidelity all these years) – was “to serve as a pathfinder, a consultant facilitating economic and business decision-making.” We pledged to provide “promptly at daybreak… all the information, insight and analyses that will let readers sense and grasp opportunities that are all so transient.”

Over the past 25 years, many things have changed about BusinessLine : many sections and feature pages have been added, a few others have been reimagined, reinvented or rebranded; the design of the paper has evolved to provide it a “classical contemporary” look and feel; we have embraced the challenges and opportunities of the digital age – BusinessLine was among the earliest business dailies to have an online presence - and our editorial offerings are now available on many more distribution platforms.

What hasn’t changed in this quarter century, however, is our commitment to quality journalism and the tone of sobriety that defines us, without our ever resorting to attention-grabbing gimmickry. A fair bit of that owes to our lineage and the heritage of The Hindu Group. A commitment to excellence is, in effect, hardwired into our DNA.

Our unique mix of credible reporting and informed analysis has earned respectful admiration from our readers: BusinessLine has today emerged India’s second-most widely read business and financial daily. In the Indian Readership Survey 2017 (the most recent one), BusinessLine had a total all-India readership of 7.75 lakh, effectively consolidating its leadership among pure-play financial newspapers.

Today, BusinessLine is printed across 18 editions, and has a pan-Indian presence. It distinguishes itself on the news-stands – and not just because it hasn’t gone pink! It is perceived as not only a newspaper of record and the voice of authenticity, but also as the ‘go-to’ business newspaper for opinion-makers, thinkers and catalysts of change – for the clarity of its analyses and the independence of spirit that characterises its opinions.

As BusinessLine celebrates its Silver Jubilee, we have many reasons to look back with justifiable pride at our accomplishments. But this milestone also gives us occasion to rededicate ourselves to our original mission statement, drawn up and cast in stone on January 28, 1994. We pledge anew to our readers that in the years to come, as they navigate the choppy seas of change, they can look to BusinessLine to remain the ballast of stability and the lodestar of clarity and unbiased opinions.