Aroon Purie

Aroon Purie (born 1944) is the founder-publisher and editor-in-chief of India Today, and former chief executive of the India Today Group. He is the managing director of Thomson Press (India) Limited and the chairman and managing director of TV Today. He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award.[2] He was also the editor-in-chief of Reader's Digest India.[3] In October 2017, he passed control of the India Today Group to his daughter, Kalli Purie.[4][5]

Aroon Purie
Born1944 (age 78–79)
Lahore, Punjab Province, British India[1]
Alma materThe Doon School
London School of Economics
Occupations
  • Businessman
  • Journalist
TitleFounder of India Today Group
Children3, including Koel Purie
RelativesMadhu Trehan (sister)
AwardsPadma Bhushan (2001)

Early life

Purie graduated from The Doon School[6][7] and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the London School of Economics[8] in 1965. Bollywood actress Koel Purie is his youngest daughter.[9]

Career

He started his career in 1970 at Thomson Press as Production Controller and continues to be its guiding force even though he handed over to his son Ankoor Purie.[10] With five facilities across India, it has a national presence. He began the India Today Group with an eponymous magazine in 1975.[4] Today the group is India's most diversified media group with 32 magazines, 7 radio stations, 4 TV channels, 1 newspaper, multiple web and mobile portals, a leading classical music label and book publishing arm.[11]

India Today

Vidya Vilas Purie, Aroon Purie's father, launched the fortnightly magazine India Today in 1975, with his daughter Madhu Trehan as its editor and Aroon Purie as its publisher.[12][13] The magazine was born during the Emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. With India Today, Aroon tried to "fill the information gap which exists amongst persons interested in India residing abroad".[12] With editions in five languages, it is the most widely–read publication in India – a position which, as of 2006, it had held for over a decade – with a readership of over 11 million.[14]

He also set the journalistic style for the 24-hour news and current affairs Hindi news channel Aaj Tak and English news channel Headlines Today.[15]

Awards and associations

He was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2001, the third-highest civilian award of the government of India, for his contribution to Indian journalism.[16] He has received other honours, including the B.D. Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (1988),[17] 'Journalist of the Year 1990' award by the Indian Federation of Small and Medium Newspapers,[16] the G.K. Reddy Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism (1993–1994), the Hall of Fame Award from the Advertising Club of Kolkata (2002) and the NT Award for Lifetime achievement from www.Indiatelevision.com (2008).[18]

He is associated with several councils, including the Council of Management, Audit Bureau of Circulations (Chairman, 2000–2001).[16] He is on the Executive Committee of The Editors' Guild of India,[16] Council of Management All India Management Association (Special Invitee). He was Chairman of the CII National Committee on Media (2001–2002).[16]

He is currently the chairman of FIPP (Federation of International Periodicals and Publications).[19] Aroon Purie is a board member of the Global Editors Network since its creation in April 2011.[20] In March 2022, he was bestowed with the ABLF lifetime achievement award for his contributions in the field of Journalism.[21]

Controversy

‌In 2007 a criminal defamation case was filed against Aroon Purie over a report titled “Mission Misconduct” published in India Today in April 2007. According to the article, three Indian officials posted in the UK were “recalled in quick succession following serious allegations of sexual misconduct, corruption in issuance of visas and sale of Indian passports to illegal immigrants”. [22]

The Supreme Court quashed the case against Aroon Purie in October 2022 over the article published in 2007 by India today. Though Chief Justice U.U. Lalit, Justice Ravindra Bhat, and Justice Bela M Trivedi quashed the case against Purie; they did not grant relief to the author of the news article.[23][24]

Plagiarism

A media watchdog, CounterMedia, found the opening two paragraphs—the first 250 words—of Purie's 400-word editorial of 18 October 2010 on the South Indian actor Rajnikanth to be identical to those in an article by Grady Hendrix published on 27 September 2010 in Slate, a US-based online magazine.[25]

Purie apologised for the mistake, suggesting that it had resulted from jet lag and claimed that "a couple of sentences lifted from another article were sent to me." In response, Hendrix wrote in Slate: "The jetlag apology wasn't meant to be taken as a serious statement, it was more of an old school attempt to make the problem go away with a silly, 'Whoops, I'm tired!' shrug." Hendrix also wrote that he considered it "a satisfactory closure to the matter."[26]

References
  1. Purie, Aroon (15 June 1998). "From the Editor-in-Chief". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  2. "Padma Bhushan for Aroon Purie, Rahul Bajaj". The Hindu. 26 January 2001.
  3. "Reader's Digest India". Archived from the original on 8 July 2004. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  4. Ray, Shantanu Ray (18 October 2017). "Aroon Purie hands over reins of India Today to daughter Kallie; appoints her as group vice-chairperson". First Post. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  5. "Kalli Purie". India Today. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. "Dame dilemma for Doon - President's co-ed suggestion evokes mixed reaction". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  7. "50 most influential people - Broadcast Channels | DigitalProductionME.com". Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  8. Fellows and Prominent Alumni LSE
  9. Roy, Amit (17 December 2014). "Red Hot". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 January 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  10. "Thomson Digital :: Leadership". www.thomsondigital.com.
  11. "Aroon Purie". www.dailyo.in.
  12. Bhandare, Namita. 70's: The decade of innocence. Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  13. India's Top 50 Influentials. Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  14. NRS 2006
  15. ""Profile"". www.bloomberg.com.
  16. Aroon Purie Profile Archived 12 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Television Point
  17. "Deputy Commissioner Of Income Tax vs Aroon Purie on 8 April, 2002". indiankanoon.org.
  18. "enba 2011: Lifetime Achievement Award for Aroon Purie - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media.
  19. New FIPP chairman Aroon Purie elected Archived 23 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine FIPP
  20. "Global Editors Network board members". Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  21. "India Today Group Chairman Aroon Purie honoured with ABLF lifetime achievement award". India Today. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  22. "Supreme Court quashes defamation case against India Today's Aroon Purie". Newslaundry. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  23. Debayan, Roy (31 October 2022). "Supreme Court quashes criminal defamation case against India Today chairperson Aroon Purie". Indian Legal news. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  24. "Aroon Purie defamation case: Supreme Court grants relief to India Today Chairperson over news article against Indian diplomat in Edinburgh". India Legal. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  25. Purie, Aroon. "From the Editor-In-Chief" (PDF). Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  26. Hendrix, Grady (20 October 2010). "Great Writers Steal". Slate. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
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