Bibek Debroy, columnist for The Week took to Twitter on August 4 to announce that he is disassociating himself with the magazine. Explaining what prompted him to quit the magazine, the journalist voiced his vexation over the publication’s arbitrary decision to use an objectionable image of Maa Kali for his article, that too without his consent. Bibek Debroy is an Indian economist, serving as the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India and a respected author.
“I don’t think anyone reads Twitter bios. So pointing out, have removed columnist, Week,” wrote the journalist while sharing the screenshot of the letter he wrote to Philip Mathew, the editor of The Week magazine, confirming his departure from the publication.
I don’t think anyone reads twitter bios. So pointing out, have removed columnist, Week. pic.twitter.com/6yrTq8LT1q
— Bibek Debroy (@bibekdebroy) August 4, 2022
Notably, the article written by the author titled: “The fire has seven tongues, and one of these is Kali, writes Bibek Debroy”, was published by the magazine on July 24, 2022.
Below is the offensive image of Maa Kali that the publication attributed to Bibek Debroy’s article. The image was used as the featured image of the article (the image that readers see when the article is shared on any platform) and was also embedded in the article.
In his letter to The Week magazine’s editor, Bibek Debroy expressed his concern with the publication’s choice to assign the aforementioned picture of Maa Kali to his article without his approval. Questioning the magazine’s journalistic ethics, Debroy wrote, “This letter concerns the special column on ‘Kali’, The Week asked me to write. It was published in the 24th July, 2022 issue, under the title ‘A tongue of fire’. There is an accompanying picture, of a tantra-based painting. There is a very tenuous link between the content of the article and the picture. I can think of many better depictions of Kali. This picture was deliberately chosen to titillate and provoke. At least, that’s the way I perceive it.”
Bibek Debroy went on to say that it is always the writer’s editorial right to choose the illustration. Contrary to popular perception, a columnist only reads the column’s text, not the title, image, or layout, he wrote, adding that in this regard, The Week is also no exception, it is how things work at most publications. He expressed his displeasure with the magazine, by further adding that his name has been associated with an image that he would not have approved if he had seen it earlier.
‘Use of this particular picture has helped your pecuniary motive of boosting readership but made you lose a friend and well-wisher’, Bibek Debroy slams The Week
“A relationship of trust is built up over a period of time. It is because of that trust I agreed to inaugurate The Week’s new logo some months ago. A single act can destroy that trust in one instant. I am sure use of this particular picture has helped the pecuniary motive of boosting readership. But let me also assure you that you have lost a friend and well-wisher. Therefore, since I no longer trust The Week and since I have no idea about what illustrations will be used in my regular columns, I would like to disassociate myself with The Week and no longer be a columnist,” wrote Bibek Debroy.
