I have been seduced into reading IHT by a former boss at BNP Paribas who was one of its most conservative readers for over 30 years. In the eight months that I worked, amongst many memories and a pink slip and some wonderful colleagues, I think knowing about an elegant newspaper called International Herald Tribune has been a late revelation of sorts for me as well as happiness unlimited as my love for language grew. IHT had an elegant first page, a nose for a story in every news, a bench of the best English prose-writers of the world, journalists and columnists who wanted to, as the adage goes, literally write literature in a hurry, unlike many other newspapers in the world. The headlines beamed life livelier than the story sometimes and suggest a mastery over a language - they were businesslike but conveyed the essence for the global travellier - the target audience the paper never failed to satisfy all through its 126 years of existence. If it was a corporate result, the headline says,"Phone Sales help Sony post profit in quarter." Or, a headline on China,"Murky future for China's family firms." Or, a breakthrough in stopping blackouts in America," Data Tools to keep lights on." The Tribune always had presented news that was readable, racy and vivid without an apology for longer headlines too if that conveyed the essence better: "Virtual Desktops, freed of clutter, follow wherever you go." LIkewise, you can say the paper had high-quality editorial standards which made it a symbol of the thinking global citizens even if the paper had its origins in Paris - but has become more American over the last few decades.
But when it started, it was the local newspaper in Paris for the Anglo-Saxons but now it is the finest international newspaper for English-speakers everywhere and you can no longer tell it is based in Paris at all. But what a transformation for a paper all through the 126 years, it traded hands and changed names several times in its course of history, and Publishing houses vied for it as it was a Kohinoor Diamond. It must be in the eyes of the many discerning readers because the founding editor, James Gordon Bennett Jr. proudly used to say, "Our readers are prepared to pay for the kind of journalism we do, and they feel an incredible amount of loyalty towards us." It used to be "New York Herald", then it moved from Bennett to New York Sun, then the title changed to "New York Herald Tribune", then a famous American ambassador to Britain acquired it in 1966 who brokered a deal with The Washington Post to enhance investment in the paper. All through those years, NYHT staved off competition from European newspapers including from the global edition of New York Times (the paper that gobbled it up today). NYT surrendered as the circulation of New York Herald soared and bought out the remaining stake of the American owner and thus was born International Herald Tribune, as a joint venture between the Washington Post-New York Times. So, IHT was effectively born circa 1967 and the name clung on despite the full ownership returning to NYT in 1991. The name became a darling for the global class of English-readers even as the newspaper stuck to its twin values of innovation and editorial quality - the best in breed and always at the biting edge of the times.
The paper was flashed as a status symbol even in Hollywood movies and European movies as it became a cult reading standard. It was used in a movable feast of visuals atleast for two minutes in one Jean Luc Goddard film (the director who first used the technique of "jump cut"). At one time, in Paris, some of the most famous Americans breathed fire into the English language and all of them endorsed IHT: Ernest Hemingway, F.Scott Fitzgerald, Henry Miller, Getrude Stein, and even ace humorist Art Buchwald who sprang up much later in the 1950s. In fact, Art Buchwald quipped on the length of the title of the newspaper itself: "International Herald Tribune? By the time you've finished pronouncing it you've missed the plane!" The paper was always objective, even when the hegemony of Americans became more and more pronounced, during the two world wars, during the Vietnam War and the many battles that they keep fighting. You should see the reportage of the newspaper on the day Nirbhaya's Rape case verdict came- it was exemplary, concise yet comprehensive.
Unlike the NYT, IHT always maintained a balance between depth and length, while remaining stylish. It was never more than 22-24 pages and wore lightly on the laps and palms of the executives who live in between terminals. At one time, the paper had staff from 25 different nationalities and got distributed to 186 countries by facsimile transmission (a unique first for the paper). In India, we were lucky that at least a Hyderabad-based owner, Deccan Chronicle group have been distributing this paper for the last several years, atleast since 2004 I think. NYT did a reader survey way back in 2003, whether it should drop the words IHT as a brand and instead label it as "The New York Times International" as they have already started sub-titling it as "the global edition of New York Times". "No" was the answer from both advertisers and readers. But it took ten years more for the personality of the paper to be gradually changed by NYT management, introduce veteran columnists like Paul Krugman, James Saft, Roger Cohen, and Joe Nocera and eventually cannibalise the personality of the paper to re-launch New York Times on a global scale. It is still a development that may not resonate with IHT's affectionate readers who are used to seeing a Gothic three-feet masthead called "International Herald Tribune" with the "T" made to look like a gothic version of the bird "Owl" which was believed by the founder Bennett to bring good luck. I find that the masthead of "International New York Times" retains the gothic style and that fills me with hope and nostalgia. IHT always recognised its readers not just as moneymaking tycoons and billion-dollar traders, it covered so many features everyday in science, health, sports, arts, letters and surveyed the worlds of business and finance like they were real people. I trust the NYT to make INYT retain the editorial fragrance and the bewitching reporting standards of the IHT. Even though I haven't read all the 126 year old newspaper issues of IHT, I cherish them since I begun reading it since 2001. I hope even if IHT folded up, India will welcome INYT with folded hands.
