On Founders Day, The Hindu creates an ad ‘Written by Journalists’

New Delhi: On the occasion of its 147th anniversary, The Hindu has launched a brand campaign with the tagline “Written by Journalists”, reasserting its core identity as a journalist-led institution in an era dominated by algorithms, AI, and influencer content.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a print advertisement designed as a flowchart-style infographic, a visual journey through the daily editorial dilemmas, ethical calls, and emotional toll that shape real journalism. 

Released on Founders Day, September 20, the ad has been conceptualised by creative agency Talented and will be amplified across films, OOH and digital platforms in the coming weeks.

Nirmala Lakshman, chairperson of The Hindu Group, marked the milestone on Instagram, describing it as “a proud legacy of free and independent journalism that speaks truth to power, upholds freedom of expression, stands for an inclusive society and embodies the best principles of journalism. It’s the honour of my life to serve and be a part of this great national institution.”

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Aparajita Biswas, Head of Marketing at The Hindu, wrote on LinkedIn, “On the Founder’s Day, we are proud to unveil The Hindu’s new brand campaign - Written By Journalists. In a world where facts are contested, news is commoditised, and content is driven by algorithms, The Hindu stands apart - because it is Written By Journalists. Our greatest strength lies in our journalists and their bylines: a mark of rigour, ethics, and an uncompromising commitment to truth. This campaign is not just a claim; it is an act of defiance.

Here’s to the journalists of The Hindu Group, who relentlessly pursue the truth every single day and have kept our values alive for 147 years. Today, we celebrate those values.”

Find the campaign assets in her post: 

From grappling with missed calls and gut instincts to cross-checking facts, chasing sources, rewriting drafts, and handling editor feedback, the ad recreates the invisible cognitive map of a working journalist. It ends with a final upload bar, “Uploading… 99%... It’s Live”, driving home the meticulous, human effort behind every story.

Gautam Reghunath, co-founder and CEO of Talented, said on LinkedIn that the campaign reflects the newspaper’s enduring philosophy, “The Hindu has done one thing for 147 years: take its readers seriously. For a craft built on trust… rigour, responsibility and respect for the reader become the baseline.”

He added that in today’s environment of heightened scrutiny and rapid information flow, the initiative felt “slightly… defiant,” emphasising the continuing importance of independent journalism.

The ad also highlights the limitations of AI, with one line reading: “AI can assist, but it will never replace your words.”

Founded on September 20, 1878, in Madras (now Chennai) by six young nationalists, four law students and two teachers known as the Triplicane Six, The Hindu began as a weekly to support the elevation of Indian judge T. Muthuswamy Iyer, countering the racial opposition from the Anglo-Indian press.

Only 100 copies of the first issue were printed at Srinidhi Press using borrowed funds. Edited by G. Subramania Iyer and managed by M. Veeraraghavacharyar, it soon became a tri-weekly (1883), then a daily (1889), eventually establishing its own press at Mount Road with the support of the Maharaja of Vizianagaram, Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju.