- M. Gautham Machaiah
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Dr. M. Gautham Machaiah is a well known media personality, journalist, and corporate professional, who has been successful in print, internet and television media. He began his career with The Indian Express, before moving to The Times of India, and then to the Zee Group. Based in Bangalore, he presently holds a senior corporate position with the Zee Group.
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Education
Gautham completed his early education at the St Joseph's College, Mercara (Madikeri), in Karnataka's picturesque hill district, Coorg. He was at Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysore, from Class VIII to Class X. Gautham returned to Coorg for his pre-university course at the Government PU College, Madikeri. Thereafter, he joined the Maharaja's College, Mysore, where he completed his Bachelor's degree with Journalism, Economics and Political Science as electives. He also holds a post-graduate degree in Journalism and Communication. Gautham was awarded a Ph.D degree by the Mysore University for his thesis, “Media Habits of Legislators: A Case Study of Karnataka MLAs and MLCs.”
Throughout this time, Gautham has been at the top of his class. He was awarded a Merit Certificate by the Government of Karnataka for meritorious performance in the Pre-University Course. He won the Siddavanahalli Krishna Sharma award for academic excellence in Journalism. He completed his post graduation with flying colours, and was awarded three gold medals by the Mysore University.
Academic Interests
Gautham has always evinced a keen interest in academic issues and is closely associated with several universities and prestigious institutions as an honorary member. He often delivers guest lectures at various educational institutions. He is a member of the Advisory Council of Bangalore University Department of Electronic Media Studies, Ramaiah Institute of Management, and Sikkim Manipal University, among others.
Foray into Journalism
Gautham’s formal induction into Journalism was in his ninth standard, when The Indian Express published his article on the scarcity of drinking water in his hometown, Mercara. In his early days, the annual school magazine provided an outlet for him to blossom as a journalist. By the time Gautham completed his post-graduate studies, numerous articles of his were published in reputed newspapers. Among those articles, one particularly notable one was on the elusive forest brigand Veerappan. Over the years, he has penned several hundred articles on varied subjects.
As part of his academic training, he underwent an internship of two months at The Indian Express, in New Delhi, where he had the opportunity of working with stalwarts like Arun Shourie. Gautham’s first job was with The Indian Express, in Bangalore, under the editorship of H.S. Balram.
The Indian Express
Gautham established himself as a fiery journalist right from day one. Within months of joining The Indian Express, he had carved a name for himself through his incisive articles. He gave a new dimension to education reporting with his weekly column ‘On the Campus’, which was well-regarded by students, academicians and administrators.
He played a crucial role in exposing the mis-management and corruption in Bangalore University. One of his reports, on how over a hundred medical students who had failed the examination were promoted by illegally awarding grace marks, hit the national headlines, leading to a judicial inquiry.
As a journalist, there is no beat that Gautham has not covered, be it politics, government, environment, civic issues or crime. However, his passion remained with investigative reporting. Even as a Trainee Journalist he had the authorities on their knees when he carried a crusade against the corruption in the government.
Gautham parted ways with The Indian Express after a highly successful four year stint. It was the Indian Express that gave Gautham a strong foundation.
The Times of India
Gautham then joined The Times of India, in Bangalore, where he made a name for his insightful and investigative reporting. Besides reporting on the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, he covered senior leaders like A B Vajpayee, Sonia Gandhi, L. K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Pramod Mahajan and H. D. Deve Gowda. He specialised in reporting on politics and government affairs.
Gautham was also a part of the core team which played an integral role in relaunching and reviving the Bangalore edition of The Times of India, Bangalore, which is today the number one newspaper in Karnataka.
The Zee Group
After The Times of India, Gautham shifted to the Zee Group as the Editor of Zeenews.com, which established a lead over other portals by the speed and credibility of its news. In due course, he made a transition from journalism to the corporate world.
Gautham has handled several important assignments at the Zee Group, excelling in the entire ambit of corporate affairs-corporate communication, public affairs, government relations and corporate social responsibility. At Zee, he initiated a highly popular awards programme, Essel Awards, aimed at recognising and rewarding significant contributions to the society in various fields.
He is presently Head of Southern Regional channels at the Zee Group.
References
External links
Categories:- Indian journalists
- People from Kodagu
- Living people
- University of Mysore alumni
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