Renowned journalist Srinivasa Sethuraman, a former chief news editor of Press Trust of India (PTI), passed away in Chennai on Sunday after a short illness at the age of 99, according to family sources. He leaves behind three sons and a daughter. Sethuraman’s journalistic journey began as an editorial assistant at The Hitavada newspaper in Nagpur in 1941, eventually joining PTI (then known as API) in 1945. He covered significant developments, including those in Sewagram, Wardha, the residence of Mahatma Gandhi at the time.
During his tenure at PTI, Sethuraman held various roles, including reporting from the Central News Desk in Bombay and later moving to Delhi to cover Parliament, Union ministries, and political parties. He focused on reporting and analyzing post-Independence political and economic developments for the first four decades of his career, spanning from 1945 to 1986. Sethuraman later continued contributing to PTI as a freelance journalist for over 35 years. His expertise in economic reporting, both domestic and global, stood out, and he played a pivotal role in launching PTI’s innovative Economic Service in the mid-1970s. This service provided economic overviews, commodity profiles, and data updates for corporations and other user institutions.
Sethuraman’s editorial contributions also included diversifying PTI’s news content by incorporating more economic and social aspects, expanding international datelines, and actively recruiting and training new journalists. Apart from his journalistic pursuits, he was an avid Carnatic music enthusiast who, through his efforts, became a Carnatic vocalist himself. His illustrious career spanned several decades and left a lasting impact on PTI’s reporting and editorial standards.
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