The Hindu celebrates 147 years of journalism with an infographic ad by Talented ad agency

The Hindu marked a significant milestone on September 20, 2025, by completing 147 years of publication. The English-language daily newspaper was established in 1878 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, by a group of six young nationalists: G. Subramania Iyer (a school teacher), M. Veeraraghavachariar (a college lecturer), T.T. Rangacharya, P.V. Rangacharya, D. Kesava Rao Pantulu, and N. Subba Rao Pantulu, all of whom were law students. 

The anniversary was commemorated via a print infographic ad created by the Talented ad agency, launching a campaign by The Hindu that isn’t about its product, but about its process. The ad was also posted on Instagram by Nirmala Lakshman, chairperson of The Hindu Group.

Illustrating the high-stakes journey of a journalist at The Hindu, the flowchart takes the reader through the entire editorial process from a story's inception to its publication.

The process begins not with a hunch, but with a critical question: “Is the story in the public interest?” This is followed by a rigorous cycle of fact-checking, pitching, and sourcing information.

Asking the right questions, questioning the answers, and dealing with sources both reliable and unreliable is a typical day in the life of a journalist at The Hindu. 

What particularly stands out in the fun infographic is, “Editor sees em dashes. Frowns again,” a disapproving nod to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in article writing.

The second image in the series takes a more direct approach, featuring a powerful set of taglines alongside the newspaper’s masthead. "Journalists with breaking news, not broken news" and "News that can't be bot" read like a direct challenge to the AI-driven content farms that have taken over ethical news.

Taking credit for the commemorative ad campaign, the CEO of the Talented advertising agency, Gautam Reghunath, posted on LinkedIn, “If you picked up The Hindu this morning, you’ll already have seen its new brand platform: Written by Journalists. Very proudly, a Talented.Agency & P.G. Aditiya original. And a gentle reminder of what the press, at its best, ought always to be.”

“Over the next few weeks, you’ll see this platform come alive through films, OOH, and more. But it began this morning, with a single truth. The Hindu. Written by Journalists,” he added.

In a world crowded with “fake news” and generative AI, The Hindu’s “check, cross-check, triple-check” ritual is meant to serve as a reminder of the painstaking human effort required to produce credible news and the value of trusted, human-vetted sources.