We love you too, Ranveer!

Ranveer Singh. Pic/AFP

It's a coincidence, a happy one, that a superstar who gave this newspaper a public shoutout yesterday is someone that readers associate this brand with instinctively. In a survey Mid-day conducted in 2018, when a group of Mumbaikars who had been exposed to both, this newspaper and its competition, were asked, "If Mid-day were a person, who would that be?", the top answer was "Ranveer Singh". That the shape shifter embodies talent and joi de vivre meant that Mid-day's editorial team came away beaming.

At a press conference held earlier this week, Singh gave print publications the much-needed thumbs up, when he said, "Sab kuch digital ho raha hai, but vintage Mid-day abhi bhi hai. Wah yaar! It's a publication with a great legacy."

A Bombay boy, Singh went to Bandra's Learners' Academy, and it's possible that like so many city kids of the '80s and 90s, he grew up reading the paper. Singh's query, "Mid-day mate abhi bhi hai?" reflects the relationship the city's top tabloid has had with Mumbaikars, growing into a free-from-favour platform of information, views and entertainment they trust.

The video of his reassuring words went viral, at least in our newsroom, providing everyone the much needed shot of hope to face the challenges that the pandemic hurled at us. Who would've thought that something would be dangerous enough to stop newspapers, which stop for no one and nothing, from reaching our doorstep.

Ironically, while print was taking a wallop, it was also finding new respect. In a swirling ocean of fake news during COVID, it was the facts published in a newspaper through on-ground reporting and vetted by experts, that you knew you could count on. Reuters India Digital News Report 2019 said that 24% of those surveyed don't trust the news they see on social media.

Russia's attack on Ukraine, a country 5,000 km away, is affecting us in unimaginable ways. Global newsprint prices have shot up to double, and are still rising. What you hold in your hand is getting tougher to make, and we do it every day with honesty, rigour and love. In a world of hashtags and misinformation, perhaps it's time for #LongLivePrint to start trending.