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Newslaundry
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sambavi parthasarathy
2:57
Hello and Welcome to a panel discussion of the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report with Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, director of the #Reuters Institute, Shashi Kumar, journalist and media entrepreneur, Supriya Sharma, executive editor of Scroll, and Dhanya Rajendran, editor-in-chief of the News Minute. The discussion was moderated by Manisha Pande, executive editor of Newslaundry.
4:54
Manisha Pandey, speaking about the expectation of news correspondents for a neutral media, asked Dhanya Rajendran what she’s being expected of and why she is accused of not being neutral. Dhanya answers,”Neutrality doesn’t exist. Many people focus on different versions of the story.”
4:55
Supriya Sharma says that we need to give space to every due and every side of the story.  She also says that it is not a question of symmetry.
4:58
Dhanya adds that at instances of crimes, most people want only their version to be shown but equal footing becomes a bit hard. Shashi Kumar, on the other hand, emphasises that one should look at objectivity over neutrality.
He talks about two kinds of objectivity. The first one is fair kind, where all views are presented. The second type is one where there's a clash in view points.
4:59
Manisha says that journalists see themselves as truth seekers. She questions: "If our audience doesn't believe us and choose from various sources out there, what does it do to journalism then?"
5:00
ShashiKumar refers to a Reuters report and notes the contradiction that The Republic has the highest TRP but is least trusted.
Ramsus points out that while we need to weaponize a professional commitment to fairness, it becomes incredibly difficult to report against powerful people and one might need to endure harassment in social media.
He adds that journalists, in such cases, are questioned about their professional ethics. He furthers his views on fairness :"Many people are thinking of fairness as giving everyone a chance also focusing on things which are more important."
5:06
Shashi Kumar again points out that both Wire and Republic are closest in the Brand Trust rating scale; implying that what we need to do is to filter bubbles in mainstream media. Manisha also adds that when it comes to DD and AIR, it's people longing for news that is devoid of shouting and nothing more.
5:08
Shashi Kumar, recollecting his times in Doordarshan, says that it is a mere arm of the government solely used for the purpose of propaganda. He adds that nobody there believes that there's news and if people are trusting it as a source, something is wrong with the way they perceive news.
5:11
Surpiya states that we're functioning in a polarised world where sticking only to reporting becomes lucrative. She point out that the response has been heartening for investigative stories than reports. She substantiates it with an incidence of oxygen shortage, and how the reach made journalists feel recognised about their work.
5:12
Dhanya, commenting on The NewsMinute's experience during Covid-19 and shift of trust, says, "We have one group of people who believe us and another who are forever dissing us. Covid 19 impacted both these groups. The second group realized that they are speaking the truth on our behalf. We are the people who eventually suffer. Pandemic has shifted people's thought and people now believe that news organizations don't have a deep dark agenda."
5:15
The panelists discuss how pandemic brought a shift in people's trust in media. Supriya argues that it definitely changed perceptions and that even mainstream media during pandemic could not ignore the sentiments of people.
5:16
"Digital portals are in the frontline of journalism in India right now. In terms of stories that matter they are strong and are thus targeted by the government.", says Shashi Kumar.
He also added that digital media is doing a tremendous job and the mainstream media is taking its cues from it. He emphasises there's a big shift taking plan in the way journalism is panning out where digital portals are not only holding in account the government but also the big houses.
5:18
Manisha asks Shashi Kumar to detail how the second wave has dealt a huge blow to ad-driven organisations and what its future implications could be.
5:19
Shashi Kumar, answering Manisha's question, says that he growth of digital portal is around a decade old and that the big concern is how the government is cracking down on the bold moves by it. He explains that it's not only about the English media and the Hindi media but also the tremendous job being done by the regional media, which needs to be recognised.
5:22
Rasmus adds that India's incredibly complex country. He says that he is personally convinced of the success regional media will hold for a while.  He says," With the growth of mobile phones, the advertisements are increasing. Globally the pattern is the same. Regional newspapers struggle to adapt to that phenomenon. "
He also added that Scroll, NewsMinute are much more lean and clearly focused and are beneficial while newspapers face a commercial pressure.
He believes that the growth of regional media is restricted to newspapers.
5:24
Dhanya disagrees with Rasmus. She argues that the growth of regional media should not just be about newspapers.
She talks about the television channels. "They've made quick transitions and have adapted themselves to social media. Malayala Manorama is a front runner in this. The influence of regional media is not much in print but it is in television and the way regional media behaves had a huge impact on the minds of the people. Most Tamil media dissed the MeToo movement and people believe that.", says Dhanya countering Rasmus's argument.
5:28
Manisha takes the discussion forwards and asks Rasmus about news consumer's attitudes toward subscriptions. I think it's uniquely challenging in India. Rasmus answers," If you think of news as a commodity, it's hard to convince people who have had the news for free. "
He says that advertisement revenues won't disappear and that it will mean that the new organisations will need to take a risk to convince people the need to get news. He also furthers that organisations can appeal to people to construct a model where they make an emphasis on making a difference in the society.
5:30
"I think the upside is we know now that they are a minority of people who are willing to support news in a principle fashion. I don't think it's gonna be a majority especially in India. Journalism is purpose-driven. For instance, when the Hindu was launched, it was launched to have a distinct editorial stance.", says Rasmus.
5:33
Supriya, on answering Manisha's question regarding the sustainability of subscriptions, says "Scroll started in 2018. We are also offering to an ad-free experience. The strongest driver was the journalism. Some readers even told us that the subscription amount was very less and that they valued it much more." She also added that readers valued on-ground reporting finds and were willing to contribute. According to Supriya, the readers finally recognised the value of journalism and are willing to support the kind of journalism they respect
5:35
Dhanya, talking about subscription, outlines the problems that come with it, "There's a spike when people like a story. But I have two concerns. It's only a small group of people who want to contribute. That needs to increase. I already see people talking that they can't pay for all news outlets. They say why can't you come together. More people have to believe that they have to contribute to news organizations."
5:36
Manisha Pandey says that the news laundry is one of the earliest subscription outlets and has done campaigns explaining to people on how advertisement driven Journalism doesn't serve them. She adds, "I'm optimistic about subscription journalism and for smaller, independent journalism, not just big media houses like India Today."
5:38
Shashi Kumar concedes that one cannot subscribe to all channels and eventually people need to pay to read. He says that people are used to multiple sources of news and that Brand loyalty does not exist anymore.
Rasmus talks about New York Times as an example, what it illustrates is that if you have a good digital product and courage to ask people for money, then subscription will survive.
5:40
Rasmus concludes that news is driven by people's values. 
and there are different ranges of models in subscriptions. He says that everything won't work for everyone.
5:42
Shashi Kumar shares his opinion. He mentions that reports say that politicians are a part of the problem for journalism but in India, journalism itself is a problem
And that's a wrap. Thank you for joining.
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