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Panel Discussion on Reuters Institute's Digital report 2021
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shubham tigga
3:20
Hello and Welcome to the Newslaundary Discussion on Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2021
3:24
The panelists are Manisha Pande (Executive Editor - Newslaundry), Sashi Kumar (Founder - Media Development Foundation), Rasmus Nielsen, Supriya Sharma (Executive Editor- Scroll), and Dhanya Rajendran (Editor-in-chief NewsMinute).
3:25
3:27
Manisha Pande opens the discussion by noting that a majority of news correspondents want the news to be neutral.
'Can all stories have two stories?' or 'Can journalism be neutral?' is the question of the hour.
3:28
Dhanya Rajendran does not think that consumers should expect neutrality from journalists.
Dhanya: "What journalists, organisations, and news consumers should understand is that neutrality does not exist. We are humans and we can not be neutral. When I am offered three stories, on what basis do I choose one among them?"
3:31
3:33
Supriya Sharma asserts that news consumers think differently and have their own perspectives.
Supriya: "Accountability of a citizen is not alike the government giving fair chance to everyone, but keeping the dexterity to ask questions to the government."
3:34
The panel agrees that journalists need to be objective but they cannot give equal footing to both sides always.
3:37
Dhanya contextualizes the statement by citing the case of Hathras.
"When it comes to rapes and all, there shouldn’t be an alternate point of view. There should be lesser polarity."
3:39
Manisha steers the discussion towards media trust in India. In a hyper-polarised country, what is it like trusting in a brand as a source of news?
3:40
3:41
Referring to the Reuters Institute News Report, Shashi Kumar says, "It was revealed that in channels like Republic, view rates were very high. But when it came to the trust factor, they were voted to be the least trusted."
Shashi: "Why do people watch something that they don’t trust?"
3:42
Manisha: "What can we do to explain media neutrality to the audience?"
3:44
Entering the discussion, Rasmus Nielsen insists that accountability is a big job of journalists.
3:45
Nielsen: "Journalist networks have to try to recognize bad faith attacks from genuine concerns and public opinion over journalistic ethics."
3:46
In short, Nielsen says, "We have to be watchdogs, not lapdogs."
3:47
Shashi draws an instance from the Reuters India report. "Both Wire and Republic are considered to be the least trusted. If you are saying that you trust Wire and Republic least then why are TOI and Doordarshan on the topmost in terms of brand trust?"
Shashi: "Doordarshan is a propaganda arm of the government, if that’s what you want then there is a problem in your perception of the news."
3:50
Adding to Shashi's point, Supriya talks about working as a journalist at a polarized time.
3:51
Supriya: "A prerogative of media forms to advocate one point of view. A lucrative low-cost way of appealing to mass opinion. The masses think Doordarshan is a government channel for basic news like railway timings and government announcements."
3:53
The panel discusses how the media reported during the pandemic.
3:55
Supriya: "Government delayed in starting PP kits. It took 8 months to take a bid for oxygen production of facilities. With stories covered by a small newsroom, the news reached the masses and it helped generate funds. Publishing more eye-opening stories helped people get apprised of the scenario."
3:56
Adding to Supriya's answer, Dhanya: "Whatever the echo chamber may be, there will be one group of people who will believe us, while another will never believe us despite being provided with documents."
3:58
Shashi: "I feel digital media is the frontline of journalism now in India, in terms of important stories, stories that matter, speaking the truth, these are the stories that impact the government."
While digital media is doing a great job, newspapers are still the most trusted and widespread source of news in India.
3:59
Should viewers be held accountable for the news they consume?
yes (0% | 0 votes)
 
No (0% | 0 votes)
 
Total Votes: 0
"Advertising is moving online quickly. Everywhere the pattern is the same. The regional language media is struggling as more advertisements are being directed toward a few big news platforms," says Nielsen.
4:00
Steering the conversation to regional news media, Nielsen:  "Regional and local media structures will be under tremendous pressure in the near future. There will be a rise of corporate funding and problems with government funding. It is concerning even though I am encouraged by the trajectory of Indian journalism."
4:01
However, Dhanya disagrees with Nielsen. She talks about the growth of regional channels, and how they are really quick in their reporting.
"The traffic of regional channels is a lot more than that of the English channels," says Dhanya.
4:03
Dhanya says that the way regional media behaves has a lot of impact of on the population.
Dhanya: Tamil media completely dissed the #MeToo movement, which really impacted on what people chose to believe."
That's a wrap. Thank you for being with us.
4:05
PS: For more details on the Reuters Institute News Report, you can check out this link.
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