The Media Rumble podcast

Over the past decade, social media has become central to the outreach strategies of political actors across party lines in India. Politicians often engage with social media influencers, but where do journalists fit in?These were themes discussed during “Journalism and the Weight of Social Media Influence”, a presentation by Joyojeet Pal, associate professor at the University of Michigan, at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. He talked about how influencers play a crucial role in setting political agendas, enabling micro-targeting, and driving political engagement.“Influencers become a part of the disinformation campaign and actively spread misinformation online,” he said.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In India, foreign correspondents grapple with accessibility issues, press freedom sensitivities, and diplomacy nuances. What’s it like to balance journalism with global relations?These were themes discussed during “An outsider’s view of India”, a panel discussion at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. Moderated by Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri and powered by the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, panellists comprised Mujib Mashal, South Asia bureau chief of The New York Times; Avani Dias, South Asia correspondent of ABC; Catherine Davison, independent journalist; and Lauren Frayer, London correspondent of NPR. Abhinandan highlighted the coverage of Israel and Palestine in India and his discomfort with some western media outlets. Mujib said, “We sometimes have to simplify a complex issue because we are writing for the lowest common denominator in terms of readership. But that is no excuse for being inaccurate.”The panel discussed the need for digital and media literacy and accurate journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate change and environmental issues are significantly underreported in Indian newsrooms, with reportage often lacking depth. How can editors and reporters address the challenge of effective storytelling in this context?These were the themes of “The Climate Change Beat”, a panel discussion at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. Moderated by journalist Nidhi Razdan, panellists comprised Naresh Fernandes, editor of Scroll; and independent journalists M Rajshekhar, Disha Shetty and Rishika Pardikar.Nidhi talked about dwindling resources in mainstream television media, while Disha said journalists must be trained in reporting on climate and health. Rajshekhar said climate news stays on the margins, despite being a public health issue. “We need to look at climate change through every beat,” Naresh said, “whether it’s sports, food or politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Films have the remarkable ability to bring people together and create awareness about social issues and communities. How do films use their storytelling to shed light on complicated issues? What impact do they have in inspiring collective action?These were some of the themes discussed during a one-on-one conversation between writer and podcaster Anurag Minus Verma and filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. Neeraj said the definition of entertainment is “lopsided”. “It can be escapist, but it can also be something that makes you think,” he said. He talked about the “Savarna savior” complex in films and the challenges of having no peers in the industry. Anurag and Neeraj also discussed the sanitization of artistic expression, especially on OTT platforms and YouTube, and the intersection of identity and politics. Watch.Listen to the conversation here: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With more news outlets introducing paywalls and subscriber models, readers now have more options than ever before. But are we in danger of subscription fatigue?This was the theme of “Subscription Fatigue”, a panel discussion at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. Powered by Google and moderated by Newslaundry’s Chitranshu Tewari, panellists comprised Nandagopal Rajan, editor (new media) and business head at The Indian Express; Niyati Rajput, a subscription expert; Pradeep Gairola, business head at The Hindu; and Swetha Susan Elias, program manager at Google’s news partnership team. The panel contrasted how news subscription is seen as against subscriptions to OTT and music platforms. Nandagopal said subscriptions must “tap into loyalty and create new loyalties over time. Pradeep said it’s hard to retain audiences, and explained success with Indian Express’s epaper. Swetha brought up India’s linguistic diversity and said there’s a need to launch new verticals to accommodate varied audiences.Watch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

India’s newsrooms lack diversity across roles and departments, isolating minority voices across communities. What’s it like being a minority voice in a newsroom skewed towards majority communities? How can media owners make their organisations more diverse?These were some of the themes discussed during “Diversity in Media”, a panel discussion at The Media Rumble 2023 that took place in Delhi on October 21. Moderated by The News Minute editor-in-chief Dhanya Rajendran, the panel comprised Meena Kotwal, founder of The Mooknayak; Ankur Paliwal, founder of Queerbeat; Shadab Moizee, associate editor of The Quint; and Gunjan Singhvi, news product partnerships at Google.Meena talked about the launch of Mooknayak and how small news organisations can show the way for Big Media to achieve diversity. Dhanya said there’s a gap in inclusive policies and their implementation, and equality doesn’t guarantee equity. “If you leave people on the margins,” Ankur said, “they will leave you.”Watch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The “occupational hazard” of being a journalist is facing a barrage of online abuse, threats and intimidation. In India, the situation is worse for Muslim journalists. How did things get so bad, and are editors today glorifying the need for journalists to grow a thick skin?These were some of the topics tackled in the discussion “Occupational Hazard” during The Media Rumble 2022, which took place in Delhi on October 14 and 15. The session was moderated by Dhanya Rajendran, cofounder and editor-in-chief of the News Minute. The panel comprised Bram Logger, cofounder of SPIT, an investigative collective; Fatima Khan, senior reporter with the Quint; Colin Pereira, director of HP Risk Management; and Hartosh Singh Bal, political editor of the Caravan.Hartosh explained how, in the current climate, “there is no larger choice than to accept that it is going to happen, recognise it, and try to ensure it doesn’t get to you emotionally”.  He also talked about what to do when physical threats become dangerous.Colin added that in the past few years, there’s been an “awakening” among younger journalists and women journalists saying “look, it’s not okay that we’re beaten up because of our jobs, it’s not okay that our bosses don’t look after us, it’s not okay that the environment we live in is a hostile one”.Text by Hardik Dogra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The civil society in India has shrunk in both size and scope. But who is to blame? What is the role of the media in this phenomenon? Will the increasingly symbiotic relationship between governments and corporations allow for meaningful freedom of speech and action? The Media Rumble 2022 tackled these questions and more at the session titled "Shrinking Civic Spaces." TMR 2022 was held in Delhi on October 14 and 15.The session was moderated by Amitabh Behar of Oxfam India. The  speakers were Biraj Patnaik of the National Foundation of India, Safoora Zargar of Jamia Millia Islamia, lawyer Suroor Mander, and Dalit activist Nodeep Kaur."The government has created a structure where some of us either by choice or, by force, speak in a language within a specific structure," said Zargar. Commenting on the state of the media, Behar said, "Indian journalism is alive and thriving, but Indian media is long dead."The speakers also discussed the need for India to have a public broadcaster, accountability in journalism, and the grassroots work needed to restore and sustain the civil society space.Watch. Text by Reet Kaur Sahni. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did India’s education sector cope with the disruption of the pandemic? Did the resultant push to conduct classes online affect marginalised groups adversely? What lessons did the industry learn?The Media Rumble 2022 discussed all this and more at the session titled “Digitising Education”. Moderated by Mohit Satyanand, entrepreneur and chairperson of Teamwork Arts, which organised the media festival along with Newslaundry, the session had as speakers Aashish Mandhwani of Shri Ram Schools, Kishalay Bhattacharjee of the Jindal School of Journalism and Communication, Maya Mirchandani of Ashoka University, and Paroma Roy Chowdhary of Byju’s. “Learning for us was two ways,” said Mirchandani. “One was to re-tailor our content that was meant to be imparted in a physical classroom. Second was to learn from digital-savvy students to make our classrooms more interesting.”The session also tackled the question of whether the pandemic furthered the inequality in the education sector.Watch.Text by Aanchal Poddar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the representation of marginalised groups in mainstream media going to change anytime soon? Why does the Indian legacy media cover crime against women the way it does?What are the challenges female journalists face in India? These questions made for an insightful discussion at The Media Rumble 2022 session "Women in Media". TMR 2022 was held in Delhi on October 14 and 15. The session, moderated by Akash Banerjee of The Deshbhakt, had for speakers Babita Gautam of the Voice Media and the Dalit Desk, independent journalist Priyanka Dubey, Priyanka Kher of Breakthrough, and Sayema Rahman of Radio Mirchi."There is representation of women in the media but as victims. Rape stories and abuse," said Rahman. "Women are largely still a fair and lovely camp, even in newsrooms. Women are not in power and impact positions."The speakers also discussed the role of popular culture in the glorification of violence and the impact of media on public psychology.Watch.Text by Reet Kaur Sahni. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do legacy and digital media in India seem to be caught in a tussle? Can they not learn from and work with each other? Are there no grounds for cooperation to begin with?These questions made for an arresting discussion at The Media Rumble 2022 session titled "Legacy and Digital Media: Synergies and Conflicts". The speakers were Indrajit Gupta, founding editor of the Indian edition of Forbes; Sumit Chauhan, founding Editor of The News Beak; T Surendar, managing editor at The Morning Context; and Nikhil Kanekal, head of subscriber experience at LiveMint. The session was moderated by Manisha Pande of Newslaundry."Digital media can learn about how mainstream media has been able to create genuine value for millions of views over the lifetime, there is great affinity that legacy brand users have towards those brands, like you hear older people saying, 'Oh I can't start my day without reading XYZ newspaper'," said Kanekal.Chauhan spoke about the "huge gap" in reporting on caste atrocities by the mainstream media. "Unless there is caste atrocity like Hathras, Lakhimpur Kheri," he added. "They will cover us only when somebody rapes us, beat us or any brutal atrocity happens to us and the video comes out on social media." Text by Hardik Dogra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s no secret that the telecom boom has greatly changed the regional press in India. Audiences for the vernacular press have increased considerably over the past few years, especially online. Who are these audiences, what do they want from the digital news media, and how can news outlets solidify their relationships with these readers?That was the topic of discussion at the The Media Rumble session titled “Regional Publishers”. The Media Rumble 2022 took place in Delhi on October 14 and 15.The discussion panel comprised Balasubramanian S, head of digital media at Dinamalar; Kunal Singla, business head of Amar Ujala Web Services; Maneesh Narayanan, founder of The Cue; and Sanghamitra Mazumdar, editor of ABP Live in English. It was moderated by Durga Raghunath, who heads news and publishing product partnerships for Google in India. “People want content that is suited to their needs and which is more personalised,” says Kunal. “If something is happening in Lucknow and one is based out of  Lucknow, they want to see that news first.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is missing when it comes to climate reporting in Indian newsrooms? How do regional and foreign publishers pursue climate change stories? How is such reporting evolving and affecting businesses and the society at large? These were some of the pressing questions that were dealt with at The Media Rumble session titled 'Missing In Indian Newsrooms: The Climate Beat'. The Media Rumble 2022 was held in Delhi on October 14 and 15.The speakers were Bibek Bhattacharya, national editor of Mint; Keya Acharya, a freelance journalist who has written on environmental and development issues for over 30 years; Omair Ahmad, South Asia managing editor for The Third Pole; and Gerry Shih, India bureau chief for the Washington Post. The session was moderated by Lou Del Bello, a veteran journalist who writes Lights On, a weekly newsletter covering climate and energy from a South Asian perspective. “We are a civilisation that completely depended on monsoons for thousands of years,” says Omair. “In the last 50 years, we've decided to build cities that flood every single monsoon and  that is an incredible display of idiocy.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does mainstream media get wrong in how it views Northeastern states? What are the differences within these states, and what role does identity politics play? And who are the “outsiders” – a question that has long shaped public discourse in these regions?The answers to these questions were discussed at the session “Who is an outsider: Recognising identity politics in the Northeast” at The Media Rumble 2022, which took place in Delhi on October 14 and 15. Moderated by journalist and author Samrat Choudhary, the panel comprised writer and researcher Nazimuddin Siddiqui, the Wire’s national affairs editor Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, East Mojo executive editor Amit Kumar, RV University assistant professor and writer Suraj Gogoi, and researcher and writer Nona Arhe. “Miyas live as an outsider and die as an outsider,” said Nazimuddin. “They are not insiders anywhere.”Watch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does the foreign media report on India, and what does the Indian government think about their reportage? How have things changed between successive governments? These were some of the questions considered during the session “How Indian government views the foreign press” at The Media Rumble 2022, which took place in Delhi on October 14 and 15.Moderated by Newslaundry founder Abhinandan Sekhri, the panel comprised journalist and political analyst Kanchan Gupta, Washington Post India bureau chief Gerry Shih, and the Print editor (opinions and features) Rama Lakshmi.Rama Lakshmi said a lot is “lacking” in the Indian media. “I don’t think there is enough nut graf in Indian stories,” she said, referring to a paragraph in a story that provides context. “And the nut graf is, why should the reader care? What is the big picture here? That’s just lacking across Indian media reportage.”The panel also discussed how the Indian government often refuses to engage with reports by the foreign media that it deems too critical of India. Watch.Text by Vardhan Saklani.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After two years of being hosted online, The Media Rumble 2022 took place in Delhi on October 14 and 15 where leading media professionals, policymakers, and tech innovators got together to discuss the future of news, tech and policy.In the session titled “Platform accountability and whistleblower”, former Facebook employee-turned-whistleblower Sophie Zhang spoke with Chitranshu Tewari of Newslaundry about political manipulation on social media and her experience of working on fake engagement in India. They also discuss Zhang’s offer to testify before the Indian parliament and her experience working with tech reporters in India. She also weighed in on the recent controversy over the Wire’s reporting on Meta. “There are a number of areas where the documents don’t match up,” she says. “I don’t think there’s a single former Facebook employee who has publicly said that they believe in these documents.”Watch.Text by Vardhan Saklani. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this session of The Media Rumble, titled "Who's on YouTube", Akash Banerjee, the founder and host of Deshbhakt, interacted with Sujit Nair, co-founder and managing director of HW News Network; Ashok Das, editor of Dalit Dastak; Arfa Khanum, senior editor of The Wire, and Barka Dutt, pioneer of television journalism and the founder of MoJo Story. The panel discussed the independence of the digital space in reporting real stories to the people. The speakers elaborated on their experiences in the television media and the ways in which it was different from the digital space. They also highlighted the need to form a news community that would support reports from the ground and thereby contribute in a media organisation's sustainability.Time codes:0:00 to 1:43 - Introduction and agenda of the session1:43 to 19:40- Making the shift to YouTube and Opportunities19:40 to 27:07 - Dealing with hate comments and trolls on YouTube27:07 to 30:40 - Scope of audience on YouTube30:40 to 34:50 - Business viability and sustainability of digital media34:50 to 44:26 - Challenges and dangers of digital media on YouTube44:51 to 50:15 - Future of TV news and interactive audience50:15 to 54:40 - Challenges unique to digital media vis-a-vis legacy media54:40 to 58:49 - Motivation and lack of money in digital media58:49 to 59:33 - Conclusion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the session of the Media Rumble 2021, titled "Watching Big Tech", Chitranshu Tewari, director, product and revenue, at Newslaundry, was in conversation with Julia Angwin. A Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, Julia is the co-founder of Markup, a news portal best known for its investigative journalism in the field of technology. The objective of the session was to discuss tech reporting and the challenges faced by newsrooms such as Markup. Julia talked about hotly debated issues such as inequality in content moderation of online speech in countries like India vis à vis the United States. She also talked about the revenue models of media platforms like Markup, changes in the tech journalism space, and the increase in reader interest in the ramifications of unregulated big tech.Time codes:0:00 to 1:48 Introduction1:48 to 5:0 Programmers in the newsroom: using technology to report on technology5:01 to 10:12 Importance of releasing data sets and transparency10:12 to 13:00 Balancing source protection with reader trust13:00 to 16:43 Policy framework to ensure that platforms do not block information access16:43 to 22:22 Inequality in content moderation of online speech22:22 to 29:00 Revenue model for tech reporting and use of third party trackers29:00 to 31:00 Change in tech reporting space from consumer driven to public interest32:37 to 35:14 Reader interest and awareness in tech stories35:14 to 41:42 Media Imperialism and Parachute Journalism41:42 to 43:10 Ways to distribute content beyond mainstream social media Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Media Rumble session on "Voting for Health" was moderated by Abhinandan Sekhri, co-founder of Newslaundry, and revolved around the question of how to make healthcare an important electoral issue. A mix of politicians and healthcare experts, the panel consisted of Pawan Khera, national spokesperson of the Indian National Congress; Manoj Jha, member of the Rajya Sabha; TS Singh Deo, cabinet minister in the Chhattisgarh government; Sujatha Rao, former union secretary in the ministry of health; and Amit Behar, CEO of Oxfam.The discussion revolved around why health is not a priority for elections, the media and the voter. The panelists discussed questions such as the role of the state in healthcare, the impact of the Covid crisis, and the lack of outrage after the second wave.Time Codes:0:00 to 3:08 Introduction and key findings from the Oxfam Report3:08 to 8:05 Inadequacy of health infrastructure and fall in investment8:05 to 27:55 Reasons for de-prioritisation of healthcare by media, politicians and the voter27:55 to 39:49 The need for a ‘Right to Health’39:49 to 45:06 Electorally successful healthcare schemes45:06 to 50:38 COVID second wave impact on healthcare as a electoral plank50:38 to 55:16 Challenges in running a health ministry55:16 to 56:54 Conclusion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Media Rumble session on "Afghanistan Crisis" was moderated by Mitali Mukherjee, writer and financial news journalist. The panel comprised Mariam Wardak, founder, Her Afghanistan; Mathew Hoh, a marine combat veteran and senior fellow with the Center for International Policy; Kabir Taneja, fellow, Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation; and Dr Bahar Jalali, an Afghan-American academic. The discussion covered people's perceptions of Taliban 2.0, collective international responsibility, and the US's hasty withdrawal from the region.On women's rights in Afghanistan, Bahar denounced the depiction of women as victims, highlighting the important space they occupy in society. She also pointed out that women had organised to resist the Taliban.Timecodes:0:00 to 1:21 Introduction1:22 to 7:03 Current situation in Afghanistan7:04 to 13:02 Taliban 2.0 & accountability of other countries13:03 to 16:22 Economic Crisis in Afghanistan16:23 to 19:35 Effects of diplomacy on economic aid19:36 to 23:27 Steps which can be taken to support women to get tangible outcome23:28 to 27:19 Structuring humanitarian aid to help women27:20 to 35:15 Has America learnt its lesson?35:16 to 39:14 ‘Intoxicating effect’ on terror groups39:15 to 44:10 Future of Afghanistan in the next few months44:11 to 47:04 India's hesitancy in the Taliban takeover47:05 to 50:32 Global implications & Fear of USA's re-intervention50:33 to 51:01 Conclusion Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.