The Media Rumble podcast

TMR 2023: Why ‘influencers’ now play a crucial role in setting political agendas

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.

TMR 2023: How foreign correspondents balance journalism with global relations

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.

TMR 2023: Why aren’t Indian newsrooms prioritising climate change reporting?

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.

TMR 2023: The sanitisation of artistic expression in films

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.

TMR 2023: Indian newsrooms and the challenge to get consumers to subscribe

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.