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.