The seventh edition of The Media Rumble (TMR), is set to take place on 21st October 2023, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. Conceived by India’s leading independent news media platform Newslaundry, and produced by pioneering entertainment and arts company Teamwork Arts, The Media Rumble 2023 will bring together leading news professionals, tech innovators, policymakers, filmmakers, and investors from across the world to discuss the future of news, tech, and policy.
Abhinandan Sekhri, co-founder & CEO, Newslaundry, said, “Conversations about the news media – its role, direction and impact – have always been important, and with so much conflict the world over, news has never been more important than in recent times. We hope this year too our speakers leave us better informed and enriched.”
Sanjoy K. Roy, managing director, Teamwork Arts, said, “News needs to be the complete truth, and tell the story like it is. At this edition of The Media Rumble, Newslaundry and Teamwork Arts bring together award-winning journalists, analysts, commentators and industry experts from India and across the world, to debate and discuss what lies at the heart and beyond the incredible phenomenon that is the news, a movement that has galvanized the world for centuries, fed human endeavor and knowledge, opened uncharted terrain, and allowed us to take risks.”
TMR 2023 will highlight a diverse set of discussions including topics such as representation, inclusion and diversity in newsrooms and in the media, reporting on the environment, accessibility to news, cinematic storytelling in reportage techniques, covering the 2024 elections, and more.
At the forum, a panel consisting of editor-in-chief of the digital portal, The News Minute – Dhanya Rajendran; journalist and founding editor of the award-winning YouTube channel, The Mooknayak – Meena Kotwal; journalist and the founder and managing editor of ‘queerbeat’ – Ankur Paliwal; executive editor of the Quint – Shadab Moizee; news partnership manager at Google – Gunjan Singhvi will be in conversation on how news organizations can be more representative and inclusive.
This session will examine minority experiences in newsrooms and define the commitment required for media’s genuine diversification. The session, powered by Google, will also shed light on what it is like being a minority voice in a newsroom and how media owners can make their organizations more diverse.
In Indian newsrooms, climate change and environmental issues are significantly under-reported, even though the urgency of these issues is obvious. Reportage that exists often lacks depth.
A panel will explore methods for editors and reporters to deliver captivating narratives while retaining essential information, addressing the challenge of effective storytelling in this context. The panel will include editor of Scroll.in – Naresh Fernandes; independent science journalist Disha Shetty; freelance environment reporter, specializing in science, law, and policy – Rishika Pardikar; and journalist and author of Despite the State: Why India Lets Its People Down and How They Cope, M Rajshekhar. They will be in conversation with former NDTV executive editor Nidhi Razdan.
At another session, powered by Business Standard, a panel consisting Founder & CEO of Atypical Advantage, India’s largest inclusive platform to generate economic livelihood for persons with disabilities, Vineet Saraiwala; certified accessibility specialist, innovator, trainer and disability activist – Prashant Ranjan Verma; accessibility evangelist for Universal Design and Inclusion – Sunayana Chaudhury; and Shakul Sonker, co-founder of I-Stem, a digital accessibility organization, will be in conversation with product and revenue director at Newslaundry, Chitranshu Tewari. This session will explore how and why newsrooms need to ‘design’ news products that are accessible. Why is accessibility still seen as an add-on and not a default setting?
As more news outlets introduce paywalls and subscriber models, readers now have more options than ever before. But has this led to subscription fatigue? TMR will feature a session exploring how newsrooms can balance attracting new subscribers with retaining existing ones. From bundle subscriptions and customized newsletters to deep-dive paywall content, what are the strategies that could work to attract and keep subscribers?
In conversation will be subscription expert Niyati Rajput; lead of business division at The Hindu Group – Pradeep Gairola; editor, New Media, and business head at IndianExpress.com – Nandagopal Rajan; and program manager at Google in the News Partnerships team, leading GNI initiatives in India to support publishers’ digital sustainability – Swetha Susan Elias. The session will be moderated by Chitranshu Tewari, product and revenue director at Newslaundry.
In an era of unprecedented environmental challenges, accurate and impactful climate reporting has become an essential responsibility for media outlets. This season’s TMR will feature an exclusive workshop that will address three key areas: first, strategies for directing Indian newsrooms towards prioritizing climate reportage; second, the utilization of narrative story-telling techniques to enhance the appeal of climate reporting for readers; and third, sharing of first-hand experiences by the speakers, delving into the intricacies and obstacles within their own climate reporting. The workshop, powered by the Embassy of Netherlands, will be conducted by journalist and author of Rage of the River, The Untold Story of the Kedarnath Disaster – Hridayesh Joshi.
