Edited version of speech by Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur at the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development  (AIBD) on Sep 20

I am extremely delighted to be amidst you at the AIBD (Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development) general conference meeting 2022 and address this prestigious assembly of the broadcasters from the Asia-Pacific region…

Firstly, I would like to congratulate AIBD for creating a desirable platform for broadcasters to put forward their opinions and comments to build a strong future for themselves.

I have been told that even during the difficult Covid period, when the world was facing fear and gloom, lockdowns had slowed the pace of life, economies were under severe stress, AIBD leadership kept the member countries connected online and maintained a constant dialogue on how media can mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

The member countries were immensely benefitted through sharing of information on the latest developments in the medical field, positive stories of Covid warriors and more importantly in countering fake news which was spreading faster than the pandemic.

If we talk about the theme of the event, it highlights the need for creating a stronger future for broadcasting in a post-pandemic era…

It is media which brought the world on one platform during this difficult phase and reinforced the spirit of one global family.

We have also seen the extensive use of media—both mainstream as well as new digital platforms—by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government during this exceptionally difficult phase of Covid-19.

Information was shared in a timely and transparent manner, ensuring a quick response, mitigating myths and spreading awareness about a pandemic that was both evolving as well as ever expanding.

Together with our media friends, we ensured saving millions of lives the world over, which otherwise could be lost, had timely information not flowed to the people about safety measures and protection from Covid-19 virus.

I would specially appreciate India’s Public Service Broadcaster, Doordarshan and All India Radio, as they very satisfactorily delivered on their mandate of public service and stood strong with the people during the testing times of the pandemic.

Even the other Indian broadcasters and Indian media in general ensured that Covid-19 awareness messages, important government guidelines and free online consultations with doctors reached everyone in nook and corner of the country.

Expert opinions through programmes like Doctors Speak and campaigns such as Mask-up India by the public broadcaster Doordarshan played a very significant role at the time when fake news on the epidemic became a menace.

The media the world over played a very significant role in educating the people of the country about the vaccine availability and the benefits of being vaccinated against coronavirus.

It helped the health system in fighting the vaccine hesitancy…

The Covid-19 crisis has thrown up challenges as well as provided an opportunity not just to re-invent journalism, but to redefine the media as a trusted source of news and information.

Our mainstream media organisations have a great challenge to provide truthful accurate and reliable news faster, while preserving media ethics and values.

Real journalism is about facing the facts, presenting the truth and letting all sides the platform to present their views.

In my personal opinion the biggest threat to mainstream media is not from new age digital platforms, but rather the mainstream media channel itself.

If you decide to invite guests who are polarising, who spread false narratives and who shout at the top of their lungs, the credibility of your channel goes down. Your decisions regarding the guest, the tone and visuals define your credibility in the eyes of the audience.

The viewer may stop for a minute to watch your show, but will never trust your anchor, your channel or brand as a trusted and transparent source of news.

So my question to broadcasters present here today is this:

Are you going to watch the narrative be defined by sound-bites, or redefine yourself and set the terms for your guests and channel?

Are you going to watch as the younger audience switches and sweeps through the shrill on TV news, or are you going to bring back the neutrality in news and discussion in debates to stay ahead of the game?

Are you going to show visuals that grab eyeballs and inflame anger, or show restraint and project visuals in context to showcase the full picture?

And finally, how will you re-define and innovate your TV news content, presentation and dissemination to reach the new-age audience who is constantly being fed information via social media platforms?

Instead of compromising our values in this fierce competition, we must work hard to preserve professionalism.

I strongly believe that journalists are duty bound to report news without fabrication, despite temptations to compete with those who propagate false news.

The AIBD as a regional inter-governmental organisation must continue to train and equip media practitioners with the best professional skills to gain broader freedom for our media. India stands ready to support your efforts.

Another important area of cooperation is good quality content exchange among the member countries.

Prasar Bharati has been sharing DD India channel in the OTT platform of South Korea on reciprocal basis including exchange of several coproduction programmes.

Prasar Bharati is also uplinking Bangladesh TV on its Freedish platform. We have also partnered with Australia in the field of broadcasting in March 2022 through programme sharing.

The broadcasters of the two countries are also exploring opportunities in co-production and joint broadcasting of programmes spanning multiple genres.

I am happy to state that DD India with the objective to become Global Pubic Broadcaster channel is now available on OTT platforms.

Dear delegates, you have come to India at a time when we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of Independence. It is the time for us to pay tribute to hundreds of freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives and freed the country from the shackles of foreign rule.

This is the festival time for us which we call ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.’ It has taken the form of a mass movement where people from all walks of life are participating in different programmes across the country.

Before concluding, I truly believe that media, in all its forms, has immense ability to shape public perceptions and perspectives as an effective tool of empowerment.

It is imperative to create an enabling environment for our journalists and broadcasters friends for making the space of media more vibrant and rewarding.

I wish the delegates from the member countries of the AIBD a very happy stay in India. I am sure that the deliberations which you are going to hold over the two days will be meaningful and bring new insights to the media industry.

(The author is Information & Broadcasting Minister)