News Credibility Vs Need For Speed: Who Wins?

In the complex realities of journalism, the credibility of news pieces often goes under the radar. While no one will argue that it is unimportant, there is still a discrepancy in what takes precedence: economy and speed, or taking time in the fact-checking process and then publishing it. This is where the role of a system of checks on all information becomes paramount. It is the moral obligation of media houses to disseminate correct news so that the readers' trust in them is maintained.

Tanmay Maheshwari, MD, Amar Ujala shares how this system is a double-edged sword, "There are 3-4 steps that we take to decide if a piece of news is worthy of going live. It is also true that sometimes unverified or controversial headlines garner 5x clicks. Hence, we are always in a constant fix between expensive content and lesser outflow."

These checks may also go against the need for speed, especially in the case of digital media. With digital media demanding to break news at full tilt, there are chances that the credibility of news gets compromised. Puneet Jain, CEO, HT Media calls it a dichotomy we live in. "The current business model rules of media are built by big tech-dominated platforms. They are built in a manner that incentivises speed and user engagement. The quality and credibility of news do not align with business model incentives. It not only results in a loss of speed but revenue as well," he explains. 

On being asked about the kind of incentives that can be offered to ensure credible news, Anurag Thakur, Minister, Information and Broadcasting, Government of India questions the need to incentivising news in the first place, "It is the media's responsibility to disseminate credible news. Why the question of incentivising?," he asks. 

However, Thakur agrees that sensational news is a challenge and that it exists across print, electronic and digital media. Speaking about the regulation part of it, he says, "We are happy to look at policy changes or interventions that may be required. Checks and balances, the policies of the government and the laws of the land are for everyone, including the small players. The law has taken charge whenever it was required," he marks.

This put the needle on the change in monetising in the overall system. On this, Avinash Pandey, CEO, ABP Network comments, "This will not change unless regulators intervene or platform operators change in favour of what the publishers are looking for. Right now, they want both, the demand and supply sides. Every six months, the algorithms change. So, the entire investment is washed away. The role of a regulator here will be to build an equitable model," he suggests.

*The speakers were present at a recent industry forum