Newsmakers from India and across the world to exchange ideas at 3rd edition of The Media Rumble

New Delhi: One of South Asia’s premier news forums, The Media Rumble (TMR), returns with its 3rd edition on August 2 and 3, 2019, at the India Habitat Centre, to explore news, what it is, what it can be, and the economics and technology of current trends in news media. Conceived by the independent news portal and media critique website Newslaundry, and produced by pioneering entertainment and arts company Teamwork Arts, The Media Rumble 2019 brings together some of the most experienced news professionals from India and the world, some of whom have never been heard before in India.

Highlight sessions at the forum include Jawhar Sircar, Dominique Sigaud, Vani Tripathi and Rahul Dev discussing media’s role in instigating social conflict; leading satirists in Hindi and English in conversation with Akash Banerjee, discussing the power of satire in making legacy media and establishment uncomfortable; and Swara Bhaskar in conversation with Abhinandan Sekhri to discuss gender in cinema, its representation, its power structures and social media’s misogyny of women with an opinion.

The forum also features Head of Public Policy and Policy Communications at ShareChat, Berges Y. Malu discussing the never-ending problem of fake news, how it is endemic to news today threatening to destroy the credibility of news tomorrow; Iranian Canadian journalist and filmmaker Maziar Bahari, editor of The Caravan Anant Nath, NDTV’s Executive Editor Nidhi Razdan and multiple award-winning journalist James G. Wright discussing the inevitable conflict between media and the establishment; and a session exploring the survival of investigative journalism with veteran journalist and runner-up for UK Foreign Correspondent of the Year, David Usborne and award-winning journalist Josy Joseph.

‘Calling Out Our Own’ will question whether media’s criticism of other media houses is a healthy practice for improvement or an exercise in discrediting news. ‘The Politics of Cinema’ will explore if Indian cinema in the 21st century has served any role in political messaging as the arts are expected to. Other discussions will examine why entrepreneurs are choosing news as a business, the immersive power of audio and whether news organisations run by political parties have a credibility issue.

The specially-curated two-day forum will see masterclasses and presentations on evidence-based health reporting, digital security training, how diversity improves journalism, and how to create accountability in government.

TMR 2019 also explores a critical theme of equitable representation, that of women in news, encompassing print, broadcast and digital, and of caste representation across newsrooms, op-ed pages, TV panels and radio stations.

In an attempt to make national media more representative and not just Delhi-centric, TMR 2019 is awarding 8 fellowships to journalists this year to ensure a wholesome gender and geographical representation which includes reporters from cities and towns outside of India’s metro cities. In its first year, the fellowship programme aims at capacity-building and engagement between Indian and international news professionals and facilitating opportunities which sensitise region-specific media to the Delhi-based national media and vice versa. The selection committee comprises Madhu Trehan (Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Newslaundry), Sanjoy Roy (Managing Director, Teamwork Arts) and Poonam Mutreja (Executive Director, PFI).

Out of the 88 applications received, the fellowships have been awarded to Gargi Raval [Ahmedabad (Gujarat)], Amit Bhatt [Jaipur (Rajasthan)], Safienna Nabi [Pulwama (J&K)], Vidyashree Dharmaraj [Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)], Vikas Jain [Jaipur (Rajasthan)], Farhana Ahmed [North Lakhimpur (Assam)], Madhav Sharma [Jaipur (Rajasthan)], Pradeep Kumar Srivastav [Jhansi (UP)].

In partnership with Population Foundation of India, a national civil society organisation, the Fellows will be invited to Delhi to attend the forum and be a part of a storytelling workshop on reporting on reproductive health and women’s empowerment. They will also receive financial assistance to produce coverage on the sexual and reproductive health of young people in their respective regions.

Commenting on the upcoming third edition of TMR, Newslaundry’s Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder, Madhu Trehan said, “Media, technology and business. All three cannot do without each other. Journalism cannot function today without the use of technology. There is no future for both journalism and technology unless they can become a business that can fund and be self-sustainable. At The Media Rumble, we bring professionals from print, broadcast and the Internet to discuss and debate the raging issues that our profession faces. This is our third Media Rumble and every year it brings up the new challenges we face. At The Media Rumble you will get a chance to listen, question and engage with over 70 journalists, techies, and business persons from all over the world. So, come Rumble with us!”

Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, said, “The Media Rumble is known for bringing pioneers of different fields of the media industry under one roof to discuss and share best practices, exchange ideas and deliberate on the state of news in today’s rapidly evolving media universe. This year we have a line-up of eminent names and an array of thought-provoking sessions that celebrate excellence in news reportage, challenge existing norms, create a space for dialogue and debate and allow media professionals to come together in a one-of-a-kind forum.”