Mumbai: Times Network MD, CEO MK Anand delivering the welcome address at the Times Now Summit 2024 said that the media has to ensure that all constituents are engaged, informed of all facets of events, ideaologies honestly and without bias. An unstoppable nation needs an aggressive and a responsible media. Times Networks goal is to empower viewers with the highest standards of information that will let them embark on a journey of discovery, enlightment and progress.
He noted that the Indian news media has done a commendable job despite glitches and challenges of reporting over the decades. He said that corporates have come good on defending principles that ensure that India is a vibrant democracy. Times Network he said has been built story by story over the last two decades to offer trustworthy and dependable news platforms even as it navigated rapidly changing technological, behavioural, social spheres and changing business landscapes.
Staying on top of news media in a nation that is so diverse is a work of champions. He said thast his is proud that his company has held its audiences attention and has been a part of the nation’s journey over 20 years. He said that social media opinion factories, the proliferation of A.I., advanced graphics and the ease of creating, disseminating news content have presented both challenges and opportunities. The lines between fact and fake have been blurred due to the spread of misinformation he warned.
He said that trust which is the fabric that holds society together is under threat as a result. Consumers role assumes paramount importance. The future of news products, formats, businesses and society itself will depend on the consumers choice of news sources and their reasons for doing this and their ability to discern. Consumers will need to sift through the shaft and identify the truth. Their attention will make and break forces that shape society. These forces will go well beyond the news industry. Times Network he added works hard to verify the credibility of sources. It seeks out and verifies the most reliable pieces of information that should be put together and form the basis of reportage, arguments and opinions.
He said that the hard work that Times Network does in opinions and stories results in them resonating not just in living rooms but also in boardrooms, assemblies. He wants people to think of Times Now as being a destination where the search for facts ends.
