It has been 3 years since PBNS operations began with a modest setup and 200 followers of @PBNS_India twitter handle. The task of revamping Prasar Bharati’s digital presence began from an abandoned cell at ITO and rudimentary infrastructure. After quickly assessing the status of Public Broadcaster’s setup and the margin that needed to be covered in terms of digital activity, status of digital assets, social media presence, and the processes that were being followed by various departments and individuals, fresh processes and changed work patterns got introduced. Soon, these brought very positive results in terms of record digital growth, recognition by ministries, important leaders, influencers, journalists, media houses and many other reputed firms and individuals.

This journey though has not been easy. There have been difficult times and unlimited memories not only of pain but also of the resilient human spirit. And as we usher into the next phase, I acknowledge and appreciate the PBNS colleagues for their accomplishments and achievements as a team so far, applauding especially the collective effort and achievement of having published the ‘PBNS Daily Magazine’ every day in last one year without fail. And this is not the main achievement.True mark of the success of this endeavour lies in the fact that this magazine is liked by a dedicated lot of readers, especially on PBNS telegram platform, and most of them seem to be civil service aspirants. This proves the mettle of the content which is world class in terms of language, coverage, and analysis. Further, the graphics work of the magazine is extraordinarily consistent.

We had initially launched the magazine to provide a fresh stream of accurate and positive stories amidst COVID outbreak. I look back and see that we have been one great unit which was functioning even when most other offices had come to a standstill due to the pandemic. Rather, we took the initiative to burst fake news and bring to light the great efforts put in by our government for the people of this Nation. We had our difficult moments too when Covid impacted us directly but we stood as a team, supporting each other during the hardship. We were also the firsts to cover the stories on the Oxygen Express and create prompt video stories on the various advisories on COVID-19.

We rightly proved that we are a small team, but with capabilities to move mountains. “Today An Eye On” has become a feature sort by many media houses to start their day. We have proved our worth as the solution providers even within our meagre resources. It was our initiative that we provided a News Data Management System, NDMS, for the Organization and lead to huge savings for Prasar Bharati by rationalising agency subscriptions. We designed and built the Consolidated Corporate Website and the Consolidated & monetized News Website with our internal resources leading to further savings for the Organization. The Home Channel of DD Free Dish is also managed and monitored entirely by PBNS 24×7.

We geared up the AIR & DD network by running over 300 training sessions ensuring each station had the required skillset for Digital Operations. Not only this, PBNS has been achieving much more that set revenue targets year after year.

I take this pleasure to thank one and all for you for the support and dedication and also for the extra hours that you worked to achieve the goal and meet our deadlines. I call upon each one of you to join hands in further strengthening our bond and rising to meet the challenges that the year has in store for us. I very well know we together can achieve the impossible.

With unrelenting faith and commitment towards building the right prospective for our Motherland, I call upon you to give your best in the time to come.

Kacha baadaam, kacha baadaam! Simultaneous access of high end camera and good internet connectivity through smartphones is becoming ubiquitous. This has made everyone a content producer with access to whole wide world. Citizen journalism is around the corner. Coupled with advents of machines as personal assistants and smart writers, what is going to be fate of a journalism student?

While treatment of news seems rather facile, authenticity of facts, figures, sources and maintaining a responsible view in writing require much more maturity, given the importance of sending a balanced message and accounts to the readers. The latter part is the area which requires greater human intervention, whereas tech-based solutions and tools can now takeover the other steps involved in the process of news production – information gathering, composition, analysis, compilation, adding backgrounder & follow-ups etc.

The process starts with gathering information through various sources and channels, a tedious task where newsrooms are required to find the best pieces from a sea of copies and remove the redundant. This can be easily done now using some simple AI tools and bots which reduce human intervention to great lengths. Such an inheritance is but prone to acquiring undesired bits too, which may lead to inclusion of misinformation and biased opinions/content. This scourge of fake news and misinformation can be dealt with through blockchain technology by using its ability to establish the origin of a story or fact.

AI is helping journalists and media persons in transcribing Audio and Video Interviews allowing them to spend their time on deriving insights instead. It is feasible now to examine large databases and even send alerts as soon as a trend or anomaly emerges from big data. It can provide content producers and publisher’s tools to identify fake news and lessen their impact on their readership. AI can even assist in lessening the subjective interpretation of the data as its machine learning (ML) algorithms are trained to consider accuracy. The bigger picture leads to far greater realities where AI & ML can make automated Newsrooms, publishing and Robotics, etc. possible.

The best use of AI and machine learning in media could be its assistance in direct news operations too, like primary preparation of long-form articles, in-depth analyses and addition of story backgrounders & timelines etc. Once an AI-based draft is ready, simple corrections and basic copy-editing can help media houses produce volumes of news copies. AI-written articles are currently limited to simple and formulaic topics including stock market results, sports game scores, etc. British daily newspaper ‘The Guardian’ has already started using AI & ML tools to produce machine-written articles.

The time and money being saved from such a technological assistance needs to be spent on performing a much more responsible and qualitative journalism, something that the world seems to be missing out on. This can provide journalists and media firms much more flexibility and scope to be in touch with ground reality and at the same time, also be able to see and gather content with added accountability and cut through various layers of misinformation that may be added to the content and suggestions. If used properly by trained journalists, AI can revolutionise the way the Indian Media struggles for covering the entire country, which is so densely populated, has so many languages, religions, so many ministries, legal issues, a nation which brims with vast political happenings on a daily-basis.

“Brothers and sisters, you must be getting shocked to hear the Prime Minister speaking of cleanliness and the need to build toilets from the ramparts of the Red Fort… I want to make a beginning today itself and that is – all schools in the country should have toilets with separate toilets for girls…” these were the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he delivered his first-ever I-Day speech in 2014. What seemed like a far-fetched dream has actually turned out to be such a massive reality, a national movement, an unprecedented success. 75 years down the line, country’s youth today is playing a major role in setting a tone for the New India’s persona. Their level of awareness and sense of activism is so fierce that it has started becoming a core of all the decision-making and stage-setting, political, administrative, creative or otherwise. So much so that thought leaders like policy makers or even film makers are left with no choice but to notice the mood of the youth, their needs, aspirations and agitation.

Filmmakers are picking up subjects as diverse as – open defecation (Toilet Ek Prem Katha), the growth trajectory of Entrepreneurship in India (Sui Dhaga), India’s success story of scaling space (Mission Mangal), tackling an age-old taboo subject like menstruation (Padman) or Educating the Politician (Dasvi). Movie ‘Padman’ captured the zeitgeist of orthodox India. ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’ showcased how toilets are important to maintain the hygiene of India and the security of its women citizenry. Other recent movies like ‘Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan’ took up the cause of gender inclusivity.

The above-mentioned movies are bound by a force named “Social Cause/Responsibility” and all are based on some of the recent laws and policies that have come into being in last few years. Content makers seem to have cracked a code to producing unassailable content now but the message has to be genuine, the implications being projected have to be in sync with real-life frameworks and scenarios, in order to reflect that ‘Change’ in their final product. Though, reformist policies and ideas provide a great base to start building on to, one cannot lose the sight of the bigger picture in the process also and there is absolutely no room for sensationalism. In the end, it is this criticality (bigger picture) that the audience is looking forward to analyze, waiting to get soaked in the many realities that such movies can so easily offer, eager to learn and have a glimpse of all the possibilities of building a better society for all.

Cinema is said to be a reflection of society. The progress and growth of civilisation when adapted on-screen paves the way forward, it becomes what the audience seeks. From rickety single screens to plush multiplexes, cinema has changed from being a mere source of “Entertainment” to promoting “Social and Responsible” content. As an audience, we have majorly been exposed to movies where the protagonist is often seen fighting against inequality and mending the flawed system. But last couple of years have witnessed an unprecedented change in terms of projection with focus now being kept on the flawed system and ways of fixing it, rather than on the adherent character – simply put – taking the odyssey from reel to real! The audience has decided now to not clap at the stardom but demand realities of life on the screen. Hence, now mainstreaming new ideas and changes, especially positive laws and policies, that connect to a large section of society, has become the formula for success as more and more folks find relevance in such a content.

If Trade is new form of War, Social media communication surely seems to be emerging as Bullets. One of the most important aspects for development and advancement of Human civilization has been Communication. A successful brand building exercise or any other mass communication can be viewed as the process of creating and sharing ideas, information, views, facts, feelings, etc. among masses to reach a common understanding. A leader in business, politics, religion, science or any other domain may be highly qualified and skilled but if (s)he/they do not possess good communication skills and knack to use the right technology, all these skills and advantages become irrelevant.

‘Regret’ has been expressed by Chung Eui-Yong, South Korean Foreign Minister, in a phone call with EAM S. Jaishankar, regarding the offence caused to the people and government of India by a social media post of Hyundai Pakistan. Similar statement has been issued by Hyundai Global. Hyundai’s Indian unit has called the post ‘unofficial social media activity’ and ‘it has zero-tolerance policy towards insensitive communication’ and they ‘condemn any such view’. Hyundai sells annually around 8,000 cars via ‘distributor’ in Pakistan, while in India it has a full fledged Subsidiary with three decades’ investment and has sold over 5,00,000 cars last year. Yet, #BoycottHyundai has been trending in India since Hyundai Pakistan post supporting the so-called Kashmir Solidarity Day appeared on social media platforms. Messaging of the same nature have been seen for boycotting Kia, KFC, Suzuki, Isuzu and other MNCs for their similar posts.

Governments and Global Corporations may not have many commonalities, but minimising such ‘unofficial’ posts by a third party, whose association is much less of representational nature than the third party commands in public perception, is an emerging priority for both. These feed to misinformation, disinformation and even lead up to Fake News more often than not. The quick and wide reach of social media and the propensity of account hacks etc add to these issues. Perhaps the issue needs similar attention as understanding and compliance of International Tax regimes, because Global corporate management can not plead ignorance to the importance of localised religious , historical and political nuances.

 

Incidents of circulation of “false/fake news” and rumours saw nearly a three-fold rise in 2020, according to NCRB. A total of 1,527 cases of fake news were recorded in 2020 (a 214%increase ) against 486 and 280 cases in 2019 and 2018 respectively. The cases of such fake stories surge invariably when an important event like elections, either for states or centre, takes place. Taking this into account, the Election Commission of India has taken several measures to curb this menace designed to adversely influence the polls or poll prospects of a particular political party.

ECI has set up a dedicated cell to weed out fake news and fake media. The Government of India also does work in close cooperation with it to ensure the election process and people stay uninfluenced by Fake news. A system is up and running on the ECI website to debunk fake news. Dedicated press notes and advisories are issued to aware people about insidious designs of those trying to deliberately deceive or mislead a targeted audience in a particular region, state or at national level, especially through different social media channels.

In March 2022, ECI was even seen in action when it registered an FIR against the fake news hazard talking of EVM hacking by attributing former Chief Election Commission T S Krishnamurthy, and falsely claiming that the former CEC had expressed that a particular party had won assembly elections by hacking EVMs. This fake news was widely being circulated on the social platforms by some miscreants with flagrant vested interests. At times, ECI, also works with social media platforms in identifying and pulling out posts which appear to be fake and have prospects of misleading people at large. The central government is also at an advanced stage, finalising IT related new rules for social media organisations, which would potentially mandate social media platforms to remove such vindictive and spiteful contents within 24 hours. Under the new norms, deployment of technology driven automated tools and mechanisms would also be in place to proactively and timely identify, remove or disable public access to such illegal contents.

Many media houses as well as private initiatives are also in place now to combat fake news menace. These efforts rely on catching a content going viral and putting it to test the authenticity. Though there are multiple AI based methodologies being tried, the most common process is still finding a phone number to speak and verify the source. What is being checked has already gone viral, is an inherent issue with this approach and needs innovation to resolve many deadlocks, huge backlog of pending verifications and making the entire process efficient. The other problem is knowingly or unknowingly leaning to certain political viewpoint rather than keeping this exercise apolitical. This biased fake news busting exercise takes away credibility, thereby seriously damaging the efforts.

Public Broadcaster in India, Prasar Bharati, through DD News (TV), Akashvani Samachar (Radio) and PBNS (Digital) has been combating fake news by running various programs on these media. The efforts have been multiplied for disseminating authentic covid-related information. This has certainly helped in pre-emptively busting the rumour mongering tendencies. Together with the Government’s efforts by disseminating guidelines and running fake news busting exercises by PIB and MyGov, Prasar Bharati is playing a proactive and pivotal role in transparent communication about the disease, vaccines, movement restrictions and other aspects of this combat. Unlike private media however, these efforts have to remain focused on key problems of public domain, while disinformation is a much wider issue. Though, PBNS has been producing social videos of general awareness as well as it’s daily e-magazine namely “PBNS Daily Magazine” covers wider issues too.

 

The thing about numbers is that they don’t lie. This feature alone should make numbers the truest friend of any journalist. Relying just on words to express complex ideas, thoughts and opinions can not only be cumbersome, but also get trapped in the folly of disinformation, misinformation and even fake news. The widespread extent of COVID-19 has exacerbated the known discomfort of journalists with large amount of data for making opinions and analysis.

More often than not, journalists seem to be picking on the concept of dismissing any prevalent theory in an effort to combat any narrative. The idea of generating new theories and narratives requires a deeper look at available data in scientific research, census of various kinds and other public and private sources of data. Majority of the media organisations across the globe are focussing more and more on gathering different facets of data and humanising them to suit the burgeoning needs of the people with varied interests from all walks of life. Nevertheless, data driven journalism needs different data tools and techniques to stand tall, it does alleviate the pain of being judged, addressing the issues to the core and bringing out the most relevant facts and figures which leave no room for any confusion. Marketeers are familiar with the concept of primary and secondary data of market research. The basic tools deployed for crunching data in market research should also be made available to journalists in Journalism courses.

COVID-19 experience has shown journalists that the ability to understand the reports from the scientific community and decoding them, simplifying them, needed to be done in a masterful way at quick speed, to fulfil the duties of a thorough journalist. Data reported by politicians and executives as the basis of quickly planned policies needed to be examined with a comb to ensure transparency and equitable distribution of scarce, and life saving, resources. This learning also highlights the urgent need to understand data by journalists as one looks towards a future which is green and sustainable.

One of the three key goals identified by the government during the budget 2022 is promoting digital economy & fintech, technology enabled development, energy transition, and climate action. To protect the interests of future generations and prepare them for upcoming global challenges, achieving these tech and sustainability goals is vital. Data being generated around tech developments, and even the basic climate change related facts need to be understood in a better manner, as every conceivable aspect of the future of human civilisation is going to be affected by the debate and discussion around sustainability and tech development. Data is already ruling the roost for all three pillars of – information, education and entertainment – hence, journalism needs to get a better hang of looking at the couple together – numbers & words.

 

“…the government is responsible for Bipin Rawat’s death, Bipin Rawat’s daughter is accepting Islam, the North Korean army is going to Kashmir, etc. What sort of nonsense is this!,” while addressing a press conference, Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Secretary Apurva Chandra stated. “We have used the provision of section 69A of the IT Act to block these (Pakistani)channels under the emergency provisions as their contents were totally toxic…”

 

The government has ordered the blocking of 35 channels on online video-sharing platforms YouTube and 2 websites. These websites were engaged in spreading anti-India propaganda and fake news on the Internet in a coordinated manner through digital media. YouTube accounts blocked by the Ministry had a total subscriber base of over 1 crore 20 lakh, and their videos had over 130 crore views.

 

Disinformation is a more generic term and is prevalent across almost all walks of life, some accidentally and some by design. Disinformation causes fake news is well illustrated by the classical example from the greatest epic, Mahabharata. In the middle of the war Yudhisthira, whose honesty could be counted upon, shouted अश्वत्थामा हतः इित नरो वा कुं जरो वा ( Ashwatthama is dead, not sure if its the man or the elephant). His formidable enemy creating the havoc was none other than his teacher Dronacharya who dearly loved his son by the name of Ashwatthama. The noise of the battleground caused him to hear only the first half of the utterance from Yudhisthira and was enough to sink him in deep sorrow, dropping the weapons and getting killed. Disinformation caused by noise in the system turned out to be fake news causing ultimate damage for the unsuspecting father.

 

 Social media has leveraged digital connectivity & reach to make societies more democratic as the source of information is distributed now. One can argue that fake news is an inherent problem of this powerful technology and needs to be carefully understood and dealt with by media houses, regulatory bodies, and society at large. During covid times, the massive slowdown in print and electronic media content generation and consumption has cleared the way for the accelerated growth of digital news. With this, the menace of fake news has become a nightmare with utmost urgency to be dealt with.