No pressure from government on news channels: Supriya Prasad, Aaj Tak

Indian society itself is political that’s why TV news debates are largely political, but we never ignore real issues and they continue to get prominence on news channels, says Supriya Prasad, News Director, Aaj Tak, India Today and GNT. 

Prasad was speaking at the virtual e4m NewsNext 2022 conference held on Saturday.

In a conversation with Ruhail Amin, Senior Editor, Business World, Prasad, said, “There is nothing called balanced news. We telecast all news reports based on facts. We can’t balance them. However, we try to  include views of all sides and present the news before the public in the perspective.”

When asked if newsrooms are under pressure, Prasad replied with a no.

“As far as Aaj Tak is concerned, we don’t have any kind of pressure from anywhere, be it the government, agencies or people. This is just a perception that newsrooms are under pressure these days. We carry each and every news that affects people as well as those which interests our viewers,” he noted. 

When Amin mentioned that people accuse TV channels of presenting views in the form of news, Supriya said this is another myth. “We run only two debates for two hours every day. The rest of the 22 hours we present news only. News items have their own line and length. But we never spice our news by mixing views.”

He claimed that even in debates, the channel gives more space to political parties rather than asserting their own views. “We never enforce our views or pressure panelists in debates,” he added.

On sensationalization of news and cherry picking of facts by news channels, Prasad said this was untrue, as far as Aaj Tak or its associate channels are concerned. 

“We have to show the news, bad or good. If something bad is happening, we have to show it. We can’t keep everyone happy. Critics will always try to pull you up. They would keep blaming you for showing or not showing certain news. Media must ignore such accusations,” he said. 

Prasad asserted, “It's the news channels which break all big news, expose scams, and other wrongdoings. Hence, it is wrong to say that TV channels telecast only negative news. News channels can’t ignore big incidents happening in our society. In the visual medium, you have to show videos as well, good or bad. We have the responsibility to serve our viewers everything they are curious about. It should not be looked at from the prism of negativity or positivity.”

“Everything on TV is not for TRP. We focus on every issue that affects the common man. Aaj Tak group always raises pertinent issues of the society such as unemployment, power crisis, pollution. Since it is a visual medium, which is quite superficial, we have to present the news in an interesting way. You can’t call it dramatization,” Prasad underscored. 

On a question on how news channels in India have become entertainment channels and appear far away from iconic foreign channels like BBC, Prasad said that it is unfair to compare Indian channels with the BBC and others. 

“Other countries have different lifestyles and their channels run programs that suit their society. Indian society is entirely different and hence our presentation of news is different from them,” he said, adding that news like Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor marriage also deserves good space on TV as people like to watch their wedding. 

Senior journalist from Samachar4Media Pankaj Sharma asked Prasad his views on fake news and the TV rating system. 

Prasad agreed that fake news is a serious issue which is being maximized through social media. He said Aaj Tak-India Today group has established a fact checking team to fact check every news and reports before airing them. 

“We need an accurate and robust rating system for TV news channels,” he noted. 

There is no formula to become number 1 news channel, says Prasad. “All I can say is that it requires a lot of hard work, you have to ensure credibility and to keep pace with changing times,” he smiles. 

“During elections, we also ensure a balanced and unbiased coverage. That's why we are considered the most credible and number 1 news channel. No one can pressurise any channel. Some anchors themselves lean towards particular parties and favour some leaders,” Prasad insisted.