Once the most powerful medium for news in India, TV journalism’s credibility is collapsing under the weight of sensationalism, partisanship and ad-driven priorities. So, is reform possible or are we losing the medium entirely to new forms of storytelling and distribution? And what are the challenges, limitations and possibilities of making television relevant again?

These were the themes discussed in the session ‘Can TV news be revived?’ at The Media Rumble 2025, which took place in Bengaluru on October 3 and 4. The discussion, moderated by Shabbir Ahmed, featured journalists Maya Sharma, Mini Menon, Sreenivasan Jain and Sinead O’Carroll.

Sreenivasan pointed out that ahead of the panel, participants had joked that “this is going to  be the shortest conversation” since the prospects of a TV news revival are “bleak”. “India has a long history of censorship,” he said, “but the scale of that has exorbitantly increased after 2014.”

Maya said, “Today’s TV news caters to today’s TV audience.” Mini added that news channels cater to people who are “looking for a punching bag” after a hard day’s work. She also said good journalism “can only happen when there is a robust business model”.  

Sinead said it’s important for TV news to be a “gateway to inform people”. She also struck an optimistic note, pointing out that every person on the panel was “reviving TV news…just on a different platform”. 

Festivals remind us that light wins over darkness, truth over deceit, and hope over fear. This Deepavali, Newslaundry and The News Minute are adding one more reason to celebrate: the spirit of independent journalism. Avail our limited festive offer here.