As mainstream media in India grappled with accusations of bias and manipulation during the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, independent digital media platforms-led by former mainstream stalwarts filled the void, becoming trusted sources of information and agents of change.
Utilizing platforms like YouTube, X and other social media channels, Vikram Chandra (EditorJi), Barkha Dutt (MoJo Story), Sanket Upadhyay (The Red Mike), Ravish Kumar, Pragya Mishra (Ulta Chashma), Prannoy-Radhika Roy and Sanjay Sharma (4 PM) among others spearheaded this shift, by not only effectively capturing and conveying messages from the ground but also eclipsing mainstream media in terms of popularity and impact.
“Their authentic and in-depth content challenging the status quo and holding those in power accountable resonated with a diverse audience providing a fresh perspective which eventually helped reshaping public perception and political discourse among masses,” says Llyod Mathias, business strategist and angel investor.
Mathias points out that proliferation of internet and consumer shift towards digital media only abetted the popularity of independent digital journalists. “These platforms lack the scale of news channels which are run by big media houses, but are driven by the journalist’s own personality and credibility,” he notes.
Karan Taurani, Senior Vice President & Research Analyst (Media, Consumer discretionary and internet), says, “These YouTube journalists are growing faster compared to a dismal 6 percent growth of news channels barring election time. Besides, they are eating into the news channels’ pie on YouTube.”
Trendsetters
The trend of independent media started a few years ago when NDTV stalwart Vikram Chandra started a multilingual video news platform EditorJi in 2018. It was considered as a disruptive offering in the digital news space then, Taurani notes.
It was followed by former NDTV anchor Barkha Dutt launching MoJo story in 2019 which picked up during the Covid pandemic for its ground reporting. Gradually, more TV anchors joined the space.
Taurani predicts that both consumption and acceptance of these digital channels is likely to grow in future as consumers are increasingly exploring new media platforms rather than depending on big brands.
Inflection Point
Media is supposed to be the mirror of the society. However, majority of news channels have been accused of ignoring the pressing issues and plight of commoners over the last few years.
“News consumers, especially the GenZ, started looking for alternate media as news channels were increasingly becoming noisy and pro-government leading to a poor viewership. This helped independent platforms to create space for them and expand,” shares the media head of a top FMCG brand.
These standalone media channels came out with informative videos, stories or even simply a thread which included in-depth analysis, candid interviews of voters, ground reports and noise-less debates. It wasn’t an easy feat considering financial, practical and political challenges.
Social media also witnessed a change. “In 2024, people were no longer afraid to criticize the government and its policies on social media based on facts and figures,” says Pankaj Yadav of Delhi Crown.
Even some non-journos like Dhruv Rathee, Akash Banerjee, Ranting Gola and Shyam Rangeela emerged as powerful voices due to their crisp, critical and satirical take on all major issues that struck the chord with the public, garnering millions of views on YouTube and thousands of shares on X and other social media platforms, say industry experts.
Independent digital media: The big winner
“I think this election clearly belonged to independent digital media. We competed with giant cash-rich TV channels, and in the mind of the audience, definitely delivered more on quality,” says Barkha Dutt, Founder-Editor of Mojo Story.
Dutt, an NDTV veteran who won accolades for her extensive ground reporting during the pandemic, travelled by road from Kanyakumari to Kashmir during the general elections for her series Dhabas of Democracy and produced hundreds of ground reports and live shows which attracted huge traction.
Former NDTV anchor Sanket Upadhyay, whose venture- TheRed Mike produced eight videos a day during elections, echoes the sentiments. “Independent media owes its success to the mistakes of big media houses. The absolute loss of credibility of big media houses has ensured that smaller players become the mainstream,” he opines.
These elections have shown that people are clearly glued into both the worlds-existing legacy media and the new-age digital platforms. Crisply produced explainers are doing much better on digital. The era of talking heads abusing each other in a panel on TV is considered as the lowest common denominator, Bhupendra Chaubey, Editor in Chief of Thesquirrels.in, remarks.
A voice to the voiceless
While many people laud the efforts of these foot-soldiers and feel that their coverage helped change the narrative and possibly the poll outcome as well, Dutt has a different point of view.
“It’s not about influencing the outcome. Our job is not to do that. Our job is to chronicle events as they happen and give voice to the voiceless and digital independent media certainly did a much better job of that than legacy TV news,” Dutt underlined.
Challenges
The emerging sector of standalone digital media faces multiple challenges, including financial and editorial independence.
Upadhyay stated, “We had to think twice and thrice before embarking on election travel. However, the most challenging part of our endeavour has been to strike a fine balance between editorial independence and financial independence. Many times, various political ecosystems approach smaller media outlets to become their mouthpieces.”
Then there are some digital creators who peddle fake news due to vested interests. They command huge following. Besides, some independent platforms appear to be mouthpiece of certain political parties, which raises concerns about lack of regulation in the digital news sector.
Updhyay admits, “Some platforms have followed a trajectory similar to mainstream media, but on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum.”
It doesn't take much to label oneself as an independent media person by starting a YouTube channel or writing on Twitter regularly. If we allow such a low entry barrier, it will set a dangerous trend. I believe the Press Council of India should start accreditation of people as independent journalists, Yadav quips.
Once regulation in place, angel investors might explore investment in these platforms, Mathias and Taurani suggest.
(With inputs from Pankaj Sharma and Payal Gwalani)
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