Credibility of news and platforms are as important as monetisation challenges: Anurag Thakur

The credibility of news platforms is at the forefront of the debate on quality content and difficulty in monetisation said Anurag Thakur, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India at the Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave and Awards 2024.

Acknowledging how monetisation models of digital news publishers do not align with the incentives big tech platforms put on speed, clickbait content and user engagement, Thakur said, “The challenge is not confined solely to the digital media space; it extends to print and television as well. Whether it's the urgency of breaking news on television or updates on various other platforms, the common thread is the need for effective regulation and self-regulation.”

“Print, TV, and digital all work on self-regulation. While we are open to considering any suggested policy changes, it's crucial to recognise that the responsibility for credible news is shared by players of all sizes. It is unfair to assume that smaller entities are less responsible compared to the larger ones because they have less stake involved,” he said.

The minister also highlighted the crucial issue of monetisation difficulties and how foreign companies operating behind opaque algorithms pose a challenge for the digital news publishers.

“We are coming up with policies that will address the digital advertising issues and ensure no revenue loss happens,” the minister assured.