The Confederation of Indian Industry’s Mumbai summit drew more than 2,000 media leaders, including NDTV’s chief editor‑chief Rahul Kanwal, who took the podium on Oct. 15 to warn against a one‑size‑fits‑all approach.
Kanwal argued that a story shot for a 45‑minute slot cannot be pasted onto Instagram or X without re‑engineering for the platform’s audience, length and visual expectations.
He dismissed the myth of complete neutrality, insisting that 'no one can claim 100% unbiased' and urging outlets to present competing perspectives.
Algorithms, he warned, will amplify fringe voices; sensational clips may draw clicks but erode trust, so editors must weigh relevance over virality.
Turning to AI, Kanwal highlighted the risk of deepfakes and the need for verification protocols, and called for a licensing model that compensates news houses when their work feeds AI training.
The chief hinted that NDTV plans to lobby the government for a regulatory framework, and that the industry will convene a task force later this year to draft guidelines.