Popular Indian TV Anchor Sakshi Joshi says Digital Media has outstripped Electronic media, Online media is the future

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Popular Indian  TV Anchor Sakshi Joshi says Digital Media has outstripped Electronic media, Online media is the future

Popular Indian Television Anchor Sakshi Joshi launches her own YouTube Channel under her name Sakshi Joshi. It has caught the eyes of the people and is being widely acclaimed.Hello Mumbai News Founder and Editor-In-Chief Aleem Shaikh was privilaged to get an Exclusive with her.Excerpts of the Interview:

Aleem Shaikh : Sakshji, Welcome to Hello Mumbai News. Hello Aleem  It’s a great pleasure in interacting with you.
Being a popular TV Presenter, you switched to Digital Media and floated your own channel, could you throw light on it?
Sakshi Joshi :Thank you for welcoming me and it’s a pleasure interacting with you. Well, am not sure if I was ever popular in my profession; nevertheless if you feel so, then I will only credit it to my journalism, its principle and its ethics.In the past, I was associated with BBC and my father also happens to be a veteran journalist. Since childhood I have grown up with journalistic values
By virtue of being a daughter of a veteran Journalist, I was always warned not to ever compromise with my integrity no matter what. My father used to tell me, “Beta! If ever you aspire to become a journalist, those in POWER should always feel uncomfortable with your questions and reporting based on facts. I‘ m only following my revered father’s ethics.
And it is thus I felt to be on my own and so floated my own Digital Platform. Moreover another reason for shifting to my own Digital Media is that I felt uncomfortable to carry on with my journalistic ethics in a stronger way. Being in news channels today and to be rewarded you need to either stoop low and bow down to their line or compromise with your story idea exposes the truth. I feel that I am better placed and doing much better today, coupled with job satisfaction and the kind of love and support I get from my viewers. I dont regret to all those messages that kept telling me every moment that my decision was right.

Aleem Shaikh : Sakshi ji how has the response been and what’s your focus on the news and the type of content that you prefer to upload on your channel.

Sakshi Joshi : Well, the response has been amazing. I can’t believe that within a span of 2 months I have 1 lac subscribers on YouTube and very soon to reach 2 lac subscribers. I feel am on Cloud 9. Infact, on social media Facebook, I have more than 3 lac followers which is just in a span of 3 months. Daily I am flooded with many mails, messages on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube thanking me for my work. On my birthday, believe me, the kind of love I got and those wishes that went on for almost 5 days was overwhelming. My viewers made me trend all over India on twitter. I will proudly say that all this has happened after I switched to Digital Media as a Journalist. This in itself evidences how much it was needed. The masses seem to feel empowered with such platforms as they know that ’s their own.
My content is primarily based on truth, facts , exposé and the fact check especially all those things the main stream media would never talk about. I even had to run a series on JEE-NEET students who wanted postponement of exams due to COVID but nobody seemed to be listening to them. After I gave them a platform mainstream media was forced to show their concern. Then I started a series on unemployed people. Later, covered farmers agitation way back in September when they first protested against that. My prime focus is to report reality about the main stream media as of today.

Aleem Shaikh : Mam, allegations are making the rounds that by some vested interests that your Channel is Anti-Modi and Anti-BJP, your comments please?

Sakshi Joshi : I am aware of the growth of my platform. and how it has emerged as a bone of contention to many.
Permit me to answer your question in parts.
First of all it has become a trend these days that when anyone speaks against the central government it is dubiously branded as Anti-Modi. So let’s not make this personal or an issue. It is the dubious work of his followers or those associated with the party who are into the dirty game of politjcs..ñ to make it so , so that they can undermine the work of a journalist (which has to be questioning those in power)
Basically I have been called urban naxal, tukde tukde, jihadi, leftist, anti national, sickular, presstitute all this for doing my job- that is asking questions to those in power.
They are always ever willing to give certificates but sorry I am not ready to accept their certificate. I know what I am doing and I know my journalism. Merely to comfort them, I will not amend the very definition of Journalism. I could have easily chosen to be In their good books, by being Pro government and not uttering a single word against them in lieu of whatever favours. But, I decline it.. Today it’s them, tomorrow it could be someone else. I know the day they are in opposition they hire me as a journalist. But that will not happen. Until then, let’s not take them seriously.
Meanwhile I will just keep asking them questions especially, when petrol prices are touching Rs 100 and they aren’t uttering Single word about it. They were the ones protesting against petrol price hike in Manmohan Singh Govt. The media then raised opposition’s voice and today seem to question the opposition. I am doing my job as i did it earlier , it’s them who are not doing it the way they should.

Aleem Shaikh : Madam, Being a senior T V presenter do you agree this mainstream media predominantly the Electronic media split into two camps- Pro- Modi and Anti-Modi .

Sakshi Joshi : To be precise, hardly any camp exists that is not Pro-Modi. This is what is making our fraternity get insulted and disrespected today. I’d rather not tell anyone I am an Indian journalist because that is how low they have brought our profession! There were times when journalists were respected and held in high esteem by everyone. Ironically, it’s not the profession that is bad, it’s the people who are looking at this profession with jaundiced eyes. They allege that their agenda is bad and we need to refine our profession , it’s values and it’s respect. That’s the very simple reason I am continuing with journalism although an independent one.
Every voice matters and I am doubly aware that my voice matters too. I need to continue speaking against the wrong. I have exposed the journalists being ill treated and beaten in congress ruled state Chhattisgarh. Have multiple times tweeted against Chhattisgarh govt. We question where it’s required and necessary. But we cannot just twist every thing and generate a propaganda against the opposition. They never want to ask a single question from today’s government. Why? Answer is obvious. And media is helping polarise our society the most. So when our society is polarised do u think newsrooms wouldn’t?

Aleem Shaikh : Madam, What 9type of challenges and difficulties you encountered when you started your own channel and how its different from electronic media?

Sakshi Joshi : frankly speaking, I have not faced any unpleasant situation and or any difficulty. Earning money has never been my focus. I only work for my satisfaction of being a journalist. Yes initially I was just trying to learn digital analytics and technicalities as I knew nothing about it. But now I know how to do a story. I feel contented when I do a good story. I have the whole-hearted support from my family. I have conducted Live Shows, interviews through my mobile. You just need a tripod , a mobile phone, good internet speed and you can start your own channel. If people like a content and look favour to digital journalism, it paves the way ahead. I could foresee this while being in a news channel. I saw no future in these news channels. For first two months my earning was like peanuts and like a break, but in the third month I pulled off and thankfully am now earning 3-4 times more than what I was earning in the news channel. I am getting sponsors too as my reports are going viral.

Money comes if one has the good intentions and there is no lack of zeal. And let me tell you one more thing. I’m handling my work alone. From research, to record, to edit, to upload, to promote it to respond to viewers everything is done by me.

Aleem Shaikh : Sakshji Digital media which is rated as powerful, yet the Goverenment did not gave it an official status as other media like print and Electronic had.whats your views on it.

Sakshi Joshi : To be honest, I don’t feel the need to be given an official status. With whatever news we have read so far Government is much concerned with the way digital media is doing as it’s we who are actually speaking the truth. Our reports are going viral. We are a parallel electronic media unearthing what’s hidden by them. And we are getting views. So these channels who keep ranting that they show what viewers watch are exposed as if that is what people want to watch then how are we getting views on our reports which are exactly what they aren’t showing!

Aleem Shaikh : The Covid-19 induced lockdown changed the entire scenario, how do you forsee the future of Digital Media?

Sakshi Joshi : Well, Digital media is the future. Even news channels realise it that’s why they are all working sincerely on their social media and digital teams. One more thing, today everyone are watching news on mobile. Nobody is switching on the TV. And people are mostly watching the clips that go viral. Even news shows, reports, debates are not being watched much on TV, but only those which you generally come across as a viral clip or shared by someone on twitter, YouTube or Facebook, isn’t it? So that’s how strong digital media is.

Aleem Shaikh : As a Senior TV Anchor do you believe that people have lost faith in Electronic Media and are moving towards Online News portal and online YouTube channel?.

Sakshi Joshi : Exactly Sir. My digital platform is a living example to it. People are fed up of these channels. Am watching how much hatred is shown towards them and who are being now called ‘Godi media’ (lapdog media) that’s when I uploaded content against them. People tend to comment on those videos much more than other reports. This is the quantum of hatred people have for the electronic media today. I could feel it being a part of it. And I didn’t want to be associated with it anymore.

Aleem Shaikh : Finally, Sakshi ji, your candid message to the young generation for opting to either online or Electronic media?

Sakshi Joshi: Amid a pause, My message to young generation is to read good books, editorials , articles , follow the intellectuals, learn from them, don’t get swayed away, always check with your own source before believing any narrative, only if you can do all this you must choose this profession otherwise there is no point. Try to come only if you can work towards making it a respectable profession rather than getting lost in the already stooped low media world. gone low media world. History will never forgive you.
My Vision for my channel is to reach more and more people in 2021.
I am a goal setter and I believe in reaching my goal much before the deadline that was set by me. So I have lots of goals , and I am sure I will reach there earlier.

 

Brief introduction on Sakshi Joshi:

Sakshi Joshi started her career in 2005 with a regional channel Total TV.
Later in 2008, she was associated with India TV as an anchor cum correspondent
Then in 2010 she became a part of BC World Service as a Producer.
Subsequently in 2011, she worked with IBN7 (Now News18india- Network 18) as Anchor cum special Correspondent
In 2016, Sakshi joined hands with News 24 in as Senior Anchor cum associate Editor
She has hosted debate shows viz: Panch Ki Panchayat and Sabse Bada Sawal

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