‘The opportunities for us are enormous if we can work together,’ WAN-IFRA India 2017 delegates told.
WAN-IFRA India 2017 opened in Chennai with an urgent call for news publishers to work together and support each other in the face of serious challenges to press freedom and quality journalism.
“With press freedom and financial support concerns around the world putting unprecedented strains on journalism, this conference, which gathers the best of India and Asia, is more important than ever for discussing these vital issues,” said David Callaway, CEO of The Street and President of World Editors Forum, in his keynote presentation.
“Specific concerns about press freedom here in India, and growing oppression in places like China, Turkey, and even the U.S., make standing up and shouting about the importance of what we do a key imperative,” he added.
The conference is co-sponsored by The Indian Newspaper Society. New this year is a parallel World Editors Forum – South Asia Summit, which addresses issues such as journalism in the digital age, trust of news and engaging with audiences.
“Despite the challenges, more people worldwide need and are consuming news than ever,” Callaway said. “The opportunities for us are enormous if we can work together to understand and support each other.”
The conference, the largest for news publishers in South Asia, has brought together more than 425 delegates from India, South Asia and around the world. The event includes an expo with more than 35 suppliers from both India and abroad displaying their products and services for the newspaper printing and publishing industry.
The event also features the World Printers Forum Conference, where delegates are discussing printing efficiency, innovation, business models and more. One of the highlights of the program is a panel discussion on “the future of media business and of print” featuring the CEOs of India’s leading media houses.
The speakers and panelists include:
– Mukund Padmanabhan, Editor, The Hindu, talking about attracting paying readers
– Raj Chengappa, Group Editorial Director, The India Today Group, discussing reimagining India’s no. 1 newspaper
– Sitaram Shankar, Managing Editor, Network 18, examining the exercise of presenting news to new age readers
– Arun Ram, Editor, The Times of India, Chennai, sharing perspectives of the quality of journalism and how to address this issue
– Knud Kraft, Head of Production, Axel Springer, Germany, presenting a case study of adopting innovative methods to keep the printed newspaper attractive.
– P P Prakash, Vice President – Materials, Malayala Manorama, speaking about managing newsprint costs and logistics.
The conference can be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wanifraindiaconference and on Twitter with hashtag #wii2017.
The winners of the second edition of South Asian Digital Media Awards also get presented at the same venue.
WAN-IFRA is the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists across the world to operate free media, and provide its members with professional services to help their business prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in open societies. With formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, it derives its authority from its global network of leading news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and its legitimacy from its 80 national association members representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries.
