Media creates a narrative
Call it narrative, influencing the minds, propaganda or whatever; media since very long has influenced people’s mind.
A few things have changed in the last decade. Firstly, Geopolitics has gone through a sea change- the world has become multipolar. Very recently the new world order is taking shape. Alignments and realignments as well as groupings of nations with specific vision have become almost a daily affair. The pecking order of nations is changing, south Asia (global south) is coming into focus.
The Global South is a term used to describe nations—primarily in Africa, Asia, and Latin America—that share a history of colonialism and are currently navigating the transition from developing to developed economies. By 2026, the concept has moved from a sociological label to a formidable geopolitical/ geoeconomic force.
The west which had been calling the shots has lost its economic power- especially Europe. American hegemony is on the wane. Wars are erupting as if without reason. Social media is not allowing media hegemony anymore. With internet penetration, a news goes like a flash to millions across the world often bypassing conventional media giants.
Influencing the masses
Wars are no more the only means of winning. Influencing the populace of other nations and building sympathy or hatred in a subtle manner has become an important construct of national interest. If you cannot wage a war to destabilize your foe, destabilize and poison people’s mind is the operational philosophy.
Forming opinions and counter opinions and having visibly credible think tanks and institutions which churn out reports and rankings to position nations in certain light especially to show it to their own people and also those who need to be pushed back.
A case in point is what happened on May 18, 2026.
Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng (from the Oslo-based newspaper Dagsavisen) questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Oslo.
She shouted the question, “Why don’t you take some questions from the freest press in the world?” as the Prime Minister was walking off the stage following a joint press statement.
Was it to get greater traction or a head line and a few Brownie points.
PM Modi conferred Norway’s highest honour, 32nd international award during his Oslo visit.
Media is the opinion career
World has moved from radio, to TV, to social media, internet in the last 80 years. There is an explosion of information. Wars are being fought on twitter as well. Actually, an individual is being bombarded by debates, data and reports in real time. You have the luxury to watch it again and again and yet again on you tube.
Contamination of content through influence
With clear cut national objectives aligned to national interest, media is being used by nations as a policy tool to influence those who matter. Weaponizing ‘information ammo’ through media gun. A smoking gun.
India matters today to the whole world. In such a chaotic world- half of it staring at recession or a dull economy, India has become a force to reckon with as the fastest growing economy. With 1.45 billion it is a huge market, no one can ignore. It had the potential but it lacked the right leadership for almost seven decades. We have resources, brains, manpower and hunger to achieve at a grass root level.
This is not easily digestible for those who ruled the world. What better way than spread lies. And they also know we are still having that colonial hangover and will take whatever is served to us by the white man as Gospel truth.
How does this artificial toxin (deliberately orchestrated) trickle down within India?
Come to think of it around 65% of Bharat lives in rural areas. With around 6.4 lack villages this is the largest chunk that matters- politically as well as market share wise. Even metros are not entirely ‘only English-speaking type’.
English news channels capturing approximately 0.4% of the total television viewership is pretty low. English news consumption is highly urban, with metro cities forming the bulk of the audience.
A large majority of Indians (over 80%) consume news in Hindi or regional languages rather than English.
Younger audiences prefer digital platforms for news, where short-form content and YouTube are dominant, reducing reliance on traditional TV. YouTube is the top platform for news, with English preferred by only about 16% of online video viewers.
Then what is the problem?
Problem is local from global. Let me explain this in some detail. Our media depends for news from western news channels. The popular ones are Bloomberg, CNN, The New York Times, BBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Fox News and NBC News and some more. Most Western media reports and opines about India from their lens. London, New York or Paris. They can be influenced by those who want to influence them.
How many Bharatiya read/access The New York times or Washington post for reading their opinions/ critical articles? The numbers are extremely small- almost negligible looking at the entire mass.
Problem is local virall-ing through spiralling. Our own local channels, especially the English ones push the narrative of these western channels for local markets to consume and get influenced- they further may become a feeder for regional channels. We ourselves are promoting foreign opinions- mostly negative- about Bharat to Bharat Vasi audience!
This is as weird as our reporters reporting/ broadcasting, out of exuberance minute to minute movement of our security forces during 26/11 Mumbai attack giving Pakistani handlers all they wanted.
In our own national interest, our media should ignore the reports by these western biased western channels to blunt their influence. Just ignore opinions, if required use prudence to take only that news which is informative and not opinionated.
Redefining “Quality”
The Deloitte 2026 Media Outlook suggests that “quality” is being redefined.
High-Investment Content: Instead of 24/7 “opinion” panels (which often just argue over Western headlines), newsrooms are being urged to focus on original investigations and contextual analysis.
The “South-South” Lens: Strengthening ties with news agencies in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East allows for a non-Western flow of information.
Need to have our own influencers and channels.
India needs its own global news wire service.
Instead of reading about an Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Washington through the lens of a US journalist, Indian citizens should be reading or watching a dispatch from an Indian correspondent stationed there.
Journalist Palki Sharma has recently launched a new media company called India Global Review (IGR). This digital-first platform was officially announced on May 7, 2026, following her departure from Network18, where she served as the Managing Editor of Firstpost.
Core Focus of India Global Review (IGR)
A Distinct Perspective: The platform aims to provide a credible, independent space for world affairs, specifically analysed through an Indian lens.
Global Reach: While headquartered in India, IGR has an ambitious international roadmap, with planned rollouts across the United States, Europe, West Asia, South Asia, and Africa.
Technology First: It is designed as a digital-first venture, making content available across major internet platforms and Connected TV (CTV) ecosystems.
Operational Scale: The company has already secured backing from institutional investors and has launched a global hiring drive for editorial, production, and digital roles to staff international bureaus.
Entrepreneurial venture
This venture marks Sharma’s return to entrepreneurship. Prior to this, she led the highly successful show Vantage at Firstpost and was the face of Gravitas at WION. Her move to establish IGR reflects a growing trend of senior Indian journalists building independent, global-facing digital media brands.
This was long overdue. Why we didn’t have our own Al Jazeera is the moot question. Anyway, we are lagging behind- in time and need to catch up fast- hope Palki can do it ASAP.
