Media Project is a Project of Defending Democracy: The Wire Founder Siddharth Varadarajan

Guwahati, November 30, 2019:

Founding Editor of The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan, while speaking at the Inside Northeast Youth Conclave 2019, stated that the "media project" is a "project of defending democracy".

Discussing the perils posed to traditional media with the dawning of the new age of digital media, a panel comprising Siddhartha Varadrajan (founding-Editor of The Wire), Patricia Mukhim (Editor of The Shillong Times), and WION Political Editor Kartikeya Sharma, seemed to agree that the functioning of the media is being complicated by the interference of the

Mr Varadarajan outrightly stated that we "cannot take democracy for granted" and the people have a right to take part in activities of the country. The Wire founder stated that it is the purpose of the media to act as "first pair of eyes and ears for the people", adding that the media needs to ask the questions.

Patricia Mukhim, speaking about the increasing challenges being faced by the media industry, said that that the print media is becoming a dinosaur, because people are losing the power to concentrate. Mukhim also stated that the journalists are facing increasing threats, and fear is challenging the powers-that-be.

"I think the media is in a big dilemma. We are trying to hang on to last vestiges of journalism", Mukhim said.

Kartikeya Sharma stated that the social media is also influencing the workings of the mainstream media channels. "Everyone wants to know story in 6 lines or one headline. That's where the problem of journalism is. The whole business model is changing because now media has to relate to social traffic", he added.

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