New Delhi : Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV has been elected as the President of the News Broadcasters and Digital Association (NBDA).
The News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA) represents the private television news, current affairs and digital broadcasters.
It is the largest organisation of news broadcasters in India and has almost all major news networks as its members. The NBDA describes itself as the collective voice of the news, current affairs and digital broadcasters in India. It is an organization funded entirely by its members.
The NBDA has presently 27 leading news and current affairs broadcasters (comprising 125 news and current affairs channels) as its members. According to the NBDA, it presents a unified and credible voice before the Government, on matters that affect the growing industry.
Addressing the NBDA, Rajat Sharma remarked on the significant challenges facing news broadcasters today. "There is a concentrated effort to discredit the news broadcast industry," he said. "A section of the digital media is being misused to constantly attack news broadcasters. We have to work together to fight this menace."
Sharma further emphasized the pressures faced by those in the news industry, stating, "Our editors, anchors, and reporters are being targeted. They are working under tremendous pressure as an ecosystem has been created to consistently threaten their credibility. It is our responsibility to ensure that they get a fearless atmosphere to deliver fair news."
In his post on X, the newly elected NBDA President Rajat Sharma said, "NBDA is an onerous responsibility. The challenges are big. I expect cooperation from all." Rajat Sharma is best known for his popular show 'Aap Ki Adalat' which is in its 23rd year of broadcast thereby making it one of the longest-running television shows in India's television history. In 2004 he launched India TV as a 24-hour Hindi news channel. He was also conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2015.