Diversity Deficit in Indian Newsrooms Raises Concerns: N. Ram

Swift summary

• Event: N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Publishing Group and trustee of Asian collage of Journalism (ACJ), spoke during the inaugural event of a journalism workshop in Chennai on August 25, 2025.
• Key Issue: He highlighted the lack of diversity in Indian newsrooms and media leadership, with minimal portrayal from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and marginalised communities.
• Past Context: Mr. Ram referred to critiques by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on press bias favoring ruling parties and ignoring SC voices.
• Workshop Purpose: The residential workshop aims to train 25 students from rural, vulnerable communities with advanced digital journalism tools to boost representation in media.
• Organisers & supporters:

– Organised by Center for Social Justice and Equity (CSJE) in collaboration with ACJ.
– Funded by Tamil Nadu’s Ministry of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare.
– Designed under a framework emphasizing representation based on gender, disability, rural background, first-generation learners, or belonging to Adi Dravidar community.

• quotes:

– N. Ram stressed that societal change “has to be enforced” with state policy intervention supporting SC-ST representation.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The highlighted issue-limited diversity within Indian newsrooms-underscores persistent structural barriers that prevent equitable participation from marginalised groups like SCs and STs at decision-making levels in mainstream media. These challenges are compounded by historical injustices noted by figures like Dr.B.R. Ambedkar.

Workshops such as this signify concrete efforts toward addressing these imbalances but rely heavily on public policy support for meaningful impact at scale-a point emphasized during this event.

India’s media ecosystem plays a critical role not only in reflecting diverse narratives but also shaping societal discourse; improving inclusion among disadvantaged groups could enhance both credibility and relevance across wider audiences while reinforcing democratic ideals.

Read more: thehindu.com