Ep. 326 - Designing your news diet in this noise with Manisha Pande

Summary

What really counts as news today? Manisha Pande, editorial director at Newslaundry and host of TV Newsance, joins Kedar to talk about how Indian newsrooms work, why TV anchors stopped reporting, and how fake news, sources and sutras shape what we believe. A grounded, sharp conversation on the state of Indian media and how to stay sane while consuming news in a noisy country.

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About the guest

Manisha Pande is the editorial director at Newslaundry and the writer and host of TV Newsance, a weekly critique of Indian television news. She has previously worked with DNA and Business Standard.

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Who should listen

• Journalists and journalism students who want to understand how Indian newsrooms actually work and what separates a reporter from an anchor

• News consumers who feel overwhelmed, confused or numb after watching prime time and want to build a smarter news diet

• Designers, content creators and storytellers who care about how information is shaped, framed and sold to an audience

• Anyone curious about how Newslaundry survives without ads and why independent journalism in India still has a future

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Topics discussed in the episode

• What is news, what qualifies as news and what qualifies as breaking news?

• What is the difference between a reporter, a journalist, a news anchor and an editor?

• What is Newslaundry and how does the business model of an independent organization work?

• What is the biggest difference between a traditional media house and an independent news studio?

• Why critique news shows like Newsance instead of just focusing on reporting?

• How do you define fake news, misinformation, disinformation and propaganda?

• What travels faster in India, fake news or disinformation, and why?

• How should one read, spot and consume news with the right checks and balances?

• Are there traits or principles a layman can follow to design their news diet?

• What is the future of independent journalism and Newslaundry in India?

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Chapters

• (00:00) Introduction

• (03:03) What is news?

• (06:36) Roles of different journalists in the news ecosystem

• (11:35) What is Newslaundry?

• (16:56) Why critique news and not just report news?

• (21:34) How do you define misinformation, disinformation and fake news?

• (25:49) What travels faster in India?

• (32:22) How to read news?

• (40:29) What is the future of independent news?

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Reference links

• https://www.newslaundry.com/subscription

• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-60981318

• https://covid19dashboard.mohfw.gov.in/resource.html

• https://covid19dashboard.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/def.pdf

• https://prsindia.org/covid-19/cases

• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1789899&reg=3&lang=2

• https://www.theindiaforum.in/health/will-government-india-finally-acknowledge-scale-indias-covid-tragedy

• https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/07/19/who-owns-your-media-network18s-journey-from-a-production-house-to-a-broadcast-behemoth

• https://www.instagram.com/manisha.pande/

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-pande-24909680/

• https://www.newslaundry.com/author/manisha-pande

• https://x.com/MnshaP

• https://www.reporters-collective.in/

• https://theprint.in/

• https://scroll.in/

• https://www.youtube.com/@thegyaanproject

• https://www.instagram.com/thegyaanprojectpodcast/

• https://www.youtube.com/@ravishkumar.official

• https://www.themediarumble.com/

• https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/03/05/hpv-vaccine-rollout-faces-wild-theories-and-real-questions-the-govt-is-unready-for-both

• https://www.newslaundry.com/2022/08/23/how-adani-is-taking-over-ndtv-without-consulting-the-roys

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Prayag_Maha_Kumbh_Mela_crowd_crush

• https://hindi.newslaundry.com/collection/nl-tippani-video-newslaundry-hindi

• https://www.newslaundry.com/collection/tv-newsance-tv

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Hope you enjoyed this episode and found it helpful. If you had to pay for just one news source in India, which one would it be?

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