MAM
Harnessing the power of PR, journalism, and human rights: A global influence catalyst
Mumbai: Promoting human rights is significant not just for their protection and respect but also to achieve sustainable development. PR and Media’s role is vital in advocating human rights. PR functions to promote brand awareness and human rights by influencing public opinion to raise voices for critical social causes. Media is the primary source of information. It bridges the organisation and the public, being the most influential promoter of human rights and safeguarding.
The role of PR and media in human rights advocacy
The role of PR is broader than building a positive brand image or generating brand awareness. It overarches to advocate human rights and protection of the same. PR helps to influence public opinion, shaping social norms and advocating for the causes of the marginalized section of society. PR strategic thinking helps promote human rights by raising awareness, educating audiences, mobilizing support, and inspiring action.
In the words of Sam Cherri, human rights is the universalization of values, virtues, attitudes and social standards, and media is the guardian of these values and virtues. As media is the primary source of information, it plays a vital role in creating the right atmosphere for advocating human rights. Media not only reports on the violation of human rights but also an effective platform to promote it. The media act as gatekeepers who generate information between the organization and the masses.
PR and journalism are two pillars that safeguard human rights by creating a conducive environment that protect and establish it. The creation of a democratic nation rests upon the existence of a free and independent media. To say that the media is sometimes compliant to the government is not as concise as it seems. It implies that it can either have a beneficial effect or damage the stakeholders’ interests.
Ethical journalism and PR practices
In an ever-evolving industry like PR, ethical practices and communication are the building blocks of the industry. The critical function of any PR professional is to build trust and credibility for a particular brand, company or organization. Following ethical practices is the key to building trust among the masses. An ethical PR practice involves honesty. Providing truthful and accurate information is critical to building trust by advocating views of all sides and facts to help people make informed decisions. Another vital ethical practice is to build a trusting relationship by acquiring expert knowledge and using critical thinking to maintain credibility. The most vital point is to respect different viewpoints without favouring anyone based on bias.
If we look at today’s scenario, ethical journalism is the need of the hour. The set of ethical codes that every journalist is aware of is to find and report the truth as it is without distorting the facts and minimizing the misuse by demonstrating understanding for sources and story subjects and acting wisely by not falling for undue influence from potential newsmakers. Another important aspect of ethical journalism is to take responsibility for the accuracy of their work. Ethical journalism requires to remember that there is no excuse for inaccuracy. The facts are the prerequisite of good journalism therefore gather and update correct facts throughout the life of the news story.
Amplifying human rights and World Human Rights Day
On the 10 December, every year, we come together and celebrate the Human Rights Day. We have rights simply by being born as human beings. Human rights are pertinent for a sustainable future and relatively easy to understand and conjure. It is a value and virtue that implies feeling respected, treated with dignity, and valued for who we are. The rights we humans have emanate from the fact that we have a Constitution that guarantees its citizens the fundamental right to live a life with human dignity.
Human Rights is our natural right and it is pivotal that our liberty should not be rescinded. Our right to voice our opinion should not be snubbed or choked, and this is where the role of news professionals and PR practitioners comes in. Like the beacon of light, PR professionals and journalist should act as a ray of hope to people especially marginalised section whose voices have been choked and ignored.
The author of this article is Media Maniacs Group founder Surabhi Trivedi.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
