Zee launches World Is One News (WION)

(S.Ravi Seshu)

Way back in 1964, Wilbur Schramm, an American media scholar, noted that the flow of news among nations is thin, that much attention is given to developed countries to little to less-developed ones. Important events in Africa or Asia are ignored and reality is distorted as major international communication networks are controlled by powerful nations.

Efforts were on to ensure an equitable communication world order but sadly there is not much headway. This issue was a point of discussion among Non-Aligned Movement and United Nations since 1970. Acknowledging the concerns about unbalanced media coverage around the world, UNESCO coined New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO or NWIO) and set up a commission under Noble Peace Prize winner Sean MacBride. This commission came out with a report “Many Voices, One World” with wonderful set of recommendations to make media representation more equitable.

At a time when almost all media houses are buying and sharing text or feed supplied by a handful of international news agencies, belonged to wealthy countries, Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) came up with Global English News Channel-WION (World is One News) from India’s 70th Independence Day on Monday (August 15, 2016).

Dr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group & ZEE, had announced in March, 2016: “WION will look to offer a seamless experience to empower, educate and energise our discerning viewers. Inspired by the Group’s motto, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam-The World is My Family’, WION aptly stands for ‘World is One News’ and will give a global view of the world with a South Asian lens.”

WION, a mobile/digital first platform and later be an international television channel, will have bureaus across the globe. It’s website (www.wionews.com) claims that ‘We trespass the borders that news organisations have operated within for the last three decades- serving the people of the country, state, or the region where they are located. We look at the world as one, which is why our name as WION: World Is One News.” Is it not sounding the theme of the MacBride?

Rohit Gandhi, Editor-in-Chief, WION and DNA, in an editorial, titled: Why a global news network out of India, made it clear that it is time for us, journalists, to look beyond nationality, religion, ethnicity and language.

He said: “As journalists, we have to continue to see the world as our own: one world. The successes and failures that we see are successes and failures of us as humanity. So why can’t we look beyond nationalities, religion, ethnicity or language? Why is our news like the present world, divided and jingoistic? In an ideal world a reporter has no nationality, they would traverse the world, tell the stories that need to be told, whether good, bad or ugly. The good needs to be looked at as a model to be replicated, the bad needs to be corrected, and the ugly needs to be clamped down as soon as you see it.”

Given the fact that a lot of money is involved in appointing journalists of its own in various countries or at least at strategic locations, it remains to be seen how WION would achieve its innovative goal.