Former NDTV CEO launches video app to tackle fake news

NEWDELHI:Former THE APP PROVIDES PERSONALIZED NEWSCASTS AND ALLOWS FOR VIEWERS TO RECORD THEIR OPINION ON STORIES

chief executive officer of NDTV Ltd and news anchor Vikram Chandra has launched a video news app called Editor ji, part of a startup called Editorji Technologies founded by him, that he said will help tackle the spread of fake news.

The multilingual video news platform that has started out by offering news stories in English and Hindi claims that it will provide a completely different way to experience news on the go by using a powerful artificial intelligence algorithm.

The app, launched on Tuesday, provides personalized newscasts and even allows for viewers to record their opinion on stories. Editor ji Technologies Pvt. Ltd is backed by Bharti Airtel and HT Media Ltd. The total investment in the venture is close to ₹30 crore.

Chandra said: “The platform provides a one-tap access to a personalized newscast that is created by the Editor ji algorithm which considers a variety of parameters including location, news categories, preferred style of news and so on. Users can skip stories that they do not want to see by simply swiping.” Users can also edit the newscast by deleting stories, changing them and adding any stories that they want. They can also record their own opinions and add these to the newscast which can then be shared with others. “This enables you to create your own news channel,” Chandra said.

Chandra, who quit NDTV in 2016, said he wasn’t keen to launch another television news channel as the business model is flawed with heavy dependence on television rating points, poor subscription revenue and significant carriage fee.

He said there’s room for a video news platform as news spread by social media platforms lacks credibility. “This, together with the anonymity of users, permits the rapid dissemination of fake news (via social media platforms). Fake news is becoming one of the biggest problems of the Internet today,” he said.

Authentic and good quality news, in fact, often finds it difficult to get adequate distribution, he pointed out.

“In the case of Editor ji, its investment from Bharati Airtel will ensure that the app gets wide distribution through Airtel TV, Wynk and mobile subscribers,” he said.