Mumbai: At the recently held exclusive roundtable interview with five editors of TV9 Network, the prime minister Narendra Modi took a few minutes to bestow words of praise and offer his congratulations to the network. The ‘PM and 5 Editors Roundtable’ was an unprecedented initiative to bring together the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy and five editors of its largest network. Over an hour and thirty minutes, the PM and the five editors engaged in a conversation that was as candid as it was momentous.
The prime minister congratulated TV9 Network for fulfilling its duty to the country and its people without pandering to the stance of any one particular party – including his own. “Your network has published many stories criticising the BJP, and I take no issue with that. Because not once have I ever received a report that TV9 Network has engaged in activities that harm the country itself, or its reputation”, he remarked.
Prime minister Modi also praised the journalistic integrity of TV9 Network at the roundtable discussion, saying, “At no point in time have I ever seen incidents, from any corner of the country, presented with mala fide intent by TV9 Network”.
Acknowledging the extensive reach of both the broadcast and digital platforms of TV9 Network and praising the timeliness of its reportage to the five editors present, he said, “My congratulations go out to TV9 Network and its digital platforms, which enjoy a huge viewership. Whenever I travel abroad and need a reference point, I visit the TV9 Network digital platforms. (The network) puts out information that is current, and I refer to it sometimes too.”
TV9 Network’s offerings in the digital media space were recently packaged into a comprehensive, cutting-edge initiative – the News9 Mediaverse. Comprising News9 Plus – the world’s first news OTT; News9 Live – India’s only 24x7 digital-exclusive English live stream; and News9Live.com – the English news website, the News9 Mediaverse is bringing the news to viewers in new-age formats.
Prime minister Modi concluded his remarks about TV9 Network by saying, “Such media (networks) are essential for our country”.
In February 2024, the prime minister similarly lauded the network, for the diversity of its newsroom and the efforts of its teams, while delivering the summit keynote address at TV9 Network’s flagship conclave, the What India Thinks Today Global Summit. He said, “In TV9 Network’s newsroom, I see the diversity of our vibrant democracy represented. To all the network’s writers, reporters, and technical teams, from varying geographies and linguistic backgrounds, I offer my compliments”.