Do Indians prefer reading news in English or local language?

While English dailies have dominated the Indian market for years, many news organisations are now simultaneously moving towards presenting content in vernaculars. “There has been a huge change in the trends in terms of how people are consuming news today,” Shashank Trigunayat, manager, Inshorts, a digital news platform, said. And what is it that inspired this shift? The Apeejay School of Management alumnus, who is at present, handling strategy for a similar “hyper-local” platform, shares his insights:

What kind of work do you handle as a manager?

I am handling sales and operations and strategy in southern and eastern India. I have worked across three different sections of the company in my tenure so far. In the beginning, I handled all the news operations and public dealing. Then, I switched to liaising and now I am handling advertisement sales and operations, and part-time recruitment for a new project. I am also involved in the strategy-making process of Public, which is a hyper-local audio-visual platform of Inshorts.

The company came up with this platform for the tier-II and III markets in the country. This is a hyper-local social media platform that prioritises local news. We are already present in almost 17 languages across India. For Hindi, we have more than 100 million active users and double the number of downloads. It is one of the fastest-growing indigenous social media platforms.

Also Read: What is the future of local news in India?

Are people beginning to prefer reading news in local languages as compared to English? 

Since Covid hit, many people migrated back to their hometowns. And they mostly like doing their everyday work in their local language. They have been found to engage with news and other content in their vernacular language at a much faster rate. Readers living in metros like Delhi are keen to consume national and global news while those living in smaller towns are more interested in knowing what is happening in and around them. They are able to connect more with hyper-local news in their native languages.

What was your experience at ASM like?

ASM has played a vital role not only in my education but also in shaping my personality. It was a life-changing experience for me. I would especially like to thank my professor Dr Chhaya Wadhwa who has been my mentor since Day 1. The things she has taught me helped me grow and achieve my goals. The college also provided immense exposure through co-curricular activities. One of my best experiences was heading the college’s annual fest ‘Synergy’ as a student coordinator. It taught me how to manage people with different mindsets and work as a team. Overall, I had a wonderful experience.