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'''Asian News International''' ('''ANI''') is an Indian news agency based in New Delhi that provides syndicated multimedia news feed to multiple news-bureaus in India and beyond.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHujEBLJcvIC&pg=PA63|title=News Agencies from Pigeon to Internet|last1=Shrivastava|first1=K. M.|date=2007|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=9781932705676|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVffFCoGSuIC&pg=PA122|title=International News in the 21st Century|last1=Paterson|first1=Chris A.|last2=Sreberny|first2=Annabelle|date=2004|publisher=Georgetown University Press|isbn=9781860205965|page=122|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/footaging-it-fleetly/288837|title=Footaging It Fleetly|last=|first=|date=|website=Outlook India Magazine|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> Established by Prem Prakash<ref name=":0" />, it was the first agency in India to syndicate video news.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YsJlAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|title=Web Journalism-The Craft & Technology|last1=Saxena|first1=Sunil|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education|isbn=9780070680838|page=16|language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2019||df=}}, it is the biggest news agency in India; Smita Prakash remains the Editor-in-Chief and is married to the CEO, Sanjiv Prakash.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/ani-reports-government-version-truth|title=The Image Makers : How ANI Reports The Government's Version Of Truth|last=Donthi|first=Praveen|date=1 March 2019|website=]|language=en|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-12-07}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://the-ken.com/story/ani-video-news-monopoly/|title=How ANI quietly built a monopoly|last=Ahluwalia|first=Harveen|last2=Srivilasan|first2=Pranav|date=2018-10-21|website=The Ken|language=en-US|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref> '''Asian News International''' ('''ANI''') is an Indian news agency based in New Delhi that provides syndicated multimedia news feed to multiple news-bureaus in India and beyond.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHujEBLJcvIC&pg=PA63|title=News Agencies from Pigeon to Internet|last1=Shrivastava|first1=K. M.|date=2007|publisher=Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd|isbn=9781932705676|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVffFCoGSuIC&pg=PA122|title=International News in the 21st Century|last1=Paterson|first1=Chris A.|last2=Sreberny|first2=Annabelle|date=2004|publisher=Georgetown University Press|isbn=9781860205965|page=122|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/footaging-it-fleetly/288837|title=Footaging It Fleetly|last=|first=|date=|website=Outlook India Magazine|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-12-29}}</ref> Established by Prem Prakash<ref name=":0" />, it was the first agency in India to syndicate video news.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YsJlAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|title=Web Journalism-The Craft & Technology|last1=Saxena|first1=Sunil|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education|isbn=9780070680838|page=16|language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2019||df=}}, it is the biggest news agency in India; Smita Prakash remains the Editor-in-Chief and is married to the CEO, Sanjiv Prakash.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reportage/ani-reports-government-version-truth|title=The Image Makers : How ANI Reports The Government's Version Of Truth|last=Donthi|first=Praveen|date=1 March 2019|website=]|language=en|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-12-07}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://the-ken.com/story/ani-video-news-monopoly/|title=How ANI quietly built a monopoly|last=Ahluwalia|first=Harveen|last2=Srivilasan|first2=Pranav|date=2018-10-21|website=The Ken|language=en-US|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref>


Prem started his career in the field of photography, before being employed by ] as well as ] a s a photojournalist, where he went on to cover some of the most significant historical events in post-Independence India.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He was a significant figure in the domain of news and documentary film-making in the 1970s, commanding considerable clout even among foreign journalists and film-makers and was subsequently conferred with the ].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Prem started his career in the field of photography, before being employed by ] (as well as ]) as a photojournalist, where he went on to cover some of the most significant historical events in post-Independence India.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> He was a significant figure in the domain of news and documentary film-making in the 1970s, commanding considerable clout even among foreign journalists and film-makers and had been conferred with the ].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />


ANI was established in 1971 (preceded by TVNF, which was India’s first television news feature agency) and leveraged a host of tactics from the employing of numerous ex-bureaucrats (along with their kith and kin) at prime positions to cordialising his familial connections with ], (the then minister of Information and Broadcasting) in a quest to gain influence within the Government.<ref name=":0" /> TVNF was explicitly asked by ] to showcase a positive image of India, and monopolized the sector, producing numerous science-oriented films for ], the state broadcaster.<ref name=":0" /> ANI was established in 1971 (preceded by TVNF, which was India’s first television news feature agency) and leveraged a host of tactics from the employing of numerous ex-bureaucrats (along with their kith and kin) at prime positions to cordialising his familial connections with ], (the then minister of Information and Broadcasting) in a quest to gain influence within the Government.<ref name=":0" /> TVNF was explicitly asked by ] to showcase a positive image of India, and monopolized the sector, producing numerous science-oriented films for ], the state broadcaster.<ref name=":0" />


Smita Prakash, an alumna of ] joined ANI in around 1986 as an intern and was later inducted as a full-time employee.<ref name=":0" /> Daughter of Inna Ramamohan Rao, former director of the ], she married Prem's son Sanjiv in 1988 and furthered ANI's access within the government.<ref name=":0" /> For years along, ANI effectively served as an external publicity division of Ministry of External Affairs, showing the Army in a positive light and suppressing news about any internal discontent; the private nature of the organisation gave an air of non-partisan legitimacy to their videos.<ref name=":0" /> During the peak-spans of militancy in ], ANI was the near-sole purveyor of video-footage, esp. with Rao having been recruited as the media advisor to the state.<ref name=":0" /> In 1993, Reuters purchased a 49 percent stake in ANI, and it was allowed to exert a complete monopoly over the Reuters feed; Prem's connections with ] helped the cause.<ref name=":0" /> Also, along the 90s, Sanjiv had a meteoric rise through the ranks (along with Smita) and his shrewd managerial instincts increasingly divorced journalism from the organisation's goals.<ref name=":0" /> Smita Prakash, an alumna of ] joined ANI in around 1986 as an intern and was later inducted as a full-time employee.<ref name=":0" /> Daughter of Inna Ramamohan Rao, former director of the ], she married Prem's son Sanjiv in 1988 and furthered ANI's access within the government.<ref name=":0" /> For years along, ANI effectively served as an external publicity division of Ministry of External Affairs, showing the Army in a positive light and suppressing news about any internal discontent; the private nature of the organisation gave an air of non-partisan legitimacy to their videos.<ref name=":0" /> During the peak-spans of militancy in ], ANI was the near-sole purveyor of video-footage, esp. with Rao having been recruited as the media advisor to the state.<ref name=":0" /> In 1993, Reuters purchased a stake in ANI, which was allowed to exert a complete monopoly over the Reuters feed; Prem's connections with ] helped the cause.<ref name=":0" /> Also, along the 90s, Sanjiv had a meteoric rise through the ranks (along with Smita) and his shrewd managerial instincts increasingly divorced journalism from the organisation's goals.<ref name=":0" />


By 2000, India saw a boom of private 24X7 news channels; however, unsustainable revenue models meant that they did not have the capacity to hire video-reporters across the country.<ref name=":0" /> Coupled with Bhartiya Janata Party's ascendancy to power, it provided the scope for a massive expansion of ANI's domestic video-production capacities.<ref name=":0" /> However, most of its foot-soldiers were low-cost recruits, who had little to do with journalism.<ref name=":0" /> In 2000, the NDA government launched a Kashmir based regional channel—DD Kashir and ANI was allowed to produce its programs; a report in The Caravan noted the programs to be mostly a tool of state-propaganda and dis-information.<ref name=":0" /> By the end of 2005, ANI's business-model was performing impressively and it had shifted its office out of Gole Market, to a new five-storey building in RK Puram.<ref name=":0" /> ANI continued to be trusted by the upcoming UPA governments, to the extent of MEA choosing Smita to be a part of the two-member-strong contingent of Indian journalists at both of the joint press conferences between the incumbent prime ministers of India and USA.<ref name=":0" /> ANI is also believed to have played significant roles as allies of the ], India's external intelligence agency; many of its videos depicted protests by lobby groups and fringe activists, across the world, on the aspects of human rights abuse in Pakistan.<ref name=":0" /> In March 2019, a long-form report by ] covered the agency, and how it served as an effective propaganda tool of the incumbent union governments, across the years.<ref name=":0" /> By 2000, India had seen a boom of private 24X7 news channels; however, unsustainable revenue models meant that they did not have the capacity to hire video-reporters across the country.<ref name=":0" /> Coupled with Bhartiya Janata Party's ascendancy to power, it provided the scope for a massive expansion of ANI's domestic video-production capacities.<ref name=":0" /> Asian Films TV was incorporated in 2000 to provide feed for newspapers and periodicals.<ref name=":1" /> However, most of its foot-soldiers were low-cost recruits, who had little to do with journalism.<ref name=":0" /> In 2000, the NDA government launched a Kashmir based regional channel—DD Kashir and ANI was allowed to produce its programs; a report in The Caravan noted the programs to be mostly a tool of state-propaganda and dis-information.<ref name=":0" /> By the end of 2005, ANI's business-model was performing impressively and it had shifted its office out of Gole Market, to a new five-storey building in RK Puram.<ref name=":0" /> ANI continued to be trusted by the upcoming UPA governments, to the extent of MEA choosing Smita to be a part of the two-member-strong contingent of Indian journalists at both of the joint press conferences between the incumbent prime ministers of India and USA.<ref name=":0" /> ANI is also believed to have played significant roles as allies of the ], India's external intelligence agency; many of its videos depicted protests by lobby groups and fringe activists, across the world, on the aspects of human rights abuse in Pakistan.<ref name=":0" /> Long-form reports by ] and ] have covered about how the agency has served as an effective propaganda tool of the incumbent union governments, across the years.<ref name=":0" />


Post 2005, news channels started unsubscribing from ANI due to increasing charges and low quality of journalism, coupled with the introduction of ].<ref name=":0" /> In 2010, UNI TV was launched by ] as a competitor and gave stiff competition, to the extent of providing free feed for 3 months.<ref name=":0" /> However, Ishan Prakash, Smita's son joined the company in 2011 and procured multiple units of ], a pioneer technology that were an advancement over OB vans and far more portable.<ref name=":0" /> The agency also enlisted into contracts with multiple state governments and multiple union ministries.<ref name=":0" /> A monopoly was again re-created and most of its competitors shut down, eventually.<ref name=":0" /> Post 2005, news channels started unsubscribing from ANI due to increasing charges and low quality of journalism, coupled with the introduction of ].<ref name=":0" /> In 2010, UNI TV was launched by ] as a competitor and gave stiff competition, to the extent of providing free feed for 3 months.<ref name=":0" /> However, Ishan Prakash, Smita's son joined the company in 2011 and procured multiple units of ], a pioneer technology that were an advancement over OB vans and far more portable.<ref name=":0" /> The agency also enlisted into contracts with multiple state governments and multiple union ministries.<ref name=":0" /> A monopoly was again re-created and most of its competitors shut down, eventually.<ref name=":0" /> By late 2011, ANI accounted for about 99% of the Reuters feed.<ref name=":1" />


Under a new management, ANI has been accused of practicing an even-aggressive journalism model focused at maximum revenue output, where journalists are easily dispensable with.<ref name=":0" /> Multiple employees have accused ANI of not having any human resource management, in place and ill-treating their ex-employees.<ref name=":0" /> The agency's closeness with the incumbent ] government has increased in light of convergent ideologies; the effects have ranged from covering the party-campaigns to the farthest possible extent to reporters being highly pro-active, when dealing with politicians from opposition parties.<ref name=":0" /> Smita has been widely accused of conducting favorable interviews for the party.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/05/indian-pm-narendra-modi-lampooned-for-manufactured-interview|title=Indian PM lampooned for 'manufactured' interview|last=Dhillon|first=Amrit|date=2019-01-05|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-12-29|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Under a new management, ANI has been accused of practicing an even-aggressive journalism model focused at maximum revenue output, where journalists are easily dispensable with.<ref name=":0" /> Revenues of INR 68.23 crore and a net profit of INR 9.91 crore was reported in FY 2017-18; there were no borrowings.<ref name=":1" /> Multiple employees have accused ANI of not having any human resource management, in place and ill-treating their ex-employees.<ref name=":0" /> The agency's closeness with the incumbent ] government has increased in light of convergent ideologies; the effects have ranged from covering the party-campaigns to the farthest possible extent to reporters being highly pro-active, when dealing with politicians from opposition parties.<ref name=":0" /> Smita has been widely accused of conducting favorable interviews for the party.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/05/indian-pm-narendra-modi-lampooned-for-manufactured-interview|title=Indian PM lampooned for 'manufactured' interview|last=Dhillon|first=Amrit|date=2019-01-05|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-12-29|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>


ANI has been also documented to be a significant purveyor of ].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.altnews.in/ani-a-tale-of-inadvertent-errors-and-oversights/|title=ANI - A tale of inadvertent errors and oversights|last=Chaudhuri|first=Pooja|date=2018-10-21|website=Alt News|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref> The Caravan noted several video footage from the unit, wherein logos of random television channels from Pakistan along with Urdu tickers were superimposed on news showcasing India in a positive light; video editors admitted to forging clips.<ref name=":0" /> ANI has been also documented to be a significant purveyor of ].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.altnews.in/ani-a-tale-of-inadvertent-errors-and-oversights/|title=ANI - A tale of inadvertent errors and oversights|last=Chaudhuri|first=Pooja|date=2018-10-21|website=Alt News|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-12-28}}</ref> The Caravan noted several video footage from the unit, wherein logos of random television channels from Pakistan along with Urdu tickers were superimposed on news showcasing India in a positive light; video editors admitted to forging clips.<ref name=":0" />

Revision as of 11:03, 30 December 2019

Indian news agency
Asian News International
Company typeNews agency
IndustryMedia, News media
FoundedDecember 9, 1971; 53 years ago (1971-12-09) in New Delhi, India
FounderPrem Prakash
HeadquartersNew Delhi
Area servedIndia, South Asia
Key people
OwnerANI Media Private Limited
Websiteaninews.in

Asian News International (ANI) is an Indian news agency based in New Delhi that provides syndicated multimedia news feed to multiple news-bureaus in India and beyond. Established by Prem Prakash, it was the first agency in India to syndicate video news. As of 2019, it is the biggest news agency in India; Smita Prakash remains the Editor-in-Chief and is married to the CEO, Sanjiv Prakash.

Prem started his career in the field of photography, before being employed by Visnews (as well as Reuters) as a photojournalist, where he went on to cover some of the most significant historical events in post-Independence India. He was a significant figure in the domain of news and documentary film-making in the 1970s, commanding considerable clout even among foreign journalists and film-makers and had been conferred with the MBE.

ANI was established in 1971 (preceded by TVNF, which was India’s first television news feature agency) and leveraged a host of tactics from the employing of numerous ex-bureaucrats (along with their kith and kin) at prime positions to cordialising his familial connections with I. K. Gujral, (the then minister of Information and Broadcasting) in a quest to gain influence within the Government. TVNF was explicitly asked by Indira Gandhi to showcase a positive image of India, and monopolized the sector, producing numerous science-oriented films for Doordarshan, the state broadcaster.

Smita Prakash, an alumna of Indian Institute of Mass Communication joined ANI in around 1986 as an intern and was later inducted as a full-time employee. Daughter of Inna Ramamohan Rao, former director of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, she married Prem's son Sanjiv in 1988 and furthered ANI's access within the government. For years along, ANI effectively served as an external publicity division of Ministry of External Affairs, showing the Army in a positive light and suppressing news about any internal discontent; the private nature of the organisation gave an air of non-partisan legitimacy to their videos. During the peak-spans of militancy in Kashmir Conflict, ANI was the near-sole purveyor of video-footage, esp. with Rao having been recruited as the media advisor to the state. In 1993, Reuters purchased a stake in ANI, which was allowed to exert a complete monopoly over the Reuters feed; Prem's connections with Peter Job helped the cause. Also, along the 90s, Sanjiv had a meteoric rise through the ranks (along with Smita) and his shrewd managerial instincts increasingly divorced journalism from the organisation's goals.

By 2000, India had seen a boom of private 24X7 news channels; however, unsustainable revenue models meant that they did not have the capacity to hire video-reporters across the country. Coupled with Bhartiya Janata Party's ascendancy to power, it provided the scope for a massive expansion of ANI's domestic video-production capacities. Asian Films TV was incorporated in 2000 to provide feed for newspapers and periodicals. However, most of its foot-soldiers were low-cost recruits, who had little to do with journalism. In 2000, the NDA government launched a Kashmir based regional channel—DD Kashir and ANI was allowed to produce its programs; a report in The Caravan noted the programs to be mostly a tool of state-propaganda and dis-information. By the end of 2005, ANI's business-model was performing impressively and it had shifted its office out of Gole Market, to a new five-storey building in RK Puram. ANI continued to be trusted by the upcoming UPA governments, to the extent of MEA choosing Smita to be a part of the two-member-strong contingent of Indian journalists at both of the joint press conferences between the incumbent prime ministers of India and USA. ANI is also believed to have played significant roles as allies of the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency; many of its videos depicted protests by lobby groups and fringe activists, across the world, on the aspects of human rights abuse in Pakistan. Long-form reports by The Caravan and The Ken have covered about how the agency has served as an effective propaganda tool of the incumbent union governments, across the years.

Post 2005, news channels started unsubscribing from ANI due to increasing charges and low quality of journalism, coupled with the introduction of broadcast vans. In 2010, UNI TV was launched by Yashwant Deshmukh as a competitor and gave stiff competition, to the extent of providing free feed for 3 months. However, Ishan Prakash, Smita's son joined the company in 2011 and procured multiple units of LiveU, a pioneer technology that were an advancement over OB vans and far more portable. The agency also enlisted into contracts with multiple state governments and multiple union ministries. A monopoly was again re-created and most of its competitors shut down, eventually. By late 2011, ANI accounted for about 99% of the Reuters feed.

Under a new management, ANI has been accused of practicing an even-aggressive journalism model focused at maximum revenue output, where journalists are easily dispensable with. Revenues of INR 68.23 crore and a net profit of INR 9.91 crore was reported in FY 2017-18; there were no borrowings. Multiple employees have accused ANI of not having any human resource management, in place and ill-treating their ex-employees. The agency's closeness with the incumbent Hindu Nationalist government has increased in light of convergent ideologies; the effects have ranged from covering the party-campaigns to the farthest possible extent to reporters being highly pro-active, when dealing with politicians from opposition parties. Smita has been widely accused of conducting favorable interviews for the party.

ANI has been also documented to be a significant purveyor of fake news. The Caravan noted several video footage from the unit, wherein logos of random television channels from Pakistan along with Urdu tickers were superimposed on news showcasing India in a positive light; video editors admitted to forging clips.

See also

References

  1. "ANI MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED - Company, directors and contact details". zaubacorp.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  2. "Terms & Conditions". aninews.in.
  3. Shrivastava, K. M. (2007). News Agencies from Pigeon to Internet. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 9781932705676.
  4. Paterson, Chris A.; Sreberny, Annabelle (2004). International News in the 21st Century. Georgetown University Press. p. 122. ISBN 9781860205965.
  5. "Footaging It Fleetly". Outlook India Magazine. Retrieved 2019-12-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Donthi, Praveen (1 March 2019). "The Image Makers : How ANI Reports The Government's Version Of Truth". The Caravan. Retrieved 2019-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Saxena, Sunil. Web Journalism-The Craft & Technology. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. p. 16. ISBN 9780070680838.
  8. ^ Ahluwalia, Harveen; Srivilasan, Pranav (2018-10-21). "How ANI quietly built a monopoly". The Ken. Retrieved 2019-12-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. Dhillon, Amrit (2019-01-05). "Indian PM lampooned for 'manufactured' interview". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  10. Chaudhuri, Pooja (2018-10-21). "ANI - A tale of inadvertent errors and oversights". Alt News. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
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