Leading digital media platforms join hands to launch Indian Digital Media Association

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 26 : A group of leading "nationalistic" digital media platforms have come together and launched the Indian Digital Media Association (IDMA), the country's largest conglomeration of digital media platforms, with an aim to safeguard the interest of these platforms, participate in dialogue with stakeholders, uphold standards of news reporting in the national interest and engage with the government for policy formulation.
The founding members of the association, which include OpIndia.com, Goachronicle.com, Republicworld.com, OTV Digital, DeshGujarat.com, Assamlive.com, NewsX.com, Sundayguardianlive.com and InKhabar.com, have a collective unique viewership of over 100 million users and will be guided by the 'nation first' principle.
According to an official statement, additionally over 25 digital news members are being onboarded to the association.
As a self-regulatory body, IDMA will be the eyes and ears of digital media platforms, to serve as an intermediary on its behalf and will be the central point of joint action on matters of interest.
"In an ever-changing world where the digital space has opened up unfathomable avenues, the patterns in consumption of news has also undergone a tectonic change. A large portion of the population consumes information on digital news platforms and aggregators have been thus far unregulated and scattered," the statement said on Monday.
It said that that the IDMA will serve with the guiding principle of being 100 per cent Indian, uncompromisingly nationalistic and will take the voice of India to the world.
"It gives us great pride to announce the launch of the Indian Digital Media Association (IDMA)-- the country's largest conglomeration of digital media platforms and one that puts the nation's interest above everything else. IDMA is a pro-nation, Indian-owned, Indian-edited and Indian-controlled digital news association," the statement said.
IDMA aims to ensure that Indian interests are protected against vested foreign interference and control and stands against all overseas control of the Indian digital media, as it directly compromises Indian interests and Indian users.
Speaking about IDMA, GoaChronicle.com founder and editor-in-chief Savio Rodrigues said, "The disruption in media in the coming years will be digital. India will see a phenomenal shift towards digital media. Coming together of digital media organisations with their own niche disruptions in Indian Digital Media space to form an association is the formation of a force to be the true voice of a vibrant India digital media space."
OpIndia Editor Nupur Sharma welcomed the formation of the pro-nation digital media association and said that digital media has the potential to not just shape, but change the national discourse.
"No longer is the news cycle a slave to television media, that seeks punchlines and agendas, not the truth. IDMA is an endeavor to not just strengthen, but organise and advocate for the interest of Nationalist Digital Media that has the potential today to shape the country and what its citizens talk about," Nupur Sharma said.
The statement said that nationalistic media platforms of the country have come together to uphold a vision for India that is not directly or surreptitiously owned by foreign elements and added that the IDMA strongly believe that it should be its aim to take Indian media global, rather than compromising the interest of Indian readers and their right to information by inviting overseas control, which might not necessarily be inclined to protect the interest of Indian readers and platforms.
"With the distinct focus on the same, IDMA will uphold the values of transparency and ensure that member digital news platforms and their ownership is well-defined, unbound to foreign entities by means of editorial leadership and/or ownership," the statement said.
"It is the founding members' firm belief that the rampant corruption of news stems from vested interests and their stakes in digital news media that owe their allegiance to interests other than those of India," it added.
The IDMA believes that it is time for Indian editors and owners to come together and fight the onslaught of foreign ownership and editorship since the attempts by foreign entities and organisations to corrupt news by pushing vested global agendas unethically are at its zenith.
It said that it hopes to build a nationalistic, dynamic, transparent, ethical and conscientious association that would keep Indian interest, the interest of its readers, journalistic integrity along with industry interests paramount, in its quest to organise a sector that has illimitable potential.