Journalism is a highly competitive and hardcore field among all the careers out there. Unless you have the true grit, passion and talent for your service, it’s a task to stay at the top your game.
Inspiration is of key importance when you’re an aspiring journalist. India has countless great journalists who inspire their audience and young, aspiring journalists, alike.
We’ve curated a list of the Indian Television journalists who have created an impact in this especially competitive field.
As much as we’d love to include all the names who have inspired us and continue to do so, we’ve limited ourselves to the top 10 in no specific order of prominence:
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1. Ravish Kumar
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When it comes to Hindi news reporting, Ravish Kumar is probably the first name that pops up in our minds.
Currently a senior executive editor at NDTV India, he is also an author of several books including The Free Voice: On Democracy, Culture and the Nation (2018) and A City Happens in Love (2015).
His achievements include
- The Ramon Magsaysay Award (2019)
- Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2017,2013).
Alma mater: Delhi University but he also did a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.
2. Rajat Sharma
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Charman and editor of India TV, Rajat Sharma is a well-known face in Indian television as the daring host of various shows like “Aap ki Adalat” and “Aaj ki Baat”.
One can never forget the courtroom setting of Aap Ki Adalat, which shows how creative TV Journalism can get.
He’s in fact, one of the richest news anchors in India, with a salary of Rs. 32 lakh per month.
He is one of the rare journalists to have received the Padma Bhushan Award for his contribution in journalism. He has also received:
- ITA Award for Best Anchor – News/Current Affairs show (2001)
Alma mater: Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC).
3. Barkha Dutt
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Another author-television journalist, Barkha Dutt has worked with NDTV and TirangaTV.
We know the show ‘We the People’ on NDTV 24X7, but did you know it was Barkha Dutt who kickstarted the show to fame and won numerous awards for it?
She is a recipient of the Padma Shri for her frontline war reporting during the Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999. She has also received:
- ITA award for Best Talk Show five years in a row (
- Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women Mediapersons (2000)
- TV Personality of the year by the Association for International Broadcasting (2012)
Alma mater: Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi as well as Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, New York.
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4. Faye D’Souza
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She is an award-winning Mumbai-based journalist, and her show The Urban Debate on Mirror Now, by the Times Group rose her to fame.
An advocate against corruption, she speaks for independent press. She has also worked with ETNow and is currently a member of CNBC TV18.
Her verified news updates through social media during the COVID-19 Pandemic won her:
- Agent of Change award at Vogue Women of The Year 2021.
Alma mater: Mount Carmel College, Bangalore where she completed her Bachelor of Journalism degree. She also has a Master’s in Mass Communication from COMMITS (Convergence Institute of Media, Management and Information Technology Studies).
5. Rajdeep Sardesai
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Heard of the book 2014: The Election That Changed India?
Rajdeep Sardesai wrote this book in 2015, after resigning from the Network18 group when Reliance Industries Ltd. acquired control of it.
That’s another bold journalist in this list.
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He is another Padma Shri awardee journalist, but he has also received other accolades in journalism like:
- The International Broadcasters award (2002)
- Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award (2006).
Alma mater: A graduate in economics from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he is also a graduate of University College, Oxford.
6. Sweta Singh
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A familiar face in Aaj Tak news channel, Sweta Singh is a Senior Executive Editor of Special Programming at the broadcasting house.
At a time when there are very few women in Sports Journalism, Singh’s show “Sourav ka Sixer” won Best Sports Programme award by Sports Journalism Federation of India (2005).
She has received ENBA awards for :
- Best producer (2013)
- Best anchor (2014).
Alma mater: Degree in Mass Communication from Patna Women’s College.
7. Arnab Goswami
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A highly opinionated journalist, Goswami launches Republic TV a year after resigning from his time at various news houses like NDTV, Times Now and ET.
Like him or not, he is currently the Editor-in-Chief and anchor of one of the most influential news channels.
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Highest paid anchor? Yes, that’s him. He earns 13 crore per year, proving you can make it big in journalism.
His achievements include:
- Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (2008).
- President of the News Broadcasting Federation in 2019
Alma mater: Hindu College, Delhi University. He also has a Master’s in Social Anthropology from St. Antony’s College, Oxford University.
8. Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy
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They are probably the power-couple in Indian journalism as co-founders of NDTV, the first independent news network in India.
A man who has multiple feathers in his cap, Prannoy Roy is not just a journalist. He is an economist, chartered accountant, psephologist and author.
Together, they pioneered opinion polling in media for the first time in India, a ground-breaking practice that changed journalism. They have received awards like:
- Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Information, Communication and Entertainment (2003)
- Indian Telly Award for Lifetime Contribution to Indian Television (Prannoy Roy-2002)
- Fortune India list of 50 most powerful women in business in India (Radhika Roy)
Alma mater: Radhika Roy is an alumnus of Miranda House, Delhi University while Prannoy Roy went to Queen Mary University of London for his degree in Economics.
9. Rahul Kanwal
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Rahul Kanwal is undoubtedly one of the highest earning journalists in India, with a salary of more than 10 lakhs per month.
You probably know him from the debate show Seedhi Baat on India Today. But he also appears in other shows including the interview show, Jab We Met and hosts Newstrack, the channel’s
He has received the Indian Television Academy (ITA) awards in many categories like
- Best Anchor – News/Current Affairs show (2013, 2017)
- Best Anchor in a Talk/Chat Show (2019).
Alma mater: Delhi University and Cardiff University, Wales.
10. Vikram Chandra
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Remember the show The Big Fight on NDTV?
As anchor of this award-winning show, Chandra has interviewed notable personalities including King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (2006), Bill Gates (2012) and Tim Cook (2016).
He was CEO at NDTV from 2007 to 2016, a considerable amount of time, after which resigned to found his own multilingual video news platform called editorji.
He has received awards including:
- Young Global Leader from World Economic Forum, Davos (2007)
- ITA Award for Best Anchor for a Talk Show (2005, 2008)
- Teacher's Achievement Award for Communication
Alma mater: St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University where he completed a B.A. in Economics and Oxford University.
Study Community Journalism
Being the biggest democracy in the world, journalism is one of the hottest careers in India. One can aspire to work at multiple levels – TV anchor, editor, columnist, content writer etc.
At Aditya Centre of Excellence (ACE), you can have an NSDC qualified certification in Community Journalism in a short span of 9 months.
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This profession makes you prepared to serve local-oriented news that can impact local readers.
This course covers many topics including, but not limited to:
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