Inspiring Journeys: From Breaking News to Breaking Barriers
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging conversation, renowned journalist and managing editor of Network 18 Media, Paly Sharma, shares her experiences and insights on women's empowerment, financial literacy, and the challenges faced by women in journalism. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging women's contributions to society and the necessity of education in STEM fields. Sharma also highlights the role of media in shaping history and the impact of on-the-ground reporting. Her advice to aspiring journalists is to educate oneself and to market one's abilities, drawing from her own journey and the inspiration she finds in her mother's resilience and dedication to education.
Takeaways
- π€ Paly Sharma, an award-winning journalist and managing editor of Network 18 Media, shares her experiences and insights on women's empowerment and journalism.
- π¬ Empowerment for women requires acknowledgment, freedom of choice, financial independence, and the ability to express opinions.
- π Challenges faced by women in journalism are universal and industry-agnostic, with long and demanding hours that can be physically and mentally taxing.
- π Despite the presence of many women presenters, newsrooms are still a man's world with more men in decision-making positions.
- π Paly Sharma emphasizes the importance of having more women leaders to appreciate and understand the challenges faced by women in the workforce.
- π The need for financial literacy and independence is crucial for women, with a staggering percentage of Indian women lacking bank accounts.
- πΌ Paly Sharma advocates for the teaching of financial literacy as a life skill in schools and the need for women to manage their finances effectively.
- π Journalism chose Paly Sharma, and she is passionate about telling stories that are palatable, accessible, and reflective of the India story to a global audience.
- π° The impact of being on the ground during breaking news or conflict provides a perspective that cannot be gained from a studio, shaping the journalist as an individual.
- π Paly Sharma's role model and inspiration is her mother, who balanced education, work, and family while teaching her children the importance of values and determination.
Q & A
What does Paly Sharma hope to see in the future regarding Women's Day?
-Paly Sharma hopes to see a time where the world doesn't need a Women's Day to recognize the place of women in society, and that empowerment comes from more than just marketing drives, fancy quotes, and cupcakes.
What are the key elements for empowerment according to Paly Sharma?
-According to Paly Sharma, empowerment requires acknowledgment for one's contributions, freedom of choice, freedom to express opinions, financial independence, and control over one's life.
What challenges does Paly Sharma face as a woman in journalism?
-Paly Sharma faces challenges such as long and demanding work hours, physically and mentally demanding situations, and a newsroom culture that is still largely a man's world, with more men in decision-making positions.
How does Paly Sharma describe her journey to becoming a managing editor?
-Paly Sharma describes her journey as challenging, noting that women are often judged on their performance while men are judged on their potential. She emphasizes the need to prove oneself deserving of one's position and to push for one's case, going against the common belief that talent alone will be recognized and rewarded.
What drives Paly Sharma's passion and purpose in storytelling?
-Paly Sharma's passion in storytelling is driven by her desire to present news stories in a palatable and accessible way, to tell the India story to the world, and to ensure that the stories she tells excite and engage her audience.
Can you share any memorable interviews or breaking news stories from Paly Sharma's career?
-One of the memorable interviews for Paly Sharma was with Pervez Musharraf, the former president of Pakistan and Army Chief, conducted in Dubai. She also mentions covering conflicts in Israel and Ukraine, emphasizing the importance of being on the ground to truly understand the impact on people's lives.
What does Paly Sharma believe is the importance of financial independence for women?
-Paly Sharma believes financial independence is crucial for women as it provides them with control over their lives and the freedom to make choices. She also highlights the need for financial literacy as a life skill that should be taught, especially to women.
How does Paly Sharma suggest improving women's financial literacy and empowerment?
-Paly Sharma suggests that financial literacy should be taught in schools and that there needs to be more support networks for women. She also calls for active intervention to encourage girls to pursue STEM education and for society to transform its expectations of women.
What are Paly Sharma's thoughts on the gender pay gap and women's contribution to the global GDP?
-Paly Sharma finds the gender pay gap disheartening and notes that it will take over a century to close. She emphasizes that women contribute significantly to society and the global GDP, and they should be fully compensated for their contributions.
What advice does Paly Sharma have for younger women looking to get into journalism?
-Paly Sharma advises young women to educate themselves, read widely, and market themselves effectively. She emphasizes the importance of having a basic understanding of subjects, as this knowledge will help them navigate the demanding world of journalism.
Who does Paly Sharma consider her role model and why?
-Paly Sharma considers her mother her role model because of her mother's dedication to education, her ability to balance teaching, raising a family, and furthering her own studies, and the values she instilled in her children.
Outlines
π€ Introduction and Career Reflections
The paragraph introduces the guest, Paly Sharma, as an award-winning journalist and former managing editor of News Channel, who has interviewed numerous global industry figures. It highlights her current role as the managing editor of Network 18 Media and her show 'Vantage with Paly Sharma.' The conversation begins with Paly's thoughts on Women's Day and the importance of genuine empowerment beyond marketing and superficial gestures. She emphasizes the need for women to have freedom of choice, financial independence, and the ability to express their opinions. Paly also discusses the challenges women face in journalism, the long hours, and physically and mentally demanding situations, while stressing that newsrooms are still male-dominated. She shares her experience with supportive mentors and her efforts to ensure her team doesn't face the same challenges she did.
πΌ Challenges and Achievements in Journalism
This paragraph delves into the universal challenges women face in any industry, with a focus on journalism. Paly discusses the demanding nature of the job and the need for women to balance home and work life. Despite the presence of many women presenters, decision-making roles are still predominantly held by men. Paly considers herself lucky to have had good mentors and bosses, and she strives to create a supportive environment for her team. The conversation touches on the gender bias in the industry, where women are judged on performance while men are judged on potential. Paly shares her perspective on the importance of women advocating for themselves, especially in the workplace.
π Global Storytelling and the Importance of Financial Independence
Paly Sharma discusses her passion for journalism and the desire to tell impactful stories. She emphasizes the importance of financial independence and literacy for women, citing the statistic that 62% of Indian women do not have bank accounts. Paly highlights the need for women to manage their finances effectively and the role of financial literacy education in schools. The conversation also covers the need for more women leaders and the support networks that can help women make informed career choices. Paly addresses the gender pay gap and the significant contribution of women to the global GDP, advocating for greater awareness and fair compensation for women's work.
π Education and Empowerment
The discussion shifts to the importance of STEM education for girls and the need to encourage more women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Paly talks about the challenges women face in balancing family pressures with their careers, especially after obtaining degrees in STEM fields. She mentions the slow progress in closing the gender pay gap and the need for societal transformation to create a more equitable environment. Paly also emphasizes the importance of role models and mentors, sharing her admiration for her mother's resilience and dedication to education and family.
π Aspiring Journalists and Personal Reflections
In the final paragraph, Paly offers advice to young women interested in journalism. She stresses the importance of self-promotion, education, and a strong foundation of knowledge. Paly talks about the challenges of reporting on difficult subjects and the emotional detachment required to process the stories. She encourages aspiring journalists to develop a thick skin and the ability to tell stories without becoming overly involved. Paly reflects on the importance of telling stories that may not be as exciting as others but are crucial to highlight the hardships faced by many. She concludes with a personal note, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the India Global Forum 2023.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Empowering Women
π‘Journalism
π‘Financial Independence
π‘Workplace Challenges
Highlights
Paly Sharma, Managing Editor of Network 18 Media, shares her experiences and insights on women's empowerment and journalism.
Empowering women doesn't come from marketing drives, fancy quotes, or cupcakes; it requires acknowledgment, freedom of choice, and financial independence.
Challenges for women in journalism are universal and industry-agnostic, with long hours and demanding situations.
Newsrooms are still a man's world, with more men in decision-making positions than women.
Paly Sharma emphasizes the importance of having more women leaders to appreciate and understand the challenges women face in the workforce.
Women are often judged on their performance while men are judged on their potential, making it harder for women leaders to prove themselves.
Paly's passion for journalism was ignited by the desire to tell palatable, accessible news stories and to give India a global voice.
Being on the ground during major news events provides a perspective and emotional impact that cannot be gained from a studio.
Paly Sharma believes that journalism is not just about reporting news; it's about chronicling history and shaping the story of a country and its people.
Financial independence is crucial for women's empowerment, but many Indian women still lack bank accounts.
Financial literacy should be taught as a life skill in schools, especially for women, to manage their finances effectively.
Women's unpaid work contributes significantly to the global GDP, highlighting the need for awareness and fair compensation.
Paly Sharma advocates for more women in STEM education and leadership roles to transform society and break inbuilt biases.
Encouraging girls to pursue STEM subjects is essential for their future eligibility for technology-oriented jobs.
Women often face challenges in balancing their careers with family pressures, especially after higher education.
The gender pay gap is a significant issue, with estimates suggesting it will take over a century to close.
Paly Sharma advises young women aspiring to be journalists to educate themselves, read widely, and market themselves effectively.
Journalism requires resilience, the ability to process various situations, and a thick skin to handle the tough realities.
Paly Sharma's role model and inspiration is her mother, who balanced education, work, and family while staying true to her values.
Transcripts
and we have a really fantastic guest
coming up for you right now well our
next guest ladies and gentlemen is a
well-known
awardwinning journalist and was
previously managing editor of won News
Channel and hosted India's only
International Prime Time news show
gravitas our next guest love a good
debate and has interviewed a huge range
of political and well-known Global
industry figures throughout her time she
is now the managing editor of network 18
media and has her own show vantage with
paly sha to share the challenges and
triumphs that have shaped her career as
well as the passion and the purpose of
her storytelling I'm now delighted to
welcome on stage please give a very warm
welcome to paly Sharma managing editor
of network 18 media how are you thank
you so much for joining us this is very
exciting you're here yes please do uh
take a seat how does it feel to be uh in
in the in the other seat answering the
questions this time well I will be more
sympathetic to my guest for let's just
say that brilliant right I wanted to
start off with a a tweet that I uh that
I read online from you and it says I
hope I live to see the time where the
world doesn't need a woman's day to
recognize the place of women in society
and that empowerment doesn't come from
marketing drives fancy quotes and
cupcakes can you elaborate I I agree by
the way but please do elaborate for us I
will let me also first start by thanking
Manoj and igf for for having me here and
for us to be able to have a conversation
like this and I I totally sort of stand
by what I wrote that cupcakes will not
bring empowerment definitely for
empowerment you need uh to be
acknowledged for what you bring to the
table which women often don't uh you
need Freedom of Choice um and uh freedom
to express your opinion you need
financial Independence you need to be in
control of your life um and I think I
think being uh rewarded and being
appreciated for what you contribute to
this world uh not just in terms of words
but I think in our world increasingly
financially as well is very very
important and that's something we're
going to touch on a bit later on cuz I
know fan Financial Independence for you
is a a big passion sort of topic um as a
very successful woman in journalism sort
of what challenges have you had along
the way as a woman in journalism has it
been quite an easy Road for
you I think uh I think the challenges
for women are near Universal and they
are industry agnostic uh though some so
for for journalists the time that that
we spend doing our work is the hours are
longer it it's more demanding physically
and mentally and you you find yourself
in situations which are not always
friendly so yes it can seem more
daunting from the outside but I think
any woman who manages both home and work
uh feels those pressures having said
that
um in news rooms still are are are a
man's world I know there are a lot of
women presenters but the people who are
are making the calls are more men than
women and um and I think I was I was
lucky to have had some good mentors and
bosses along the way but I wouldn't say
that it's easy for anyone uh for people
in my team and and whatever I learned uh
in my two or decades I I make sure that
the challenges I face are not the same
ones that my team faces I'm sure they
have their own set of things to worry
about
uh but I think what we need is more
women leaders uh to be able to
appreciate uh what women in the
workforce anywhere go through and so I
mean you you've become you know managing
editor you a managing editor of two
networks now so how is that sort of
Journey bin as a woman have you had to
fight your way to the top or has it been
quite a nice supportive atmosphere in
both
networks this is not so much about the
networks it's about the industry that we
operate in I think and uh
this this was famously said by someone
else I love to borrow the code that
women are are judged on their
performance and men are judged on their
potential so you always have to to prove
both to your bosses and to your teams
that you're deserving of the seed that
you have and it's that much harder for
any woman leader anywhere uh so no it's
not easy and sometimes you have to go
against your basic nature and push for
your case uh because I think a lot of
women Still Still Believe believe that
someone somewhere will recognize how
talented they are and reward them and it
doesn't happen and uh over the past few
years when I became a manager when I
started hiring people I saw that U and
and I'm not saying it's a bad quality
but men were very forthright in asking
for what they think they deserved and
negotiating better for their salaries
and for their designations women were
more they didn't not want to upset
anyone um and I think that's that's how
a lot of girls are raised we need to
change that and we need to to tell them
that it's okay to ask for what you think
I've heard that in so many Industries
not necessarily just media but yeah
we're always you know we don't want to
offend anyone we're peacekeepers and we
never strive because it looks like we're
being arrogant if we want something else
you know but in actual fact if you're
doing exactly the same job why shouldn't
you you know exactly if you have the
same skill set um let's go back to your
journalism what drives the passion and
purpose in your storytelling how did you
get into the field of Journalism
I always say the journalism chose me I
was I was studying to do something else
I wanted to be a designer but I somehow
find my found myself writing for a local
newspaper and one thing led to the other
and then I was in a bigger Newsroom it
was quite fascinating so I stayed and
did what I was doing um but I think I I
really I chose journalism after I took a
break and I did because I don't know how
much of Indian news or television news
you guys have consumed but it it became
a very very crowded place and and the
kind of Storytelling that I wanted to do
was not what I was doing or so I thought
so I I did take a break but when I came
back I knew that I wanted to tell news
stories like stories that are that are
palatable and accessible to people of a
wide range I also wanted to tell the
India story um we are a country of 140
CR people uh we are uh um we have 400
news channels in India um but we did not
have a a global voice as it were so we
wanted to tell our own story to the
world and not depend on someone else to
do that and in my own own small way sort
of that's what I tried to do uh we still
have a long way to go but I guess we've
made a start we've done incredibly well
so far my goodness so what about um some
of the big interviews can you share with
us any of the big interviews or breaking
news stories that have been memorable in
your career that you've really enjoyed
or you you know you were proud to be a
part of that
moment there have been so many sorry
quite a difficult question been so many
um I I I think
uh the big interview one of them I I did
in Dubai that was Peres mhar he was the
former president of of uh Pakistan and
the Army Chief I think that was quite an
interesting interview you I wouldn't say
one story is is more exciting than the
other because we tell the stories that
excite us anyway uh but off late uh so
last month I was in I was in um Israel
um just after the the the conflict began
the year before I was in Ukraine uh to
see what was happening and um when
you're there on the ground and you talk
to people then you then you get a
perspective that you do not get while
you're sitting in your studio and you
realize that it's so easy for us to sit
every night and say this is the death
toll and this is what has happened and
these are the trends but when you've
been there then then you see how it
touches lives and it can be very moving
and it shapes you as an individual you
know all of those things uh so being on
the ground I can imagine is very very
different yeah because where where we're
just getting numbers and you sort of
become in tune to what you're sort of
watching and yeah being on the ground
and actually seeing suffering like that
must be very very different that and
sometimes you you you see you see Trend
that is building I think I think me too
was one such um movement of sorts that
was supported a lot by the media we did
not have any ground reports as it were
uh but but there was or or the big
anti-corruption movement that we had in
India you know when you when you're part
of those events then you you see history
shaping in front of your very eyes and
and you feel that there is there has to
be a a bigger purpose to what you're
doing than just just telling the news I
mean you are you're actually
shaping um your story and that of your
your country or your people you're
making history at the end of the day
yeah or you you're chronicling it yeah
chronicling your history exactly um
let's go back to um Financial
Independence so I was reading a
staggering 62% of women uh of Indian
women don't have a bank account and
you've been quoted as saying that
Financial independence of financial
well-being is the key to women
empowerment so what does women
empowerment mean to you and why is that
so important when it comes to financial
Independence I think
um 6 62 you said thought I thought I
thought 80% of Indian women have bank
accounts but but it's not as much as men
obviously and it's better than the
global average yeah uh for India is that
right is it better than the global
average he say of course I know that but
uh but I think uh in India or I don't
know about other societies but women
have a way of saving which is not
documented in formal structures so you a
lot we are the biggest consumers of gold
and that is a form of security for women
and they you know stash away some money
but but that money is just just there
it's it's not investment it's just a a
saving for a rainy day and it's it's
their understanding of security uh I
think even for women who have jobs and
who are earning their own money are not
managing
it I have a I have a friend who runs a
podcast on financial advice and she told
me that a lot of a lot of middle-aged
women in India um are now being struck
with two DS that is debt and divorce and
then when they're on their own with a
big debt they do not know they've never
manage their finances and so she's
telling them to take charge of and it it
can't be so difficult and I think I
think financial literacy is is a life
skill that should be taught in schools
to
everyone uh but especially to women uh
because because we need to know what
what we're doing with what we have um so
I think I think Financial Independence
is very important and we need to uh to
to I
guess it's it's not on anyone's priority
list not that I know of so oh it's not
is it still something that's just sort
of Left Behind because as you said you
know there's Financial Independence but
then as you said there's financial
literacy which is completely different I
suppose so it's yeah instilling that at
a very early age isn't it yes and other
than financial Independence what else do
you think is needed for sort of women
empowerment when it comes to being more
independent and becoming more I don't
know yeah Independence I
suppose I think it would help to have
more women leaders because they can
Inspire others um I think um in schools
and colleges uh women tend to do better
academically at least in India they do
than boys but then somewhere along the
the way they drop out of the workforce
because their career cycle and their
biological Cycles clash and a lot of
them
choose their family or whatever it is
that they're doing and that's that's
their choice but I'm saying that the we
don't have a pipeline of leaders to draw
from then after a certain point so we
need that we also need networks that
support
women um to to pick a career of their
choice
um there's there are old boys clubs
there aren't such clubs or groups for
women that enable them to make the
choices that they want and grow and uh
they typically do not get the kind of
investment uh there was a very
interesting study that was done I don't
know I think it was in the US where uh
the same investment pitch was made in a
man's voice and the same one was made in
a woman's voice and the one with a man's
voice got more takers so I think these
are inbuilt biases and uh it won't it
won't change overnight and what we need
to do then is to co-opt men and women in
this journey of of transformation
because we cannot change biology but we
can certainly transform our society and
what it expects of us that's what we
were talking about one of the previous
panels actually is like do you think
there should be blind pitching when it
comes to entrepreneurship and trying to
raise money and as you said a male voice
got got will interest so I mean
obviously it's a it's a sad moment in
time where you've got to do blind sort
of pitching and things but yeah it's
very interesting that uh that the male
voice got that through though really
interesting um uh what sort of education
and policy needs to be further developed
in order to sort of help promote more
financial literacy from the bottom up
sort of in within the education system
do you think a lot more needs to be done
and what what sort of active role do
would you like to see government sort of
play to change the the playing
field education policy I I'm not sure
I'm the best person to talk about how it
should change like I said financial
literacy should be introduced but uh I
was I was part of uh some conversations
uh around G20 on women empowerment and
we had we had women leaders from various
countries all G20 members in India a
couple of months back uh and ministers
and one of the interesting things uh
that came out with stem education that
more girls need to be encouraged to take
up science technology engineering and
math
because the the job market is going to
change and it'll be more technology
oriented but uh I don't know if it's
because of biases I don't know if it's
because women think or girls think that
they will do better in Humanities which
is okay if that's what they want to
study but but there has to be an active
um intervention uh to encourage girls to
to pick up those subjects stem education
is is the way forward for for them to be
able to more to to become more eligible
for the kind of jobs that we'll have in
the near future the future jobs CU I was
um I did an interview with uh the I
think it was the the one of the chiefs
of L'Oreal and she was saying you know
more and more women and girls you in
stem education but a lot of them fall
short after they sort of uh graduate and
they get their degrees and they do quite
well at it they either fall short from
sort of family pressures you see and so
they can never extend their careers so
it's how how to sort of balance that
going through and past sort of higher
education and actually putting it into
practice as well is like apparently a
very big thing as well and some of this
data is very very disheartening like the
gender pay gap for instance you know the
best agencies in the world say that it's
going to take 136 years or 140 years to
close that gap which tells us how slow
our progress is a couple of years back I
remember there was a study that that
came out that said that women who do
unpaid work or work at home if that were
to be Quantified and paid for it would
be some1
trillion and if those women were to make
a country they would have the third
highest GDP in the world my goodness so
they are contributing and if if you were
to add it to
the
the the contribution that is converted
into money then women would be
contributing much higher to the global
GDP so I I think that there needs to be
more awareness to what women are are
bringing to
society um and they need to be
compensated for that 100% very well said
um very quickly what would you say I
want to talk about who your role model
is in in a minute um but first of all
anyone that sort of in our audience here
today or anyone watching online of
course you've got a big online audience
what what's of words of advice do you
have for sort of younger women that are
looking to get into journalism that
maybe you'd wished that you'd known
before getting into this
field I wish I'd known before getting to
this field how would you have navigated
it better do you
think if that's possible of um I don't
know you need to uh you need
to make the best case for yourself you
have to Market yourself no one else is
going to do that for you I think that
but but uh my first advice to anybody
would be to read and to educate yourself
because that's what is going to stand
you in good stead no matter what you do
and it's very important uh because uh
especially as journalists we uh we
struggle with timelines we we are always
faced with a stiff deadline and we have
to
deliver um so it helps if you have some
basic understanding of a subject and you
can't do it overnight it's a process
that takes years and there is no
shortcut to it so you have to you have
to do it and it can be it can be
daunting in the beginning but eventually
you're better off for it and you you
like what you've done the kind of work
that you've put in so I think it's very
important to do your own reading to
research to arm yourself with knowledge
uh because then you know that that you
cannot be short changed and journalism
is not for the faint-hearted is it it is
not it is not it can be U um I mean you
ask the the junior most reporters on the
field they're they're sent on a they
usually given education or crime that's
why you start as reporters and crime
reporting can be tough because you're
thrown into all sorts of situations you
see all kinds of scenes which can be
blood curdling and uh initially some of
those stories stay with you for very
long slowly you become more cynical and
you learn to process it and you know
that you don't have to become very
emotionally attached the first time I
went
into a refugee's house
it it stayed with me for
months and then I had to learn to tell
myself that I'm not part of that
story I can only tell the story but I do
not have to go and and find a school for
those kids yeah that's not what I'm here
for so I think I think it takes time to
become more rational about the subjects
that you're dealing with and they're not
easy I mean you learn every day um and
and sometimes it's
It's upsetting because when you're
talking about stories like
hunger they're not as exciting as
War so so you see people switching off
mentally or physically um and that's not
nice because you you you're telling
you're telling about the hardships that
a huge section of our population is
going through so I think the challenge
is to to make it more interesting and
palatable and exciting all stories are
not like that but that's what we do and
at the same time growing a very thick
skin at the same time exactly and making
sure that you're not obviously you're
not a part of the story you're telling
the story as you said yeah very quickly
we've got one second to go but I really
want to know who your sort of
inspiration is who do you look up to and
it's very important as we were saying
across this forum that it's very
important to have a role model and a
mentor so who is that for
you for me I think it's my mother uh she
got married at a very early early age
she gave herself an educ she was
studying and taking a formal degree till
I was in high school and she was doing
it with everything else and she was a
teacher she was raising us and she was
studying herself and she's taught us to
be to be true to our values and just
just take a shot and see where it takes
you so I think it takes um it takes a
lot of grit um and I see and she's not
her story is not unique but that's
that's I think what what inspires me and
I hope that I can leave that behind for
my own daughter so I think she she's
always inspired me that way and she's
she's had a very positive approach to
life which is hard to emulate very nice
we cannot thank you enough for for
making time for us here at the India
global forum 2023 ladies and gentlemen
py shama thank
[Applause]
[Music]
you
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