Sanjay Kapoor is a veteran Indian journalist and President of Editors Guild of India (EGI), elected unopposed in late 2025. With decades of editorial experience, he is best known for his work as Editor of ‘Hardnews Magazine’. Widely respected for his expertise in foreign affairs and political strategy, Kapoor has long been a prominent voice on South Asian geopolitics and media ethics. In an exclusive interaction with Arindam Ganguly of Orissa POST, during his current visit to the state capital, he spoke on key contemporary issues like the role of EGI in safeguarding editorial independence, the state of press freedom in India, the growing challenge of misinformation, and the impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence on journalism
What key initiatives or reforms do you plan to introduce to enhance the Guild’s relevance and effectiveness?
Our priority is to take the Editors Guild beyond Delhi and strengthen its national presence. We will expand activities in regional centres like Bhubaneswar, engage more closely with local editors, and create platforms for dialogue and collaboration. This will make the Guild more inclusive, responsive, and better aligned with the needs of journalists across India.
What role can the EGI play in strengthening regional journalism, especially in states like Odisha?
Odisha has a strong newspaper readership, even though its media ecosystem is smaller than states like West Bengal or Maharashtra. This creates an important opportunity to strengthen regional journalism in the state. The Guild can support this by building closer ties with local journalists and media institutions, strengthening networks, and enabling knowledge-sharing to address resource constraints in newsrooms. Going forward, regular Guild engagements in Bhubaneswar can provide a platform for dialogue, capacity-building, and greater national attention to regional media issues.
How do you assess the current state of press freedom in India?
I am concerned about the state of press freedom in India, with growing constraints on the media’s independence and transparency. For example, during recent coverage of developments in West Asia, access to on-ground information and authentic visuals was limited, with much of the content appearing filtered or controlled. This raises serious concerns about the flow of credible, unbiased news. Such trends highlight a broader challenge: restrictions on free reporting that ultimately undermine the public’s right to accurate information.
How should traditional media respond to misinformation, fake news?
Misinformation has grown rapidly in scale, speed, and sophistication, driven by digital platforms and advances in AI, making it harder to detect and counter. In this environment, traditional media must reinforce rigorous verification, fact-checking, and editorial standards, while maintaining transparency to rebuild public trust. A major concern is the amplification of misinformation by influential voices, which blurs the line between fact and falsehood and makes it more difficult for audiences to identify credible journalism.
How you see AI role in journalism?
AI is becoming an important tool in journalism and cannot be ignored or sidelined. However, it must be used primarily as an aid, not a substitute for editorial judgement. While AI can support tasks like background research, data analysis, and efficiency in reporting, it cannot replace active, onground, human journalism. The strength of journalism lies in verification, context, and independent reporting—areas where human oversight is essential. Over-reliance on AI without editorial control risks undermining credibility, so it should be used carefully as a support system, not a decision-maker. AI must support journalism, not replace human judgement.
