Mic. Camera. Pressure: Naghma Sahar on the Art and Chaos of Anchoring Today!
Times of Bennett | Updated: Aug 28, 2025 17:37
On 27 August 2025, the Times School of Media at Bennett University welcomed Ms. Naghma Sahar , Senior Consulting Editor & Anchor at NDTV , for a masterclass that peeled back the layers of what it truly means to be a news anchor today.
The morning began with Ms.Sahar ’s humility. She apologised for the brief delay, but quickly drew the audience in with warmth and candour. From the very outset, she challenged the common perception of anchors as mere faces on screen. “Anchors were not just news anchors and news readers were not just news readers, they were journalists,” she said, recalling the credibility and seriousness of the Doordarshan era.
But that world, she admitted, has shifted. News has broken free of the studio walls, spilling onto streets, homes, and handheld screens. Anchoring, once a scheduled event of reading the day’s headlines, now demands agility, constant presence, and relentless adaptability. “No anchor can ever be fully prepared,” she reminded, pointing out that while an anchor may stay updated, expertise in every subject is impossible. Yet, the anchor is the one most harshly judged, for it is their face the public sees when mistakes happen.
Her critique of the present-day newsroom struck a chord: “It looks more like a fighting arena now.” The transformation of news into infotainment, she noted, isn’t entirely negative; it reflects how journalism has had to evolve with its audiences. But with evolution comes new pressure. Mobile journalism demands that one be not just the storyteller but also the cameraperson, editor, and producer. The shift to digital has blurred boundaries: anchors today are also influencers, competing not only with rival channels but withYouTubers , reels, and even WhatsApp forwards.
Technology, Ms. Sahar argued, is both an ally and a disruptor. From standing and walking anchors with the purpose of injecting energy into a broadcast, to AI reshaping how stories are built, every element of presentation is now a tool to capture fleeting attention spans. “Make yourself so relevant that people watch you,” she urged, underscoring the reality that in today’s crowded media space, relevance is survival.
At the heart of her talk was a call to responsibility. “Shabd bohot mahatwapoorn hote hain. Choose your words correctly. Whatever you speak, speak with care and caution.” In a polarised landscape, words still carry the weight of credibility, something, she reminded students, remains stronger in print than in a viral tweet.
Her reflections weren’t without warmth. Amid discussions of stress, deadlines, and the shrinking space in newsrooms, she paused, looked at the young audience before her, and said with a smile: “Don’t think about the stress so much. This is not your age.” It was a moment that humanised the profession, reminding aspiring anchors that passion must not be lost to pressure.
The session ended not just as a lesson in anchoring but as a reminder that journalism is a living, breathing craft. It demands agility, humility, and above all, relevance, because in today’s world, while everyone may be replaceable, the value of words, spoken with care, will never fade.
-Aradhya Mohan (TSOM student)
The morning began with Ms.
But that world, she admitted, has shifted. News has broken free of the studio walls, spilling onto streets, homes, and handheld screens. Anchoring, once a scheduled event of reading the day’s headlines, now demands agility, constant presence, and relentless adaptability. “No anchor can ever be fully prepared,” she reminded, pointing out that while an anchor may stay updated, expertise in every subject is impossible. Yet, the anchor is the one most harshly judged, for it is their face the public sees when mistakes happen.
Her critique of the present-day newsroom struck a chord: “It looks more like a fighting arena now.” The transformation of news into infotainment, she noted, isn’t entirely negative; it reflects how journalism has had to evolve with its audiences. But with evolution comes new pressure. Mobile journalism demands that one be not just the storyteller but also the cameraperson, editor, and producer. The shift to digital has blurred boundaries: anchors today are also influencers, competing not only with rival channels but with
Technology, Ms. Sahar argued, is both an ally and a disruptor. From standing and walking anchors with the purpose of injecting energy into a broadcast, to AI reshaping how stories are built, every element of presentation is now a tool to capture fleeting attention spans. “Make yourself so relevant that people watch you,” she urged, underscoring the reality that in today’s crowded media space, relevance is survival.
At the heart of her talk was a call to responsibility. “Shabd bohot mahatwapoorn hote hain. Choose your words correctly. Whatever you speak, speak with care and caution.” In a polarised landscape, words still carry the weight of credibility, something, she reminded students, remains stronger in print than in a viral tweet.
Her reflections weren’t without warmth. Amid discussions of stress, deadlines, and the shrinking space in newsrooms, she paused, looked at the young audience before her, and said with a smile: “Don’t think about the stress so much. This is not your age.” It was a moment that humanised the profession, reminding aspiring anchors that passion must not be lost to pressure.
The session ended not just as a lesson in anchoring but as a reminder that journalism is a living, breathing craft. It demands agility, humility, and above all, relevance, because in today’s world, while everyone may be replaceable, the value of words, spoken with care, will never fade.
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