Key to Succeed- Be Passionate, Committed and Hopeful

“There will be stories you will be asked to work on because you are a woman and there will be stories that will be taken away from you because you are a woman,” Navya reflects. Due to the patriarchal belief that women are not good with things like analytics, defence, education, etc., women journalists do not get to work on what they really want to. To prevent that, being committed and understanding ourselves and what we want to do becomes essential. This way, women journalists will be able to express their capacity as creative journalists. 

Navya Singh is the founder of NewsWithNavya. The company was crowdfunded in the beginning. She has a team of six people, and she says, “They call me more than I call them for stories," reflecting their passion for creating awareness around climate change. Navya belongs to a defence background and currently lives in Goa. She believes that being passionate, committed and hopeful is crucial to bring about change in society. 

In 2022, Navya found a story from Bangalore about a pregnant woman’s challenge in reaching the hospital for her delivery due to the lack of roadways near her society. This story was rejected by the mainstream media outlet she worked with. The reason? “Why should we care about it sitting in Delhi?” This struck Navya, and she realised this was not what she desired. In her words, “I want to either create an impact or I'm not a journalist”. 

Climate change was not given significance by the mainstream media. “It was not a priority for them and it's still not, but it is a priority for me, and that is exactly why I created my own channel,” she says. 

The rationale behind focusing specifically on climate change was that nobody talked about it beyond those conventional things like planting trees and not using plastic. However, more knowledge is required in order for these practices to be implemented. It was more important to find convincing stories along with solutions to create change and impact.

Like how every journey has its own glories, so does NewsWithNavya. Navya’s ’The Good News Show’ shares the latest positive changes made in the field of climate change. The show does not only inform people about the changes made but also inspires them to initiate one. This displays that Navya’s news does not focus only on the negative side but mirrors reality however it is- good or bad. The show’s fame also got NewsWithNavya featured at Harvard University!

Navya gets motivated to work harder when she encounters people watching her videos and talking about climate change. She feels that she is actually making a change and her work is given importance by people.

This journey has not been without its challenges. Navya shares that there is high competition in the social media market, requiring the creator to stand out. “You may have a brilliant vision, a beautiful way of storytelling and you know, amazing news to share with the audience, but if you are not able to stand out in that crowd, all of that goes to waste,” Navya shares. For this, consistency is significant, as it demonstrates commitment and helps you stand out.

Navya also attributes her success to the support she’s received from her parents. They made her realise that if the work she was doing was not making her happy, there was no point in working there. She was encouraged to resign, take a break, bring things on track and start anew.

Navya’s advice to future journalists was to identify the problem they wish to work on. To be able to start, they must be aware about the issue, stay updated, keep conversations with different people alive and continue to be curious. In the end, Navya places emphasis on working hard to fulfil your demands.

Written by Pradnya Gaikwad

Pradnya wrote this article as a participant of the Media-Makers Fellowship's April'24 cohort.