Asian News International

Asian News International
Company typeNews agency
IndustryMedia, news media
Founded9 December 1971; 52 years ago (1971-12-09)[1]
FounderPrem Prakash
Headquarters
New Delhi
Area served
India, South Asia
Key people
  • Sanjiv Prakash
    (CEO)
  • Prem Prakash
    (Chairman)
OwnerANI Media Private Limited[2]
Websiteaninews.in

Asian News International (ANI) is an Indian news agency that offers syndicated multimedia news feeds to news bureaus in India.[3][4][5] The company was established by Prem Prakash in 1971 and, under the name TVNF, it soon became the first agency in India to syndicate video news.[6] Drawing upon connections within the Indian government, ANI expanded greatly during the early 2000s. After a period of downturn, the company regained its monopolistic position; as of 2019, it is India's largest television news agency,[7] and as of 2024, the largest newswire service.[8]

Investigations by The Caravan and The Ken into the company have alleged that the ANI has been closely associated with the government of India for decades, including under Congress rule, but especially after the election of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2014, with its reporting alleged to favour and serve as a "propaganda tool" for the government's agenda.[9][7] ANI has been accused of amplifying a vast network of fake news websites spreading pro-government, anti-Pakistan, and anti-China propaganda,[10][11][12] as well as quoting apparently fabricated sources associated with these websites.[13]

  1. ^ "ANI MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED – Company, directors and contact details". zaubacorp.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Terms & Conditions". Asian News International. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  3. ^ Shrivastava, K. M. (2007). News Agencies from Pigeon to Internet. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-1-932705-67-6. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  4. ^ Paterson, Chris A.; Sreberny, Annabelle (2004). International News in the 21st Century. Georgetown University Press. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-86020-596-5.
  5. ^ Raman, Anuradha (5 February 2022). "Footaging It Fleetly". Outlook. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  6. ^ Saxena, Sunil. Web Journalism-The Craft & Technology. Tata McGraw-HillEducation. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-07-068083-8. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ahluwalia-2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC 30 October 2024 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference donthi-2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Hussain, Abid; Menon, Shruti (10 December 2020). "The dead professor and the vast pro-India disinformation campaign". BBC News. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2020. The network was designed primarily to "discredit Pakistan internationally" and influence decision-making at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and European Parliament, EU DisinfoLab said.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference saeed-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference rej was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Modi Govt's Go-To News Agency ANI 'Quotes Geopolitical Experts, Think Tanks That Don't Exist': Report". The Wire (India). 23 February 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2024.