He was told his name was too difficult for American television. For nearly four years, Raj Mathai became "Roger."
Sujatha Padmanabhan sits down with Raj Mathai, the first Indian sportscaster in the United States and a 12-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, for a conversation about identity, journalism, and adapting to a rapidly changing media landscape.
Beyond the story behind his name change, Raj dives into the future of journalism and how media trends are being reshaped by artificial intelligence and social media.
As someone who built a journalism career in one of the world's most competitive markets, Raj shares his perspective on the rise of citizen journalism , the challenges of fake news , and why cultivating media literacy is critical for the next generation of storytellers.
This conversation is an essential look at the evolving media landscape -a truly inspiring immigrant success story about adapting, maintaining credibility, and finding your voice.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
02:45 The Journalism vs Content Debate
06:15 Credibility and Ethics in Modern Journalism
14:01 Has Reporting News Become Harder?
20:30 Editorial Integrity vs Virality
25:54 From Sports Journalism to Daily News
30:17 Raj’s First Night on Live TV
37:24 On Changing His Name to ‘Roger’ for TV
41:31 Family, Kerala, and Early Years
46:39 On Late Nights and a Journalist’s Schedule
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