What is Debatewala

People's trust in news is at an all time low right now. If you were to believe all the news that's out there - it would lead to the conclusion that everything is true and everything is false at the same time. The news organizations themselves agree with the sentiment. The ecosystem consists of TV news channels, Youtubers and newspapers. One TV news channel points out to other TV channels saying they are fake news. The same news channel in turn gets called out as fake and biased by some youtubers. These youtubers are in-turn called out to be biased by other youtubers. Everyone is pointing fingers at someone else. There is a huge difference in the content and sentiments being shared - to the extent that it's undeniable that a lot of it is biased. Many have given up on news, making up their mind that it would never be unbiased and never be high-quality. The astonishing fact is that these above statements are true, no matter which country you are thinking about. It's an issue of global importance.

'Debatewala' is a platform to debate topics of national and international importance. It's designed to counter the many reasons that news organizations aren't trusted today.

Here are the reasons News organizations aren't trusted today and how we aim to solve the issues in our platform: 1. Dependent on Government and Private Companies for their revenue: This is true of most newspapers and news channels. They get a lot of revenue in advertisements from Governments because of which it's said that they are forced to telecast pro-government views. Similarly, they can't speak against the business groups that advertise.

   We strike to avoid this problem by not being dependent on advertisements. We shall have a business model being dependent on the end users who visit and use our website. We can sell them subscriptions, ask for donations and sell digital goodies (like how Reddit and Discord do it)
   

2. They are owned by large corporate houses or billionaires: It's said that many news organizations are pro-government and pro-business because they are owned by large corporate houses or billionaires who want to be on the good side of the government.

   We strive to avoid this by being being a non-profit.
   

3. Sensationalism and Click Bait: Some news organizations prioritize sensationalism and clickbait headlines to attract more viewers or readers. This can lead to a focus on entertainment rather than informative and balanced reporting.

   We stive to avoid this. We aren't a news platform, we are a debate platform. We have debates on topics and these will be written in a standard way. Such as the name of the politician; the name of the law being discussed; the name of the company being discussed.
   

4. Political Bias: We strive to avoid this, by presenting the best points from both sides of the argument. Suppose we are debating about a politician. We will be providing equal space and opportunity to both sides - for and against.

5. Confirmation Bias: News consumers tend to seek out and trust sources that confirm their preexisting beliefs. This can reinforce existing biases and lead to distrust of opposing viewpoints. We strive to avoid this. We are going to use a new unique format in which the content will be presented. We call it the "Argument - Counter Argument" Format. For each statement presented by one side - there will be space dedicated for it's counter to be written by someone of the opposite side.

6. Misinformation and Fake News: The proliferation of misinformation and fake news on social media and some news websites has made it difficult for people to discern credible sources from unreliable ones. We strive to avoid this. We aren't like other platforms - news channels, newspapers, youtube, social media where people can make any number of statements on any topic and get away with saying whatever they want no matter how biased or fake it is. We are going to have strict rules regarding what topics can be discussed on our platform. Also, we will be having limits on how many statements can be made by each side on these topics and how frequently can these statements be made. So, basically, you make a statement which is spreading misinformation - you have to deal with someone of opposing view getting a dedicated space where they can debunk you. Whenever your statement is shown on the website, it is shown along with the counter argument. You have wasted your chance to provide your best argument which couldn't have been countered; and you can't change your statement for some set amount of time.

7. Lack of Transparency: Some media organizations are criticized for a lack of transparency in their reporting processes, including anonymous sources and undisclosed conflicts of interest. We avoid this as we are a platform, we aren't publishing anything by ourselves; and are infact providing equal space and opportunity for both sides of the argument.

8. Coverage Prioritization: News outlets may prioritize sensational or celebrity-driven stories over important but less attention-grabbing news, affecting the public's perception of news value. We strive to avoid this. We plan to cover only topics of national and international importance. We have strict rules on what is considered in-topic. Religion, celebrities, sportsmen, artists are strictly off-topic.

9. Loss of Public Trust Over Time: Repeated instances of errors, retractions, and biased reporting over the years have contributed to a gradual erosion of public trust in the media.

   We strive to avoid this. Our plan is to attract real politicians, world leaders and experts on our platform and give them limited space to debate on important topics. They better note down their strongest, well-thought and well-researched points; else they would loose the debate in eyes of our readers when the other side brings their strongest points.