With eighteen years of expertise in the field of journalism, Neha Khanna anchors the Prime Time show at India Ahead as the Executive Editor. She advises budding journalists to stay impartial and dedicated, highlighting the hard work and dedication required in journalism since she began her career at NDTV. Neha also emphasizes the significance of ethical media usage and cherishes a fulfilling path despite the various obstacles she faced.

Neha Khanna has been a TV journalist for the past eighteen years. Currently, she is the Executive Editor at India Ahead, a nationwide English news channel. She anchors the Prime Time show 10 O'Clock on this channel.

Neha began her career in 2008 with NDTV and worked there for 13 long years. Her experience at NDTV trained her to perform all kinds of editorial roles here. She started as a reporter and covered crimes, political news, and elections. As an anchor, she has had unique opportunities to take on different roles and responsibilities. Rising through the ranks, she feels privileged to host a Prime Time show today.

Neha was born and raised in New Delhi. She received her entire formal education in New Delhi itself. She did a BA (Hons.) in Political Science from Hindu College, followed by a PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from IIMC, New Delhi. She underlines that this city has given her a lot of exposure and opportunities in her career.

From the very beginning, Neha was interested in listening to the radio and had clarity early on about what she wanted to do as she grew up. She was fascinated by RJs and dreamed of becoming one, often receiving compliments for her ‘deep voice’. At 15, she aspired to be a radio jockey. However, in the 11th grade, she decided to become a TV news anchor when she was introduced to TV news broadcasting.

During those times, NDTV was the first 24-hour news channel in India. Watching the news reporting, Neha realized that this was what she wanted to make a career out of. She shares that she was fortunate enough to be recruited by NDTV during her PG Diploma course, marking the beginning of her TV journey. Neha started her professional career at 22 with NDTV and spent thirteen years with the channel, serving in the capacities of news anchor, reporter, and editor.

At 22, she finished college and later enrolled in the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, where she learned about radio, television, and journalism. From this college itself, she started as an intern at NDTV back then. Neha acknowledges the fact that right from the beginning of her career, she got to work and learn from many eminent journalists, the likes of Dr. Prannoy Roy, Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai, Sreenivasan Jain, Ravish Kumar, etc.

Talking about her journey in the field of journalism, Neha shares that it has been a roller coaster ride for her. She expresses that she has had her highs and lows in the industry. According to her, moments of self-doubt and encountering challenging situations are very common in this field.

According to her, journalism is not at all about the glitz and glamour of being on TV but about a continuous learning process that demands a lot of hard work to be put in. Besides, unlike other 9-to-5 jobs, journalism has no defined work hours, and a journalist is required to work even on national holidays. Therefore, she advises aspiring journalists to join the field only if they are interested in it and not for the perks it offers.

Neha says that her journey so far in the TV news industry has been through a lot of ebbs and flows. She says at times she had to grind through it, and it tested her patience. However, she says that, despite numerous challenges and hardships, the journey has been truly rewarding for her. The journalism career is filled with a constant learning curve, and the best journalism can be learned by starting a career as a reporter. She herself was a field reporter for 11 years, where every day was exciting and challenging at the same time.

Elaborating on the challenges further, she says that a journalist might have to address communal tension, a catastrophe, a political rally, murder, etc., and whatnot. She points out a few things a journalist must have to grow in the industry, like extreme hard work. She has endlessly worked on national holidays and festivals. What drove her the most was her passion for this industry, and only then will they get gratification from this industry. Whereas glamour and recognition are just byproducts of what one gets in the industry.

The media and journalism industry is indeed very competitive. Hence, Neha has had her days of self-doubt and physical and mental exhaustion. She warns against the burnout rates and the attrition rates in this industry. She has woken up at 3 am and worked days and nights at a stretch in situations of ‘breaking news'. The hard work done is very testing but rewarding at the same time, she says.

When Neha talks about her initial time in this field, she shares how she started with a month-long internship at NDTV. She gained a lot of opportunities and exposure, from being a reporter to working on the desk. She learned how to operate the camera, shot her own videos, filmed her own stories, edited the video for hours, and published the final product on air. According to her, one needs a combination of technical and editorial skills to excel in this career.

Neha believes that a journalist should be a generalist. She says journalism is a sensitive industry with a lot of responsibility. Journalists can't afford to make errors, as one wrong piece of information can wreak havoc, especially in today's digital age. Additionally, a journalist needs to be informed on various topics across different areas.

It doesn't matter if it's covering wars around the globe, elections in India, or breaking news; on her Prime Time show, Neha covers it all. This also includes interviewing ministers and reporting on the pandemic, which involves extensive reading and research. One day, they are war experts; the next, COVID experts; and on the third day, economic experts presenting the budget on TV.

Talking about her achievements, Neha shares that she once had the opportunity to interview the world’s foremost infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, which was an achievement for her.

Sharing her learnings and experiences, Neha says that she learned to be calm and patient on air. They are live on TV 99% of the time, so the ability to stay calm is crucial in this field. For a journalist, it is important to educate themselves first before educating the world. Hence, there is a lot of constant learning on the job. Often, a reporter may have just one line of information about the news, but it is their job to inform viewers in the best way possible. Neha also shares that journalists often make bloopers on TV, which is completely okay, especially during breaking news when the newsroom is very chaotic. Trolling is another downside of the profession; in the age of social media, it is a new challenge that journalists face.

Journalist Neha Khanna shares that she is a passionate person with strong relationships with her colleagues and sources. She highlights that instincts have played a big part in her profession, especially in covering diverse stories. She recalls an example where she came across a hate speech and genocide case. Neha feels fortunate to have pitched this story to her editor for Prime Time coverage and succeeded in convincing him. She received many applauding comments for the coverage, marking it as a significant win in her journey.

Neha laments that, like every other sector, there are some bad apples in the TV news broadcasting industry, which makes the general public doubt the credibility of the industry. However, she emphasizes that many journalists strive to present accurate and authentic information, and their efforts are appreciated. Neha also speaks about the responsibility of viewers in choosing the type of channels and news content they wish to consume. She further expresses concern about the increasing biases based on race, caste, religion, and other factors that are plaguing the industry today.

To aspiring journalists, Neha advises standing for what they believe in and never becoming opinionated. She stresses that a journalist's role is to report all sides of a story accurately, leaving it to the viewers to form their own opinions. Neha reflects on how they were always taught to "never editorialise" their stories, but journalism has taken a 180-degree turn today, with basic principles often compromised by stating opinions instead of facts. She finds it embarrassing for journalists and dangerous for viewers, as they may not be able to distinguish between factual information and opinion.

To unwind from her work, Neha likes to spend time with her family and friends. Besides, she loves to travel, listen to music, read books, savour delicacies, and binge-watch Netflix in her spare time. She sees herself as a foodie and loves to meditate as well. Her life mantra is to focus on the bigger picture and not worry about little things, as the rest is just noise. She keeps on reminding herself that there might be tough days, but on the other days, the sun will shine on her too. Further, she mentions that as a journalist, there might be some bad days, some bad shows, things may go wrong, etc., but it's important to stay calm and let it be the way it is.

Neha advises people to be conscious and cautious about the news and information they consume on TV and social media. She emphasizes the importance of not spreading false information that could incite unrest in the country.