Effectiveness of Interactivity in News Websites: A Case Study of NDTV, CNN-IBN & Times Now

New Media like Internet has made the “Freedom of Speech and Expression” more powerful for every journalist and every single citizen to raise their voice sharing opinions breaking barriers of distance and time. Active participation and contribution to news has become remarkably easy with numerous interactive features provided in various forms for both journalists and citizens. Notable interactive features of news websites of television news channels like NDTV and CNN-IBN are creating powerful platforms for both journalists and public to interact and express views. NDTV news channel's website ndtv.com provides space for citizen interaction where citizens can become a member of the site's forum and take part in all interactive features. CNN-IBN News channel's website ibn-live.com also has interactive features for citizens to participate and contribute their share of news in many ways especially with a dedicated page for “Citizen Journalism,” through which citizens can largely contribute their views as a Citizen Journalist by writing articles on several grounds. Internet being a global network of networks, views and expressions of every citizen across the globe can be voiced out in a common platform on all global matters from political issues to national policies through these interactive features of news websites. This paper analyses the interactive features provided by news websites of NDTV, CNN-IBN and Times Now determining the benefits of these features in enhancing active participation of online users in expressing their views and opinions through in-depth analysis and interviews from concerned people of the news websites. A survey taken up evaluates the extent of participation of online users in the interactive features of the news websites.