They Changed My Name to ‘Roger’ | Raj Mathai on the Future of News
He was told his name was too “difficult” for American television. For nearly four years, Raj Mathai became “Roger.”
In this episode of Diaspora Dialogues, 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, credibility, and the future of journalism.
Beyond the story behind his name change, Raj breaks down how AI and social media are reshaping the media landscape, the rise of citizen journalism, the challenge of fake news, and why media literacy matters more than ever for the next generation of storytellers.
A career built in one of the world’s most competitive media markets — and a genuinely inspiring immigrant story about adapting, staying credible, 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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