History of Press (Mr. Vikas Pathak)

Mr. Vikas Pathak’s second lecture on the ‘History of Press’ centered on many aspects that played a decisive role in our nationalist struggle against British occupation. He first explained to us the role that print capitalism played in the creation of ‘imagined communities’ (a concept credited to Benedict Anderson) and how newspapers created the foundations of such a community. He then articulated the difference between a Pre-Modern and a Modern State and the reasons for the semi-hegemonic nature of Colonial India. Then, borrowing from Antonio Gramsci’s theory of ‘war of position’, he gave us a synopsis of Gandhi’s book ‘Hind Swaraj’ that chronicles the ideological struggle that he and scores of other faced to reverse the hegemony of the State pre-independence. The lecture was concluded with a detailed analysis of the Nationalist Press of India and how it united the people to fight for freedom.

Media Laws (Mr. Satya Prakash)

The class lecture dealt with state functionality and how the protection of rights provided to the citizens has to be subject to reasonable restrictions. While the state derives its legitimacy from the consent of individuals, it’s this very heterogeneity prevents the existence of absolute rights for speech. Talking about free speech and it’s implied connotations for the media, Mr. Satyaprakash discussed how the state is a self-preserving entity, and therefore promulgates laws that seek to dissuade dissent. While reasonable restrictions are imposed on free speech, the metric to gauge whether the imposed restriction is reasonable or not is the ‘direct impact’ method. Simply stated, this method ascertains whether the restriction imposed completely hinders the very right it has presupposed to exist.

Financial Journalism (Mr. K.A. Badarinath)

The class started with a brief introduction. Professor K.A Badrinath, is the editor of Financial Chronicle and has previously worked with The Economic Times and The Pioneer. He commenced the lecture by talking about Journalism. He said that Journalism was like kite flying and required a certain realm of imagination.

 He listed down the top financial newspapers, namely, Economic Times, Financial Express, Mint, Hindu Business Line, Financial Chronicle and Business Standard. He also stated that “Reading a business paper is an art in itself”. Then he asked us to give our opinions on the state of Indian economy.

Talking about the Indian economy he stated that:

 1. The Indian economy is the ninth largest economy in the world. It’s divided between four sectors, namely, Industry, Agriculture, Export/trade, Services.

 2. It is the second largest foodgrain producer in the world.

 3. Our iron ore exports our banned. Iron ore is converted to steel and then exported to earn higher value.

4. Our net worth in terms of GDP is $1.87  trillion. Of which, 56.4% is contributed by service sector,17.4% by agricultural sector and 26.4% by the industrial sector.

5. However not even 5% of this forms the part of world trade.

6. Our GDP is the ninth largest as per the 2012 data.

7. India is the tenth largest importer and the nineteenth largest exporter in the world. Export accounts for $309 bn and import accounts for $512 bn.

8. In terms of the ease of doing business, India is on the 192^nd position which means it is very difficult to do business in India.

9. We engage in contract manufacturing. This means, our locally produced goods are further branded and sold worldwide.

10. To overcome all these problems, India first has to deal with its rural difficulties which include illiteracy, health, poverty and infrastructure.

Some of the world’s richest people live in India and own big business empires. Right now according to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the Business houses ought to contribute 2% of their profits towards social upliftment. However in practice, this rarely happens.

The lecture ended on the question, whether these business houses should come up and take initiative to contribute towards India’s social sector projects?

Communication: Concept and Process (Ms. Parul Abrol)

Communication:

Provide an abstract understanding of the communication process as an understanding. One can move beyond deciphering a single event, i.e. one can apply it everywhere.

Communication process:

The communication process is made of four components:

1) Sender-

The sender can be an individual, a group or an organization. The sender is responsible for sending the message. Sender’s experience, skill, attitude, knowledge, perceptions and culture influence the message.

2) Message-

It involves a threefold process. Written words, oral communication, non-verbal language selected are of paramount in ensuring the receiver interprets the message as intended by the sender.

For example: Burnett & Dollar.

·         The first step is Encoding in sending the message.

·         Encoding : - “Translating the information into a message in the form of symbols that represent the concept.”

·         Symbols used could be language, words, gestures, etc.

·         For effective message and message encoding, there should be clarity on what message needs to be sent.

·         To transmit the message, an appropriate channel is utilized.

         For example: oral or written communication, etc.

         Narendra modi writing English Editorials.

 The Message is pitched on the basis of:

a)    Urgency.

b)    If immediate feedback is received.

c)    If the documentation required should be permanent.

1) Receiver:-

This involves the next step viz. Decoding. Decoding is done by the receiver. Once the message is received examined, the brain interprets it.

How does a receiver interprets the message depends upon the following:

a)    Skill

b)    His/her knowledge on the subject

c)    Relationship between the sender and the receiver

d)    Experiences, attitudes, perception and culture.

1) Feedback:-

The Receiver may respond in some way and signal responses to the sender. This may be in the form of a smile, a sign, abuses, facial gestures, etc.

·         “A lack of response could also be a form of response”- Bovee & Thrill.

·         The communication process is the perfect guide towards achieving effective communication. This helps to ensure that the receiver gets the message and understands it.

2) Barriers:-

The communication process can be hampered by barriers.

• Inappropriate language, incorrect grammar, inflammatory words, words that conflict with body language, technical jargon.
• Noise and disturbances, etc.

All these factors can distort the message or prevent the receiver from paying attention. 

Journalistic Trends (Ms. Vichitra Sharma)

Sensationalaization has nothing to do with matured news, said by Ms. Vichitra Sharma, the veteran news editor and journalist, here on Wednesday.

Addressing the students of the department of English Journalism she pointed out that those media which sensationalize the news are more or less putting false assumptions to the reality. As the landing of India’s new fighter Super Hercules at the border of China has never reflected any sign of conflicts or between the two countries , the titles such as  a‘’showing of muscle’’ and  ‘’India dare to China’’ were far more exaggerated. Comparing the news headings of ‘’The Hindu’’, ‘’Hindustan Times’’, ‘’Times Of India’’ and ‘’The Indian Express’’ among them on certain issues Ms. Vijita indicated that when events are transformed in to news it should not be deviated from the reality.

She added that the journalists should keep a kind of responsibility towards the nation’s diplomatic affairs. Stressing the importance of it, Ms. Vijitha introduced the new special cell that has been created under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs known as ‘public diplomacy’.

 Giving conclusion for the lecture a warm debate was also conducted on the topic ‘’Will Social Media be The Future Platform of Journalism’’. All of the students actively participated in the discussion. While majority of the students were of the opinion that the social media will surely be the platform of the future journalism, others argued against the view. They argued that, as the social media do not have a say in media ethics and laws professional writers and think tangs are not so much ready to come to that field. They added that social media cannot defend any writer from being blamed or mocked by indecent utterances. 

News Report (Ms. Namita Kohli)

How is news made?

News is not something that merely “happens”. It is something that is actively “put together” by reporters, editors and publishers. Gathering, selecting and writing news is subjective.

News Filters

In their book Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of Mass Media, Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman postulate five “filters” that determines the type of news that is presented in the media.

The five filters are –

1)    The size, concentrated ownership, owner wealth, and profit orientation of the dominant mass-media firms.

2)    Advertising as the primary income source of the mass media.

3)    The reliance of the media on information provided by government, business, and "experts" funded and approved by these primary sources and agents of power.

4)    "Flak" as a means of disciplining the media.

5)    "Anticommunism" as a national religion and control mechanism. In Indian context, this religion can be replaced with “pro markets”.

Please Note: Post September 11 WTC Attack, Chomsky and Herman updated the fifth filter to “War on Terror or Antiterrorism” and believed it operated in the same manner.

For detailed reading on these propaganda models or news filters, kindly refer to:

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Herman%20/Manufac_Consent_Prop_Model.html

Writing for Newspaper (Ms. Satrupa Chaudhary)

The Lecture of Ms. Satrupa Chaudhary was on Writing for newspaper.  She started with the evolution of writing as to in what form it started, the changes in it and in what style it is accepted now.

·         Advertisement’s

·         Book reviews

·         News article

·         Editorials

·         Business letters

·         Interview

·         Movie review

She continued with the different forms of writing in books which included educational textbooks which were further divided into fiction, poetry, novels and sciences, mathematics and atlases. After books it was the social media which was classified by writing on twitter, facebook, texts, SMS, and even the blogs. Then the other form was the Media which had print and electronic forms in it.

Writing in newspaper is a medium to communicate with the people or the target audience through the different parts of newspaper articles like

·         International / national news

·         Local / metro news

·         Editorial – letter to editor

·         Business/ financial

·         Weather forecast

·         Sports

·         Supplements – lifestyle , entertainment, matrimonial

At last she concluded her lecture with the factors that affects the writing. That included the content, the structure, the style and the deadline. For effective writing, a writer should be careful of all these factors for effective reach of views to the target.

The first lecture on media laws and ethics by Mr. Satyaprakash focused on the basic duties of a reporting, during on-field reporting. In an elaborate lecture, he said about the basic duties and rules to be followed by reporters, that enables us to cover a complete story which makes sense and appeals to the larger masses.

Of the many things that he explained, he said that the first and foremost duty of a reporter includes informing the office or the editor about the incident and seeking permission to go ahead for covering the story. On getting a go ahead, there are several other factors that must be considered to make the news worthwhile.

One of the first ones to follow is the 5W1H rule, which entails covering ‘What the incident or the story is all about and where did it occur, when and why did it happen and whom all does it affect’ and how? This ensures that the news being filed is complete in every sense and makes it to the final print.

He continued with the lecture and talked at length about setting an agenda for discussion and debate in the society. This however is decided on the nature of reporting being done. For instance, only covering a particular incident and its details falls under micro reporting. On the other hand, covering the bigger picture related to the incident is macro reporting, and this is what sets the tone for debates and discussions.

Journalism and journalists, more often than not, act as a watchdog for the society. They report and cover the details pertaining to events which go unnoticed. Investigative journalism is one such field, which requires coming out with facts supported by proof, which otherwise would not come to the knowledge of the common man. And for all this, it is very important that to educate the common masses, one needs to research and research more to mature as a journalist. And then we have the duty to entertain the masses, by thinking and coming up with various ways in which the common man can be kept engaged to a common social cause.

The very first lecture of the session was with Ms. Namita Kohli on the basics of reporting. We started off by discussing what journalism stood for. Journalism basically sought to give voice to the “voiceless” or marginalized.  In this context it is also important to ask whose voices are we willing hear. It creates public opinion and brings forth key debates while also acting as a watching and empowering the citizens with information.

We next discussed what ‘news’ stood for. NEWS basically stands for “North, East, West, South” or everything which has any significance, a bit of drama, a surprise element, or concerns personalities makes news. Also scandals, large scale events and proximity of an event are important factors in determining the news. News is factual, objective, and lacks any bias. The various areas which make news can range from sports, crime, infrastructure, politics, legal issues, conflicts and calamities to fashion, entertainment, celebrities and lifestyle. Inside a newsroom, editors decide news according to its timeliness and define news as something readers care about.

We finally concluded by discussing how news is made. News is not something that merely “happens.” It’s actively “put together” by reporters, editors and publishers. Gathering, selecting and writing news is also a largely subjective matter.

The day commenced with an introductory lecture by Ms. Aditi who told us about the inverted pyramid form of reporting and rule of 5Ws and 1H. The inverted pyramid signifies that while reporting, the most relevant information must precede the less important details of the story.  We also had a little discussion about the major publications in India, their target audience and their influence.

The second lecture was on Communication Concepts by Ms. Parul Abrol. She defined Communication as “all those planned and unplanned processes through which one person influences the behavior of others.” She told us that we interact according to certain theories as they help broaden the contours of our understanding of communication behavior. They also help us predict and control our communication while providing us with an abstract understanding of communication process so that it enables one to move beyond deciphering in a linear fashion.

The next lecture was taken by Probir Pramanik who shared his experiences as a print journalist. He began by giving us an advice that while writing a report, the sentences must be short and crisp as it helps hold the attention of the reader. He said preparation study or research is a part of life for a journalist and sources and contacts are an essential part of journalism. While elaborating on each of these points by sustaining them with real life examples and interesting anecdotes from his experience as a journalist, he also remarked on some relevant facts about the media industry. He told us about the constant conflict between the industry trends and journalistic trends which is present due to the strong corporate lobby that enables the corporations and politicians to plant stories. Lastly he spoke about the newspaper’s social responsibility towards the people so that the reporter may write ethically without instigating them.

The first lecture by Mr. K G Suresh focused on the basic fundamentals of editing. We were given a brief insight into the job of a newspaper editor and how an actual news copy is edited and made fit for publication. The lecture primarily focused on various factors which should be kept in mind while writing a good news copy.

Some of the factors which are essential for preparing a good news copy are as follows:-

1.Being professional: The writing must be formal and crisp. But simple and conveying the news in short.

2.Maintain reader’s attention: It should be a good copy, useful to the reader. It should not just have an attractive headline; the body needs to be relevant as well.

3.Presentable: The copy must have a proper layout, good captions, headings, significant boxed items, stats and figures, boxed backgrounders, headlines in place, sub headings, proper graphs and photographs.

4.Copy fit for publication: The final copy must be credible as well as fit for publication.

5.Highlighting the relevant: The copy should look relevant for the public at large, it needs to touch the core of the people.

6.Factual: Facts are sacred. So, they need to be correct. It is very important to be cautious.

7.Selection of content: It should always touch the target audience.

8.Sentiments should not be hurt.

9.Effective: Words, nuances, various terms that make a copy effective must be used.

10.Bias: The copy should always be objective. An impartial delivery is a must.    A copy must never be one sided, both versions must be addressed.

11.Error- free: It is very important for the copy to be error free.

12.Co-ordinating.

13.Inverted pyramid structure: The most important part of the copy must always come first.

14.Backgrounds: A brief backgrounder is important in a copy, not just for the first time readers but also to refresh the memory of the public.

Also, the editor should be aware of his target audience and the news copy should be prepared accordingly. The article should be able to engross the reader and captivate his attention throughout. The Editor should also try to chalk out a fine balance between the demands of his readers and the inclinations of the newspaper’s corporate ownership. A bias towards either direction can be damaging for any news copy. Moreover, the lecture emphasized on how having good general awareness is pivotal for any news editor. He should be well versed with the happenings around him and portray them accurately, whenever he is called upon to do so. We also had a discussion about how vital it is for any editor to take an interest in all fields and develop qualities like curiosity and inquisitiveness. 

Censorship is pure political: Sanjay Kak

Censorship serves no other purpose but political. That is what Sanjay Kak, an ace documentary filmmaker said at grand finale of orientation ceremony held at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. He had been invited to provide some insights to IIMCians on documentary-filmmaking and also make them aware of the pitfalls one has to go through being in this profession. As documentaries are usually based on serious issues, multiplexes don’t showcase them and most of the time the content of documentaries gets controversial thus leads to showcase-challenges. On asking why he won’t allow censorship of controversial segment, he emphatically answered “I would accept screening-hurdles but would never compromise on my message.”

His lecture was tailored with the history of documentary culture in India, also beautifully embroidered with his personal anecdotes. Though the trend of documentary set in after WW2, it is only after 1977 that the watershed moment came with the popularity of documentaries like Prisoners of Conscience, Waves of Revolutions by renowned documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan who also happens to be his inspiration. It was Mr. Patwardhan’s visit in his college which sowed the seeds of documentary-love in his heart. He shared an interesting anecdote that it used to be mandatory for movie-theatres to screen at least one documentary before projecting movie but the trend somehow died. Though he advocated that it must be rejuvenated but also added with the inception of internet, documentaries are actually reaching out to people. Screening is no more a problem. There is now a good chunk of audience interested in documentaries.

Mr. Kak ended his lecture by reiterating that censorship isn’t pro public but political and which is why independent filmmakers need not bend knees before politicians or extremists. If the work is flawless and extraordinary, it will surely be recognized by audience whatever may be the medium. If not an organized screening then an online one!

Clap with neighbors not slap: Mani

Unmindful of earlier backbites including recent ambush and subsequent killing of five Indian soldiers by Pakistani intruders, Congress still shies away from taking hawkish tune against its aggressive neighbor. If one is to go by what senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer said during orientation ceremony held at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, “slap approach” as being suggested by opposition is no solution, amicability with neighbors is significant and which can only be brought about through “clap approach”. He also added that exuding the zenith of patriotism, opposition might say “teach buggers a lesson but well one has to consider that those buggers have nuclear bombs too.”

Mr. Aiyer separately discussed India’s relations with each of its neighbors historically and also currently. He said that India has always shared rapport with Bhutan which still continues with bonhomie with current king Khesar Nagmyal. He cautioned that though India helped Nepal restore democracy in its state but given that it is a buffer between India and China, India must be hyper sensitive about their sensitivities. As for China, the geographical disputes still continue. Tibet and Arunanchal Pradesh are major bone of contentions yet economic bonding with China is strong. It is an irony that it was India who vehemently supported and assisted in the formation of Bangladesh yet the latter doesn’t seem to extend friendly hands.

He also doubted at foreign policy being a Centre prerogative given the fact that state governments increasingly and forcefully influence foreign policy stand for their own vested interests.

To surmise his entire lecture, India cannot afford to take a tough stand against its rough neighbors be it Bangladesh, SriLanka or even Pakistan because being in a globalized world it’ll take no time for small neighbors to summon in super-powers in order to fight against their mammoth neighbor i.e. India. Thus the only way forward for India’s Foreign Policy towards its neighbours is that “uninterrupted” and “uninterruptable” dialogue with them doesn’t come to stall.

Profit motives are killing serious journalism: Sevanti Ninan

Indian print-media business is in doldrums. Recently Outlook did away with three of its magazines and Times of India closed its weekend edition named Crest. Grappling with huge revenue deficit due to lower cover price and exorbitant print cost, Industry is bound to bend towards advertisers. As Sevanti Ninan, media critic and columnist said during orientation lecture held at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, it’s profit maximizing industrial trends of media profession which are driving the journalism trends and subsequently taking the sheen out of business.

Earlier media was embraced as a service. Owners used to get more concerned about people than profit. But with the reins being handed over to second-generation, the things have turned for worst. The management no more sees media as a service but business. For them minting monies is the mere motive. They can go to any extent to win high-heeled shareholders and advertisers. This advertisement-driven or profit-driven media model has actually given a leeway to planted news and assassinated the real journalism.

Ms. Ninan also threw light on how English dailies like Times of India and The Hindu are going to launch their regional versions and also entertaining supplements in order to earn revenues and thus boost the quality of their mother-product.

To conclude, revenue deficit in print media organizations is what ails the industry qualitatively and ethically. As the end-product i.e. the published paper is exceedingly cheaper than what is spent on its produce, management will definitely look for other sources of funds. Either the overhaul in price structure of newspaper will take place or let’s just accept that print-media business will soon die, perhaps within 10 years to come.

Blunder of Past, Pain in Prsent: Prof Kumar

Currently battered Indian economy is just paying the costs of historical mistakes. To understand the concurrent economy, its development since independence needs to be seen in a long-term perspective. That is how Professor Arun Kumar from Jawahar Lal University saw Indian economy and also worded his thoughts in a book named Indian Economy since Independence: Persisting Colonial Disruption.

Prof. Kumar made his appearance at orientation ceremony held at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi where he lectured on current macro-economic challenges and also put forth historical angles to corroborate why India chronically suffers from those challenges. He explained that there is sentiment of slowdown in almost each industry like automobile, realty, manufacturing and infrastructure etc. which causes export-slowdown. As India is an import driven country and there is slump in exports, it consistently runs Current Account Deficit which puts downward pressure on rupee and makes it depreciate against dollar. These developments make rating agencies like CRISIL, Standard & Poor’s etc. to downgrade ratings thus prompt capital-flight i.e. outflow of dollars by foreign investors. As Lack of dollars is the cause of ballooning CAD in the first place, India gets stuck into vicious cycle. Cure for one becomes the pain for another and cycle keeps extracting its fuel out of pains.

Why India could not break this vicious cycle, could not turn it into virtuous one is because the country never focused on indigenous means and ended up being the victim of external sector volatility. The country remained work-horses, provided cheap labor to overseas manufactures but never itself developed technologies, never worked on exploiting internal resources

To surmise his entire lecture, historically we, Indians failed to stay original and innovative and got increasingly dependent on volatile foreign trade but we will have to understand that external weather cannot be controlled so its better to develop internal resistance.

Media for conviction not convenience: Mr. Varma

Equipping IIMCians with essentials of media profession during orientation ceremony held at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, Mr.  Uday Kumar Varma, former secretary of Information and Broadcast Ministry, said selection of pertinent issues and presenting them in a language being understood by laymen is a must for media professionals. Those who are driven to media with firm determination not just out of shallow interest can only make a change, can head to north. Thus whether to pursue Journalism by conviction or convenience...choice is of one’s own!

Mr. Varma’s informative lecture also threw light on when the newspaper breathed first and how it grew up during the years to come. He told that Raja Ram Mohan Roy is known as the father of press whose Samwad Kaumaudi is the very first published newspaper on Indian soil. Newspapers were launched during independence movements in order to make people aware of the atrocities British inflicted on Indians. He further elaborated that in today’s scenario; media must mould public opinion towards the good and must also arouse some “desirable sentiments” in the hearts of readers.

His lecture was full of stories, anecdotes, poems and popular phrases which appealed to students and teachers alike. In the end, he motivated the students by stating that compassionate and passionate attitude is a must for budding journalists. He rested his words by reciting following poem by Janet Rand:

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach for another is to risk involvement. To expose your feelings is to risk exposing your true self. To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To believe is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live. Chained by their attitudes they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom. Only a person who risks is free.    

   

Audience-research is must for survival in profession: Mr. Cherrian

Very soon research based campaigns will be a must for political parties to run the current democracy consisting of vigilant audience. Not only politics, audience-research is going to become the pre-requisite for any profession to successfully survive. After all, before you sell, you must know who your buyers are. That was the message what Dilip Cherrian, an image guru who owns one of the leading Public Relations firm named Perfect Relations, conveyed through his orientation lecture at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi.

Mr. Cherrian, in fact, himself began his speech with quick audience-research in order to weave his thought-threads for the gathering sitting before him. Sensing the changing perceptions of today’s audience, he also enumerated three components what audience will be expecting from producers and which are veracity, understandability and stretch. To elaborate, in the Babel of voices around an authentic produce, easily understandable, something which stretches knowledge-span is what will cater to the interests of emerging audience. Thus, the crux of his entire lecture can be surmised in following words: “Slice your audience and press the button which wins you most of them.”

Tidbits:

1)    He advised that being a budding journalist, each mass com student has to have a say on at least three stories in a day. Not just a verbal say but a flash on social media is also required.

2)    He defined the word ‘strategy’. The pre-requisite to strategize is to know your enemy and then proceed with planned and healthy combat.

3)    There is hearsay about three key components of running a restaurant and which are location, location, location. In the vein of it, three key ingredients for being a successful journalist is Research, Research, Research.