‘Tech has disrupted media formats’
Today it is mobile journalism (MOJO), tomorrow it will be something else. How will you prepare students to perform better in the upcoming future?
Media has two aspects – content creation and content distribution. For both aspects, technology has been a great propeller and also disrupted all media formats. But the structure of news content is constant. Whether it is a tweet or a 400-word story, the age-old structure of ‘inverted pyramid’ writing style is timeless. However, media schools have great rooms for infusing teaching innovations so as to nurture budding journalists or content creators to cope with any and every technological change or rather train them to be platform neutral. At Pearl, besides classroom inputs, students work on multiple live industry projects and collaborative projects with international universities that push them into content creation for all media platforms.
Today, industries need candidates who are allrounders. How do you help boost students to acquire all such essential skills when pursu ing journalism course?
Earlier media school syllabus was not only about focused skillset but also dedicated towards one platform, be it print, television or digital. Success of a media professional in the digital age is by finding ways to integrate content across multiple media formats hence; role of the teacher becomes paramount on how opportunities are created within curriculum to enable students to craft stories that are not tied to one platform. From readership, circulation to TRPS, the new highs are defined by likes, shares and views. Social media has democratized media content and distribution. However, what does not change is the foundation skill and art of content creation for news or entertainment.
How is Pearl Academy’s curriculum more insightful than other media institutes?
At Pearl Academy, the first lesson that a media student learns is that ‘news is the most perishable commodity in today’s age and it remains in constant danger of going stale.’ Hence, speed and accuracy have become two essential skillsets in curriculum to make them industry-ready. Mobiles and cell phones get an entry in certain classrooms because news and entertainment consumption is shifting from large screens to small screens on mobile. Today production is also making a slow shift from hi-end cameras to mobile devices, as mobile has become the most important tool for them to create content (video / photography or posts) and spark meaningful conversations. Another very important strength of Pearl’s new School of Media is its widespread international connect that allows its students to work on collaborative international projects or even travel to an international media school for a semester as part of the exchange.
What is the current scenario of Media & Communication Industry in India and what is the scope for young professionals?
Media today has moved from mass communication to mass conversations. The media industry has become more powerful and influential than when it was restricted to only print media or electronic. The convertible currency for content creator or media owners is now ‘followers’. Young journalists need to expand their learning spheres to get a thorough understanding of media distribution, audience analytics and make the story go viral. The future of media jobs is not going to be defined by designations but projects and the work that one does. Now they have vast opportunities available in media and entertainment sector which is not restricted to content creation. It ranges from research and analysis to layout design, content curation, digital strategies, photography, mobile video and mobile content.