LEARN THE TRADE TRICKS
There is a change happening in newsrooms and technology has a big role to play. Know the industry trends and how to keep pace.
25 K Ganesan, Director-General, IIMC on what’s new in the field of journalism
Media as a branch of study and practice is highly creative. One of the key demands of the profession is thinking out-of-the-box and students aspiring to be journalists always need to be on their toes. K Ganesan, Director-General, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), throws light on the interface between technology and media studies and the rising popularity of regional journalism.
Entrepreneurship and media education
The audience is always the focus. The needs and wants of the consumer are constantly changing and imagination and creativity form the fundamentals of the profession. In this era of social media, a journalism student therefore, needs to have the ability to sell and deliver the idea to the audience smartly. There is ample scope for entrepreneurship and start-ups in this field.
Technology and learning
Technology is driving the world today and there is no industry or segment left untouched. Newsrooms nowadays experiment a lot with new ways of packaging information and this has been made possible because of the different technologies such as video editing, page designing, sound editing, and digital videos. At IIMC, we have introduced a new paper on media for all courses so that students can stay up-to-date with latest developments in the field of technology, and learn how to use technology to present stories in an engaging manner.
Need for language journalism
A regional language is the perfect medium to express a range of issues, besides the rituals, traditions and culture of one particular community. Language journalism can play a key role in meeting these needs. We have seen a substantial increase in students taking up language journalism studies and institutes starting such courses. We are working towards giving a major push to Indian language journalism and have introduced Marathi and Malayalam journalism courses at our Amravati, Maharashtra, and Kottayam, Kerala campuses. We have also upgraded our certificate programme in Urdu to a postgraduate diploma programme at the Delhi campus.
Skills to succeed
Students who have no dearth of ideas are more likely to make it big in this industry. Being inquisitive is another essential. Language journalism especially demands a profound understanding of that particular language and culture. But, all future journalists must be ready to work in situations beyond their comfort zone and must be flexible and adaptable to change.