National Webinar on Prospects and Challenges in Sports Journalism

National Webinar on World Sports Journalists Day-Prospectus and Challenges in Sports Journalism was organized by the Department of Media Studies and the Department of Physical Education. The one day webinar scheduled on July 02nd, 2020 designed to enhance the Sports Journalists/Physical Education Directors / Teachers / Coaches / Sports Personnel at the College/School level. The event witnessed a participation of 612 delegates from across the globe, with delegates from different countries. International Webinar on World Sports Journalists Day-Prospectus and Challenges in Sports Journalism was inaugurated by Rev. Fr. Augustine George, Principal, Kristu Jayanti College. Father said that In sports journalism as technology introduced new developments like the radio, television and the internet, the focus of sports coverage shifted from the play by play to statistical analysis of the game and background pieces on the players. This was also coupled with a massive increase in sports amongst the general public. In the modern scenario, sports students have a lot of job opportunities in sports Journalism for the future.

Ms.MANUAJ VERAPPA Assistant Editor, (Sports) The Times of India, Bengaluru had a lovely interaction with the participants.

National conference on the topic Newsroom Inclusiveness and Multicultural Narratives

The Department Of Journalism and Mass Communication organized the fourth edition of the national conference on the topic Newsroom Inclusiveness and Multicultural Narratives  on 27 & 28 February, 2020. Rev. Fr. Sebastian Elanjikkal CMI, Provincial, St Joseph’s Province delivered the presidential address. He said media is the guardian angels of the society in the right sense, and it has to be more sensitive to the people marginalized. The inaugural address was delivered by the chief guest Shri. Shubranshu Chowdhary, Founder CGNet Swara and Former BBC Journalist. He spoke his experience as a war journalist in BBC and how a news narrative is different at international level and local level. Shri. Shubranshu Chowdhary spoke about how “audio” can be answer to our problems in connecting to the masses in the media dark regions of our country. He went on to draw references from his professional life when he came face to face with harsh reality of his state; Chattisgarh. How the problems of the tribal population never makes it to the mainstream media.

The conference further had elaborative and profound talks given by the technical session speakers. The first session was on Multicultural Reporting by Ms Asma, Media Critic & Independent Journalist. She spoke about gender and caste inclusion in the newsroom. She challenged the audience to question the concept of objectivity in news and asked if objectivity could be obtained in presenting just two sides of the stories. Ms Asma explained the inference of multinational companies and political parties in the news-making process. She encouraged students to make use of internet news platform to for independent reporting.

It was followed by session on Transgender Representation in Media by Ms Heidi Saadiya, Reporter, Kairali Channel. She spoke about the social stigma against the trans-community even after the legalization of section 377. Ms Heidi had shared her story of transformation from a male to female and her struggle to educate  herself which empowered her. “Transgender community lacks voice in mainstream media. Society looks at them as beggars or sex workers. There is very little effort to understand the basic needs of the community,” she said.  Heidi shared hos she has to fight the stigma as a transwoman in media.

The second-day session  began with Media Inclusiveness – Gender Perspective by Ms Gita Aravamudan, author, journalist and novelist. She talked about the transition in the newsroom and the increasing presence of working women journalists, which has provided a platform for their voices to be heard. She said, “There is a positive change in media. Even though it is slow, media is giving more space to women and minorities.”  Ms Gita also had an interactive discussion with the audience on the female gaze and objectification of sex in advertisements.

It was followed by a  session on Everyday lives Everyday problems: Reporting the marginalized. The resource person for the session was Ms Vishaka George, PARI. She shared various stories that People Achieve of Rural India is doing and how it impacts the life of many. She explained the complexity of reporting news about rural India. Ms Vishaka shared information on how students and professionals can associate themselves to independent organizations such as PARI.

The third session was on Culture and Inclusiveness in Design and Advertising by Mr. Fazil M, Creative Head, RR Donnelley. He spoke about how one needs to think out of the box to be creative in order to survive in the ever-changing field of creative media. He went on to elaborate on the fact that advertisers do strive hard to be inclusive, not only in terms of race, religion or caste but also in terms of ideas.

The post-lunch program began with the paper presentations. The conference has around seven papers from delegates around the country. Dr Bhargavi D Hemmige, Professor, Department of Media Studies, Jain University, Bengaluru was the moderator for the session. The paper had diverse topics ranging Kannada media, portrayal of homosexuality in advertisements, gender roles in cinema, Dalit representation in Indian cinema and so on.

The last session of the two-day conference was by D V Rajashekar, Former Editorial Advisor, The State. The session titled Madhyama Bahutva focused on pluralism in Kannada media. Mr. D V Rajashekar spoke about how difficult it was for people from minority communities to gain entry to the field of media and the scenario has changed for the better as society has started being more inclusive. He also spoke about the importance of bringing issues related to minorities to mainstream media and how crucial it is for the development of the society.

PRCI Chanakya Award 2020

Journalism and Mass Communication Department, Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru bagged the Chanakya Award 2020 for Best Communication School -National Category’ by PRCI. Venue : Jnana Jyothi Auditorium, Palace Road, Bengaluru at 5 PM

Alumni Talk Series: Keep your mind open and asses your skills

The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru organized an interactive session with alumni for the postgraduate students on 31^st January 2020. The speaker for this occasion was Mr. Anurag Thomson, who is presently working as a Senior Creative Analyst at YAHOO for the past two consecutive years. Mr. Anurag was welcomed by his very own Professor Dr. Juby Thomas who stated that Mr. Anurag is a person who is passionate about his institution and he is someone who has given the best of his abilities to this college as a student and as alumni.

Mr. Anurag shared his experience as a student and as an employee in the industry. “I was always interested in print media as I believed that the pen is powerful and writing was my forte as well as communication but later realized that advertisements as a perfect match,” said Mr. Anurag. As he went on speaking about his steps into the media industry, he also took a minute and briefed us about his experiences during his internship. He also provided a new perspective on the advertising industry and the prospects of digital media advertising. “Goals are something that everyone should have and work upon but also have a plan B,” he added.  He continued to give us a glimpse of his personal experience about criticism as it is something that is bound to get when you step into any industry or in any walk of life. Criticism should be taken in a positive manner and make it constructive as it gives you an edge to grow and become even better than before.

Hailing from the media industry, Mr. Anurag has given an insight into the learning that happens in each sector. The industry is quite different from the outside, there is a lot of relearning that takes place, one must need to adapt to it and be able to pick up things that are sorted in the workplace. The session was then followed by a couple of questions from the students relating to the different sectors of this industry and he was even taken back to the initial days of his college environment and he even shared his experience of getting to talk to the Placement head of Kristu Jayanti College to bring in companies for their placement.  Mr. Anurag further went on to give a couple of tips to all the first years by encouraging them to keep their mind open and to access their skills and grab whatever opportunity comes their way. Mr. Mayank Kabtiyal from first-year MA Journalism proposed the vote of thanks.

Guest Lecture on ‘Media as a Subaltern Voice’

The Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communication (PG) organized a guest lecture on the topic ‘Media as a Subaltern Voice’ by Mr. Kshithij Urs, Adjunct Professor of Public Policy, National School of India University, Bengaluru.

Touching upon various concepts like the Post Truth Era, Post Information Era and importance of Political Enlightenment, he emphasized the role of media as an agency for the people. By bringing in examples of geo-political relevance, ever concept was dealt with a larger perspective. There was a need, he mentioned to move over content and consent that was manufactured, rather as budding media professionals to keep in mind those who would be consuming the content that we create.

The importance of media in mobilizing people and public opinion cannot be understated and, in a democracy, the onus lies on media to play the role of the fourth pillar instead of being a tool in the hands of those who hold the power. Transparency and accountability in public policy, prioritizing the legal awareness among the public, he said would ensure that people, often not in positions of power would know their rights and would be able to create an agency for themselves.

Guest lecture on “Advanced Reporting Writing”

The Department of Journalism of Kristu Jayanti College organised a seminar on “Advanced Reporting writing” for the PG students on 10 January 2019. Mr Pradeep Nair, News Editor at The Hindu was the resource person. He explained different types of news, style of writing, maintenance of credibility in writing to the students in detail in his session.

The session started by introducing different types of news stories and the style of writing in each to the students. He shared tips to find news stories and the importance of maintaining credibility by giving attribution to the sources in the stories. “Attribution is very important in journalism. It enhances credibility to your story” he said. Mr Nair e also spoke how correct attributions are a means to counter fake news. “Publishing the source can be avoided if the information is very much sensitive, but should be revealed to the Editor-in-chief of the news organization “he added.

Mr Nair spoke about the dissemination of unauthentic news stories in social media and the trend among people in relying on social media for news. “Spending your time in social media for news is waste and assure the reliability of the news content in the forward messages before taking into your mind,” he advised the students. He also emphasised on the importance of giving quotes in news stories. “Quotes gives life to news stories,” said Mr Nair

He introduced a new variety in journalism “Data journalism” as a career option for the students which gives them the opportunity to go deep into the story. He also encouraged young aspirants to make use of western publications for reading which helps them in bringing innovative style into their writing.

Prof. Frankie Edozien from New York University addressed the Journalism students

As part of the International lecture series organized by the postgraduate department of Journalism and Mass Communication Prof. Chike Frankie Edozien, addressed the students on January 16, 2019. He is a Journalist and Writer and currently serving as a faculty member of New York University. He is also known to be the first Nigerian to have written a non-fiction book on homosexuality, The Lives of Men, in 2018. He addressed the students on international reporting, focussing more on how developing nations of Asia and Africa are covered in global media. He explained that in the age of technology, the idea of what is local has changed and that it is now local is international. People from all over the world share similar experiences which enable them to connect over the internet.

He defined how the traditional western media look at developing nations and listed five criteria with regard to developing countries that make news – Death, Diseases, Disaster, Despair, and Corruption. He explained that this one-sided portrayal and whitewashing news, is leading to widespread misrepresentation and misconceptions about the countries. This has led to misleading ideas about the countries of Africa and the continent itself.

He elucidated on the need to change this and put the prerogative on the budding journalists to change this perception. This he believes can be done by laying down the importance of story-telling and changing the narrative of the developing nations. It is imperative to create one’s own narratives as journalists, so as to give a clear and truthful picture. He values above all, honest journalism, having compassion, giving the context and historical importance of matters of concern, looking into the nuances, the finer details which will make one’s work stand out and avoiding generalizations that lead to stereotypes.

Kristu Jayanti Students initiate a three-day campaign to build sensitivity among fellow being

The students of Kristu Jayanti College celebrated the importance of life among the underprivileged fellow beings. A three day campaign in Bengaluru was organized by the final year undergraduate students of Journalism. The campaign began with paying respect to the elders in the society and commemorated their contributions. With a theme “Light amidst the Darkness,” a three-hour programme was conducted at Gunella Preethi Nivas – Home for the old on January 16 and 17, 2019 to bringing hope, light and joy to the elderly members of the home for the old.  “We were overwhelmed by the positive response from the members, as an elderly gentleman expressed his gratitude on behalf of the house. He also encouraged us to be strong, bold and passionate in all our endeavors as they consider us as the future of the nation,” opined Yana Sylvester, a final year student.

“The purpose of the campaign was to nurture kindness and compassion among the students and teach them to make a difference in their local community after the college hours.  Around 150 students actively participated in the campaign and it was overwhelming to see them spreading happiness in the life of the deprived fellow beings in the neighborhood,” opined Dr. Juby Thomas, coordinator for the campaign.

The three-day campaign ended on January 20, 2019, with an exclusive gathering of Jayantians at JMJ Sneha Sadan Children’s Home.  It ended with mirth and fun abound as all the children were treated to delicious snacks and gifts that enlightened them. The students empowered the children to shape their story, where organizers, as well as the children, enjoyed a great deal with much exuberance and enthusiasm. The little ones relished an evening of entertaining activities which included fun games, dancing, and sing-offs where the children were able to showcase their talents in different ways.  “Seeing the smiles on their faces just made our day,” said Diya Ann, a final year Journalism student of Kristu Jayanti College. “Parting ways with them was the most painful part,” she added.

Being able to dance together in unity was the highlight of the campaign; each and every one who were part of the initiative learnt the value of unity and friendships and that no obstacle can put an end to one’s happiness as long as they’re in unison. Every single student jumped and leaped and laughed wholeheartedly with the children and elderly members, proving that age does not act as a barrier between them.