Journalism
What is journalism?
Are you inquisitive, have a nose for news, do you have a flair for writing; strong on spelling and grammar: can you write about how your brother fought over something without being too verbose or boring? If yes, then journalism may be your true calling.
Journalism as a process is essentially a way of sifting through information for facts and then summarising those facts with words, pictures and sounds.
A successful journalist is one who is interested in all fields. Here are some traits that are imperative for a good journalist.
• Observant
• Unprejudiced
• Unbiased
• Resourceful
• Enthusiastic, good communication skills
• Sense of responsibility
• Leadership qualities
• Computer savvy
Where can one get training or where are these courses available?
Listed below are a few institutions offering courses in journalism. However, no course or training can claim to make one, a journalist. The courses train persons in the technical aspects only, to ensure one's success in the field one must have an inborn ability to write and produce new stories in correct, concise and interesting style.
The information presented below is subject to change, owing to institutions policy.
1. Course Name: Post-Graduate Diploma Course in Journalism
Institute: Indian Institute of Mass Communication
Eligibility:
• Bachelor's degree in any discipline.
• Those who have appeared/are appearing for the degree examination are also eligible to apply.
• Post-Graduate degree in any discipline and media-related work experience is desirable.
• Indian nationals.
Duration: One Year
Course Fees: Tuition fee for courses is Rupees 19,000/-*. In addition, at the time of admission, Rupees 1,500/- to be deposited towards Student's Welfare Fund (both are subject to change).
More Information:
• All eligible candidates will be required to give an entrance test followed by an interview.
• The course is available in New Delhi and Dhenkanal, Orissa.
• Limited hostel seats only for out-station women candidates.
Contact details: Indian Institute of Mass Communication
JNU New Campus, Aruna Asaf Ali Road
New Delhi 110067
Phone No: +91-11-26171360
Website:
2. Course Name: B.A. Honours (Journalism)
Institute: Lady Sriram College
Eligibility:
• The Senior School Certificate Examination (Class 12) of the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi, or an examination recognised as equivalent
• The Indian School Certificate Examination (12 years) of the Council of Indian Schools Examination, New Delhi. Students should have passed in four written subjects including English. The aggregate requirement will be determined on the basis of English and three best elective subjects out of four.
• Pre-University Examination (2 years after 10 years of schooling) of an Indian University recognised by the University of Delhi.
• The General Certificate of Education Examination of U.K. Students should have passed with at least five subjects at the ordinary level and at least in
two subjects at the advanced level. These two advanced level courses may either be chosen from among the five ordinary level subjects or from outside this group as prescribed by the University of Delhi.
Duration: Three years
More Information:
• Admission to this course will involve an entrance test.
• Candidates have to register in person for the written tests and in the L.S.R. application form.
Contact details: Lady Shri Ram College for Women
Lajpat Nagar-IV
New Delhi 110024
Phones: 91-11-26434459, 26460400, 26460434
Fax: 91-11-26216951
E-mail:
Website:
3. Course Name: Post-graduate diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication
Institute Name: St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
Eligibility: Anyone who is a graduate in arts, science, mass media, commerce with at least 50 percent marks.
Duration: Ten months
More information:
• The Journalism course is a full time, post-graduate diploma programme.
• Non-working students will be given preference because of the intensive study programme.
• There is an entrance test followed by an individual interview.
Contact Details: St. Xavier's College
5, Mahapalika Marg
Mumbai 400001
Maharashtra
Phone: + 91-22-2262 0661 or 2262 0662 or 2262 0665
Website:
What is the eligibility criterion?
Graduate Programme:
• Higher Secondary School Certificate (10 + 2).
Post Graduate Programme: Bachelor degree in journalism from a recognised university.
What is the scope of this career?
A journalist can work in print, broadcast and electronic media as a reporter, editor and script writer etc.
Some of the options have been discussed below.
Newspapers: These include broadsheets, morning dailies and tabloids. These carry various types of news, comments and analysis of current events.
News Agencies and Bureau: This is the place where news from different places are received and syndicated to other sections of the press.
Periodicals: These are publications that appear at regular intervals. These include magazines, journals and digests.
First-hand account of this profession: a blind person’s perspective
I (L.Subramani) reside in the IT city of Bangalore. After finishing a master’s degree in the English literature from Loyola College, Chennai, I went on to pursue a postgraduate diploma in journalism. My childhood dream was to be a chartered accountant but somehow I was drawn towards writing. With my little vocabulary knowledge and the trodden grammar, I would pen down my feelings after watching tennis and football matches. However, it was during the college days that my tryst with journalism began. I enjoyed interacting with people and found knowing about them interesting.
I started as a trainee with The New Indian Express. The year 1998 was a remarkable one, as my first article got published. I still remember the overwhelming feeling I had. For me it had served a dual purpose, it started my professional innings and proved those wrong who felt, I could never come anywhere close to that.
I worked as a sports reporter with chennaionline.com. Among other things, I covered two ATP tour tennis tournaments here. After the dotcom burst, I moved to technical writing, as there wasn’t a good break in journalism. Though my stint was fully technical, I took time out to contribute (as a freelancer) for major newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times and Deccan Herald.
In the earlier stages of my career, I had apprehensions about travelling and this I guess goes for any other blind individual. In the course of time I learnt that asking for help without hesitation was the best thing to do. I feel it is very important to tell other people about your needs, very specifically.
Apart from this, over the years of working, I have picked up the trait of a serious journalist, which is the ability to respond quickly to a request to write.
It is important to be mentally prepared to meet tighter deadlines, which means we must be ready to construct sentences, choose right words and phrases etc.
at any given point of time. Tighter deadlines would also mean the clarity of thought and ideas must flow at your beck and call.
I must add that the ability to summon our skills at the required time is the greatest challenge for any working professional. Today when I go out to interview somebody, I do it with more authority. The credit goes to my habit to research well on the subject and the person as well. I have had great opportunities to pen down the stories of many a famous personality of the likes of Kamal Hasan and Leander Paes.
I find that the eagerness or the curiosity to know the depth has helped me in all aspects such as composing a report, editing documents and giving captions/headlines.
Well, I must add that all these skills come after working for sometime in an organization.
And these skills can be acquired by anybody, disabled or non-disabled.
It’s the effort that counts in the end.
Wherever I work; I make it a point to completely orient myself with the work surroundings and its people. Apart from this, I find assistive technology (in my case I use JAWS) can be an added advantage.
At this point of time, I have spent seven seasons in this profession. All these hard-work and toil has given me the confidence to reflect on the path I took, to unfurl the tricks of the trade and help people pursue this profession of weaving words to create magic.
My suggestion to aspirants would be:
• To learn well before venturing in. Come with the mindset to learn and develop interest for researching.
• Language is the main tool and so, if you find your language skills (both spoken and written) inadequate, try working on it first before starting the career.
• Develop the attitude of doing things fast, so that it might help in meeting deadlines.
• Last but not the least; don't forget your reputation lies in your ability to work fast and accurate.
Life poses challenges at every step, and the work scenario is no different. The best way is to accept that a new day will bring new situations and you must be ready to handle them appropriately.
L.Subramani is a reporter with the Deccan Herald, a premier newspaper in Bangalore.
Contact details: 32 Ground floor
3rd Main, 1st cross
Ejipura Main Road, Vivek Nagar
Bangalore 47
India.
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