Journalism and media have traditionally been the pillars of free speech and mediums to shed light on the truth. However, in modern times this is rather a murky area. Even though, journalism is based on a foundation of ethical values and guidelines, today news that is presented to the public has underlying tones of discrimination and politics as well as capitalism.
So, what should the students of journalism and budding media persons take away from this? Is it okay to push them into this sector without preparation, so that they too can fall into this trap where favoritism is a norm? What a huge responsibility this is for the educators!
In a refreshing take in this regard comes from National Institute of Mass Communication & Journalism (NIMCJ)’s initiative Accendo. The word Accendo is derived from the Latin word, ‘ad’ meaning ‘to’, and ‘candeō’ meaning ‘illuminate’, implying ‘to light’. As such, the annual event started in 2016 aims to provide an opportunity to learn the nuances of effective communication. It is devoted to sharpening the communication skills of the budding journalists in order to cater to the 360-degree demands of the dynamic media industry. It not only provides comprehensive practical training but also touches on complicated subjects like the ethical and moral values of journalism.
This program, completely organized by students of the final semester, has flourished under the mentorship of Dr. Shirish Kashikar, Director, NIMCJ, and Dr. Shashikant Bhagat. In the process of organizing, they enhance their industrial exposure and become capable of carrying out managerial decisions. The ability to communicate and articulate under extreme situations is the key skill-set for any media professional. The program brings in the different professions under a banner, where learning takes place.
The 5th edition of the event was inaugurated today by Pradip Jain, Managing Trustee, Dr. Shirish Kashikar, Director, and Dr. Shashikant Bhagat, Faculty. The theme this year was Dynamics Of Communication with some excellent speakers like Deepal Trivedi, Dr.Paresh Kariya, Nehal Bakshi, AR Mayank Raval, and Dr. Parth Vaishnav.
Dr. Kariya, being the first speaker, addressed the audience on Crisis Management and Communication, Bakshi explored the subject of Creativity and Conflict, and Raval spoke on Communication and Vaastu.
Deepal Trivedi CEO and Founder of Vibes Of India, who has over 30 years of experience in the industry, enhanced the subject of Truth and Ethical Dilemma. She expressed her pleasure at being able to speak on this important subject, and had a very productive and interactive session with all the students. Talking about a budding journalist, she said, “How does he, a budding journalist, fit into an ideologically inclined news organization? How does he balance Truth and Agenda-setting? It is more than just budding journalists. The senior journalists, and actors are all absolutely different categories. No one faces a dilemma in the initial years, but everyone does face it at least once in their careers. In my 30-year journey, I too faced a dilemma once in my career span, after the initial 7 to 8 years. One should report what they see and not what you think is right, you report and not give your opinions. One should keep their opinions to themselves no matter how accurate and correct they are.”
Trivedi also insisted on providing the right direction to the journalists. She said, “A budding journalist should be groomed and molded into a proper one, no one can expect a newbie to fly immediately, but after a proper training and guidance they will excel. A new journalist needs to be taught to imbibe the basic ethics and values of Journalism. Bulldozer journalism is not to be supported… I would never, it is more harmful, and dangerous than addictive drugs! At first it won’t harm but in the later years you face breakouts, you feel stressed, so beware is all I would say.”
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