Friday 31 August 2012

K. V. Nagaraj is Pro-VC at Assam Central University

I am extremely happy to inform you that Prof Dr. K. V. Nagaraj has recently taken over as Pro-Vice Chancellor of Assam Central University, Silchar, Assam. He joined the Department of Mass Communication of the University in 2009 as Professor and Head. 


Earlier, he served as Professor and Chairman, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Mangalore University.

A veteran Communication researcher and teacher, Prof Nagaraj was earlier associated with the Andhra and Mysore universities and Maharaja College, Mysore. He began his career as a sports reporter-cum-sub-editor in Kannada daily Prajavani, and editorial trainee in Deccan Herald, Bangalore. He has been advisor to scores of media schools and research journals.

He earned his doctoral degree at the University of Mysore with this thesis on  History of Kannada Journalism: An Analytical Study (1843- 1980)

He can be contacted through mail: nagarajkv2000@yahoo.com 

Sunday 26 August 2012

TV watchers are wider readers, says NBDB readership survey



BY CARMELA G. LAPEÑA. GMA NEWS August 23, 2012 1:39pm

Contrary to what one might think, watching a lot of TV doesn't mean less reading. Results of the 2012 National Book Development Board Readership Survey revealed that the Filipinos who more frequently watch TV are more likely to read non-school books.

"We thought na distractions ang TV, newspapers, radio, videotapes, malling... No. In fact, they enhance. The more frequently you watch TV, read newspapers, listen to the radio, watch videotapes, and go to the mall, the more likely you are to be reading a non-school book," said Linda Luz Guerrero, vice president and chief operating officer of Social Weather Stations (SWS) during the presentation of the 2012 National Book Development Board Readership Survey results on August 22 in Ortigas.

Commissioned by the NBDB, the Social Weather Stations conducted the third NBDB Readership Survey last May, among 1,200 respondents all over the Philippines. "Akala rin natin na 'yung Internet seems to have been a distraction. The data shows it is not a distraction. It has no association. In fact, all Internet users are non-school book readers," Guerrero said.

The survey showed that an average non-school book reader in 2012 started reading at about age 15: younger than in 2007 (16) and 2003 (17).

"Tumataas na ‘yung proportion of those reading non-school books at a young age. Ayan 'yung isang magandang nangyayari. Nag-uumpisa na silang magbasa, bata pa lang sila," said Guerrero. While such findings seem encouraging, the survey also revealed that the proportion of book readers is in decline.
During the first survey in 2003, 94 percent read; 90 percent of this 94 percent read books. In 2007, 92 percent read; 83 percent of this 92 percent read books. In 2012, 88 percent read; 80 percent of this 88 percent read books.

Four out of five Filipino adults are readers

 
For non-school book readers, there was also a decline, with 92 percent (of the 80 percent who read books) in 2012, lower than 96 percent (of the 83 percent who read books) in 2007. But the figure is still higher than during the 2003 survey, when only 76 percent (of the 90 percent who read books) were non-school book readers.

However, SWS noted that this is still high—four out of five Filipino adults are readers.

Most readers have no specific schedule for when they read—81 percent of non-school book readers read anytime they want to. Among those who do have a specific time, almost half, or 46 percent, read before going to sleep. 

SWS said that among the demographics, location, educational attainment and civil status were the most important factors affecting non-school book readership.

"The higher your education, the more likely that you will be reading non-school books. The more single you are, the more likely you are to be reading a non-school book," Guerrero said.

As for frequency of reading non-school books, educational attainment, main source of education, and civil status were the most important factors. 

About 4.6 hours reading time weekly

The survey said that readers are spending more time with their books—with the average number of hours a week at 4.6 hours, higher than 3.8 hours in 2007, and 4.5 hours in 2003.

On average, a person has read about six books in the past 12 months, while 21 percent did not read any non-school books in the past 12 months, more than 14 percent in 2007, and 17 percent in 2003. 

When it comes to choosing books, readers tend to rely on blurbs (44 percent) and word of mouth or recommendations from family or friends (40 percent) for information about books they might buy. 

Still, the Bible (58 percent) remains the most popular book read, followed by romance books (25 percent), and cooking books (21 percent). 
As for ebooks, only seven percent of book readers are ebook readers. NBDB Executive Director Atty. Andrea Pasion-Flores noted that this is still three million people.

Ebook readership is significantly higher in urban areas, among classes ABC, youth aged 18-24, and college graduates. 

The most common device for reading ebooks is a laptop computer, and 90 percent of readers still prefer printed books. In 2007, only 1.2 percent said they had purchased non-school books online.

"The 2012 survey has good news and not so good news, perhaps not making the trends in the country so different from patterns seen in other countries," said NBDB Chair Flor Marie Sta. Romana-Cruz, citing two articles she had read online.

"Both lament the decline in reading," she said, citing Adrian Hon's "The Long Decline of Reading", and one of Hon's bases for his article, the 2007 National Endowment for the Arts study "To Read or Not to Read."

"Among the points highlighted is the general decline across the ages in the reading of literature or challenging text," Cruz said, referring to Hon's work.

"Thinking in reading is just too difficult and books do not offer the instant gratification that they and their peers are in search of," was what a group of girls from a private high school in Manila told Cruz when she asked them what the reasons were for the rise of reluctant readers among their peers.

Filipino books preferred

Former NBDB Chair Dr. Dennis Gonzalez said the NBDB survey provides information that can help NBDB as well as other stakeholders in book development in coming up with programs to encourage Filipinos to read. Gonzalez noted that one interesting point was that people prefer to read in Tagalog or Filipino, according to the three surveys.

"Maybe that's one way we can increase readership. The survey already shows three times, more then 50 percent, people prefer to read in Tagalog or Filipino, and yet when you actually look at Philippine publications it's mostly in English," Gonzalez said.

He also said that the survey is improved through the years, but not all questions are included due to budget constraints.

"Hopefully, with the help of the publishers and all stakeholders in book development we can all come up with programs, plans that would precisely encourage more Filipinos to read and to develop the habit of reading quality reading materials. We need the information so we can use that information in designing programs for that purpose," he said. –KG/ELR, GMA News


Wednesday 22 August 2012

Details of the book on Public Service Broadcasting


Some friends asked me details of contents and authors of the book Public Service Broadcasting and its Role in Raising Civic Consciousness’ about which we had a blog post at


Here are the details:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction                                                                                         
Sundeep R. Muppidi & Premila Manvi

1          Exploring the Role of the Media in Building Democratic Societies     
Sundeep R. Muppidi

2          Public Service Broadcasting and Role in Civic Consciousness                        
Premila Manvi

3          Public Service Broadcasting in Bangladesh                                        
Muhammad Jahangir
4          Public Service Broadcasting in Kampuchea: A Transitory Phase                  
Namrata Bansal

5          Public Service Broadcasting for Ethnic Minorities:                              
The Case Study of South Asians in Hong Kong
John Patkin

6          Public Service Broadcasting in India                                                   
Sanjay Ranade

7          Public Service Broadcasting in Malaysia                                                          
Azman Azwan Azmawati

8          Public Service Broadcasting in Singapore                                            
Tharuka Prematillake & Kalinga Seneviratne

9          PSB as an Education Media in Sri Lanka:                                            
Opportunities and Programming Constraints
Thilina Samarasooriya

10        Public Service Broadcasting in Macau:                                                            
Case Study of Teledifusao de Macau
Joao Francisco Pinto

11        Public Service Broadcasting in Bhutan: The Case Study of BBS                     
Premila Manvi

12        Entertainment Education on India's Public Service Broadcaster:                    
 The Ground-breaking Role of TV Programme 'Kalyani'
Usha Bhasin

13        The Role of PSB in Creating a Civic-Conscious Society:                  
Experiences of Sirasa TV, Sri Lanka
Asoka Dias

14        Recommendations and Conclusion                                                      
Sundeep R. Muppidi & Premila Manvi

Asia Journalism Fellowship 2013 opens for applications


The fifth round of the Asia Journalism Fellowship will run from 25 February to 17 May 2013. The fully-sponsored programme is accepting applications until 12 October 2012 from accomplished mid-career journalists.
The annual programme is an initiative of Temasek Foundation and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. It brings journalists from across Asia to NTU's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for three months.
Away from the deadline pressures of their jobs, Fellows pursue their intellectual interests in one of Asia's leading universities. The semi-structured programme is designed to sharpen professional skills and deepen understanding of trends in media and communication at a time of rapid and sweeping change.
It also provides access to key newsmakers in Singapore's public sector, business community and civil society, offering insights into the challenges faced by one of Asia's most cosmopolitan hub cities.
Applicants should have five years of experience and the potential to make a difference in their profession and their home country on their return. Journalists working in any news medium – newspapers, magazines, television, radio or the web – can apply. The programme is in English, but welcomes journalists from local-language media. Visit http://www.ajf.sg for details on how to apply or email applications@ajf.sg if you have queries.

Friday 17 August 2012

Winter School “Mass Communication” in Indore


Umesh Narwariya (umesh11110@gmail.com) has sent me the following:

Academic Staff College, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore has organised a 

Winter School “Mass Communication” 

from  17 th December 2012  to 06 th January, 2013. 

Theme of the programme is  “Mass Communication and Journalism”

Registration fee- A demand draft of Rs. 500 (non-refundable) payable at Indore in the name of Director Academic Staff College, DAVV, Indore

Download the Application form from our website www.asc.dauniv.ac.in

Tentative Topics to be covered are following:
(1) Communication
(2) Advance Print Communication
(3) Advance Electronic Communication
(4) Media Management
(5) Development Communication & Rural Communication
(6) International & Political Communication
(7) Communication Research
(8) Media Writing
(9) Media Production
(10) Media Laws & Ethics
(11) Visual Communication
(12) Film Journalism
(13) Corporate Communication
(14) Web Communication
(15) Media Technology

Venue:- Academic Staff College, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya,Takshila Parisar, Khandwa Road,
Indore (M.P.)

Course Co-ordinator Dr. Namrata Sharma
Dr. Mansingh Parmar Director, AS

Book on Public Service Broadcasting and its Role in Raising Civic Consciousness


Dr Sanjay Ranade has sent the following:

AMIC has published a book titled 

Public Service Broadcasting and its Role in Raising Civic Consciousness.

Its details:

Authors:                                           Sundeep R Muppidi & Premila Manvi., eds
Price                                                S $30 (Asia)    US $23 (Outside Asia)
Edition                                             
ISBN                                                978-981-4136167
Year of Publication:                         2012  

Synopsis: 
In the past two decades, public service broadcasting (PSB) around the world has witnessed intense competition and pressure from commercial broadcasters, as well as a whole range of new media channels. How is PSB withstanding this competition and how relevant are such channels in todays society? 

This book explores the role of media in democratic societies and specifically that of PSBs in Asia. It presents case studies from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kampuchea, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Macau, Sri Lanka, and Singapore. These studies document the Asian experience in PSB while exploring if there is a role that such networks are playing (or can play) in creating a civic conscious Society.

--
The book contains a chapter penned by Dr Ranade.

Sunday 12 August 2012

The Zakaria plagiarism: Lesson to be learnt


You must have come across this story today on Mr Fareed Zakaria. I reproduce The Washington Post story for the benefit of writers, media men and women, and more important, academic scholars. This should be an eye-opener to the scholars who write PhD theses, dissertations, and academic books. They perhaps already know that there are software available to detect plagiarism. The Zakaria episode tells us that there are people who detect plagiarism even without the use of such software and expose the culprits.
Better be careful while we use words and thoughts of other without giving due credit to the original author.

What is plagiarism? Please visit this blog post:



Now read about the Zakaria episode:

Fareed Zakaria suspended for plagiarism by Time, CNN

By Paul Farhi



Time magazine and CNN suspended columnist and TV host Fareed Zakaria on Friday after he acknowledged that he plagiarized sections of another writer’s article about gun control.
The Washington Post, which publishes a separate column by Zakaria on its op-ed page, said it was reviewing Zakaria’s work for the newspaper.
Zakaria has apologized to CNN and Time over the column, which was published in Time’s Aug. 20 issue. A shorter blog post that included some of the plagiarized material appeared on CNN.com. The column in question has not appeared in The Post.

Zakaria lifted several passages from an article by historian Jill Lepore that was published by the New Yorker magazine in April. In her article, Lepore wrote: “Laws banning the carrying of concealed weapons were passed in Kentucky and Louisiana in 1813, and other states soon followed. .
..Similar laws were passed in Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma. As the governor of Texas explained in 1893, the ‘mission of the concealed deadly weapon is murder.’
In his Time column, headlined “The Case for Gun Control,” Zakaria uses this wording:
“Laws that banned the carrying of concealed weapons were passed in Kentucky and Louisiana in 1813. Other states soon followed. ... Similar laws were passed in Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma. As the governor of Texas (Texas!) explained in 1893, the ‘mission of the concealed deadly weapon is murder.’
The all-but-identical language was first spotted by Cam Edwards, host of the NRA News radio program, and first published byNewsBusters.org.
In a brief interview Friday with The Post, Zakaria said he has apologized to Lepore. He had no further comment. Zakaria said in a statement earlier Friday that he made “a terrible mistake. ... It is a serious lapse and one that is entirely my fault.”
Zakaria is a multimedia star. In addition to his Sunday-morning program on CNN, “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” he writes regular columns for Time and The Post, as well as books about world affairs. CNN said that it won’t air Zakaria’s program Sunday and that it is reviewing his work. Time and CNN are owned by Time Warner.
Zakaria’s next column for The Post is scheduled to appear Wednesday.
“Fareed Zakaria is a valued contributor,” said The Post’s editorial page editor, Fred Hiatt. “We’ve never had any reason to doubt the integrity of his work for us. Given his acknowledgment today, we intend to review his work with him.”
In 2009, Zakaria was accused of using, without credit, material published by Atlantic magazine columnist Jeffrey Goldberg.
Source: 
--

Wednesday 8 August 2012

If you lose your mobile phone, you can get back

The following has been mailed to me by friends. Please try and let us know if it works. Please pass it on to your colleagues, friends and relatives:

Lose Your Mobile In India, You Can Get It Back
Got an interesting fact to share. Nowadays each one of us carries Hi Fi Mobile devices and always fears that it may be stolen. Each mobile carries a unique IMEI i.e. International Mobile Identity No which can be used to track your mobile anywhere in the world. This is how it works!!!!!!
1. Dial *#06# from your mobile.
2. Your mobile shows a unique 15 digit.
3. Note down this no anywhere but except your mobile as this is the no which will help trace your mobile in case of a theft.
4. Once stolen you just have to mail this 15 digit IMEI no. to cop@vsnl.net
5. No need to go to police.
6. Your Mobile will be traced within next 24 hrs via a complex system of GPRS and internet.
7. You will find where your hand set is being operated even in case your no is being changed.

PASS ON THIS VERY IMP MESSAGE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES.

If u lose your mobile, send an e-mail to cop@vsnl.net with the following Info:

Your Name :
Address:
Phone Model:
Make:
Last Used no:
Email For Reply:
Missed Date:
IMEI No:

Monday 6 August 2012

Journalists, Designers and Photographers need in Pune media

1. Times of India, Pune, needs copy editors, reporters, designers and photographers. Visit the following link and pass it on others who might be interestsed:

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIPU%2F2012%2F08%2F04&PageLabel=19&ForceGif=true&EntityId=Ad01904&ViewMode=HTML


2. Dr Ujjwala Barve has notified the following:

1. Blynk, a hospitality interface aiming to revolutionize the interaction between hospitality industry and its customers (http://www.blynk.it/) needs a Freelance writer who can write articles on hospitality and mobile technology for their online content.They need articles on an average 2-4 a month. nterested candidates please contact :-
Hiren Yadav
Vice President - Marketing
Blynk Systems Pvt Ltd
Email: hyadav@blynk.it
Mob: +91 9898 909 214

--------------------------

2. Pune-based English newspaper Life 365 from publishers of Aaj ka Anand - Pune's oldest Hindi daily, is seeking applications for post of Sub-editors/ Feature writers for full-time/part-time work. Email at: ananddec11@yahoo.com.

Kiran Thakur

Deadline for TISS Post-Graduate Diploma in Community Media extended to August 16

Dr Madhavi Reddy forwarded the following to me:


From: Monteiro-Jayasankar <contact@monteiro-jayasankar.com>
Date: Sat, Aug 4, 2012 at 6:52 PM
Subject: Diploma in Community Media Last date extended:August 16
To: Anjali Monteiro <monteiro@tiss.edu>

Dear friends,

This is to inform you that the last date for application for the Post-Graduate Diploma in Community Media has been extended from Aug 7 to Aug 16. All other dates remain the same- the programme commences on October 8, 2012. The programme is being offered in modular form (6 weeks + 8 weeks in Oct-Nov and April-May) to enable employed candidates to enroll. While the medium of instruction is English, we will in practice try to make the programme as bilingual as possible (English and Hindi).

The course is designed for social workers, community activists and cultural organisers who are engaged in grassroots level activities, with the goal of supplementing their field efforts with knowledge, perspectives and skills to enable them to work with communities and facilitate expression of their concerns through the media. The programme will foster among students a critical understanding of the contemporary micro and macro level development issues and help them appreciate the role of community structures, institutions and dynamics in the context of using media for empowerment. The students will also be trained to use tools and technologies to make them proficient in designing, initiating, monitoring and evaluating media programmes in their respective communities.


A detailed announcement of the course along with the application form and prospectus can be found on the TISS website:

http://tiss.edu/announcement/pgdcm-applications-invited-2012-2013
Should you feel this Diploma would be of use to any of your friends/ institutions you are associated with, we would be grateful if you could share this information.


Warm regards,


Anjali and Jayasankar

______________________________________
Anjali Monteiro, Ph.D., Professor & Dean
K.P. Jayasankar, Ph.D., Professor & Chair, CCMP
School of Media and Cultural Studies
Tata Institute of Social Sciences,  Deonar, Mumbai 400 088, India
Phone:+91 22 2552 5661 and +91 22 2552 5660 (Work)
Fax:      +91 22 25525050    e-mail: contact[AT]monteiro-jayasankar[DOT]com
URLs: www.cmcs.tiss.edu
           http://likeherelikethere.wordpress.com/
           http://atwodayfair.wordpress.com/
           http://ourfamily2007.wordpress.com/
           http://naata.wordpress.com/

Friday 3 August 2012

Here is one from Mahesh Vijapurkar:

Reporting the demise of a senior scribe, PTI said, "The 82-year old journalist  leaves behind wife and two children." 


Really? At 82, children!