Friday 27 February 2015

National Conference on 27th March 2015


Following from:

NMKRV COLLEGE FOR WOMEN
Autonomous Institution
3rd Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore-560 011
DEPARTMENT OF Journalism and Communication

About the college and the Department
The NMKRV College for Women has been a pioneer in providing value based education for nearly four decades. The College is a pioneer to start a subject like Journalism as a cognate subject in 1979 when nowhere else such a course existed. In 2012, a PG course in Journalism and Mass Communication was started.
Department is equipped with fully functional media lab, wherein students are trained to produce creative projects. First batch successfully got placed in proficient media outlets.
This year the Department has envisaged a novel idea of conducting a National Conference for media students and faculty members on 27th March 2015. We are also planning to bring out a research publication.
About the Conference
Media and culture are interrelated. In all eras, cultural values shape the way media are created, used, and controlled. This will lead to further questions about the role of culture in our media today. How does culture shape our media and mass communication? The Conference intends to critically analyse the relationship of media and culture in the contemporary scenario. The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for bringing together scholars, and practitioners to discuss the developments in contemporary media. The idea takes into cognizance the significance of multiple linkages of interdisciplinary and critical scholarship in the field of media and culture. FOR PAPERS

Theme of the Conference
Media and Culture: Contemporary Scenario
Sub Themes
1.     Indian Culture and Media
2.     New Media and Culture
3.     LPG and Indian Media
4.     Films and Culture
5.     Advertisements and Cultural Impact
6.     Media, Culture and Politics
7.     Media, Culture and Development
Call for Papers
Abstract not exceeding 250 words typed in Times New Roman, font size 12, with 1.5 spacing, should be mailed to nmkrv.mediaconference@gmail.com before 03.03.2015.
The acceptance of the abstract is intimated on 05.03.2015. Full paper should be submitted on or before 14.03.2015.
Only the authors of the papers are allowed to do the presentation of his/her paper.
Paper with more than three authors is strictly not accepted.
A softcopy of the full paper (not exceeding 5000 words or 12 pages) should be submitted (specification: A4 size, MS-Word 2003 format, Times New Roman font with heading in font size 14 and the remaining text of size 12 with spacing 1.5 as a single file).
The paper should include the title, author’s name, mailing address, telephone number and e-mail address in the first page.
The paper should be based on an original research work that has not been published.
The selected papers will be peer reviewed and evaluated based on originality and relevance to the conference.
Registration
For Faculty Members         :         Rs. 1000/-
For Research Scholars:       Rs.   500/-
For Students:                      Rs.   200/-
Accommodation will be provided to the external delegates only on request on or before 15th March 2015.
Important Dates:
Last Date for Submission of Abstracts  :         03rd March 2015
Intimation of acceptance of Abstracts   :         05th March 2015
Last date for Submission of final papers         :         14th March 2015

Conference Coordinator
Dr. M. N. Vani

Organizing Committee
Mr. Manoj B. A
9972233112
Ms. Yogitha. P
8050678311
For any queries please call the members of the organizing committee.


Saturday 14 February 2015

Your feedback is valuable


I feel happy when teachers and students send in feedback like the following:

The blog that you have been running for so many years..is really really very useful to us..I think Sir this a great service that you have been rendering for the nation...and that you are soldering its responsibility as a one man army deserves accolades....We are grateful to you sir.
Regarding the list of books..we thank you for starting such a nice initiative..please continue with more information on this regard..But I am afraid these books won't be available here in NE region. Had it been available locally..we could think of purchasing for the department or personally.

With regards and gratitude for publishing such an useful blog for media teachers and students of the country.

Deepak Upadhyaya.

Assistant Professor,
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication,
Tripura University,
Suryamaninagar,Agartala, Tripura(W)-799022.

--
Dear Sir, today i got following books. Thanks for your co-operation. really thanks it is very essential book for us. i am very happy. Thanks once again dear Dr.Kiran Thakur Sir. But, how to pay to you....Please talk on phone or email id. any bank accounts number of Makhanlal chaturvedi ..? i will pay immaterially.  Thanks Sir..

Milind Awatade (Public Relations Officer) Jeevandayee Bhavan, first floor, Kamgar hospital Compound, ganpat jadhav marg, worli naka, worli.-18 Landmark-Poddar Hospital Contact Number-09870904146


Sr. No.
Title
Author
Number of Pages
Price
10%  Less price
English Books
1.
Media Law and Ethics
Prof. (Dr.) N.K.Trikha
365 Pages
400/-
360/-
2.
Reporting
Prof. (Dr.) N.K.Trikha
476 Pages
300/-
270/-
3.
Handbook of Communication Research
Prof. (Dr.) Devesh Kishore
352 Pages
400/-
360/-
4.
Theory and Practice of Communication- Bharatmuni
Dr. Nirmal Mani Adhikari
403 Pages
375/-
338/-
5.
Handbook of Print Journalism
Prof. (Dr.) Kiran Thakur
393 Pages
375/-
338/-
6.
Electronic Media
Ramji Tripathi
288 pages
300/-
270/-
7.
News Agency Journalism
Dr. Madhuri Madhok
157 Pages
150/-
135/-
8.
Public Relation and Corporate Communication
Dr. Neemo Dhar
199 Pages
175/-
158/-
Price
2475/-
2229/-


Professor and Associate Professor wanted in Tripura

Tripura University, a Central University located in the State of Tripura, has advertised for recruitment of an Associate Professor and Professor in the Department of Journalism & Mass Communication. Both the appointments will be under un-reserved category against regular vacancy.

The last date for submission of application has been fixed at 5th March 2015 and the text of advertisement can be accessed at www.tripurauniv.in.

Retired Eminent Professors/Scientists may also apply for appointment to the Post of Professor, on contractual basis against consolidated salary. Extra allowances are applicable for NE region as per rules.

Besides, JMC, Tripura University has advertised for a number of other Departments. Please pass on the message..


The above was communicated to me by 
Deepak Upadhyaya
Assistant Professor,
Department of Journalism and Mass Communication,Tripura University,
Suryamaninagar,Agartala, Tripura(W)-799022.
Ph-9612692191.

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Reader in Journalism & Mass Communication wanted in Berhampur University

Following from Prof. Mrinal Chatterjee:

Berhampur University, Odisha State, has advertised for recruitment of a Reader in Journalism & Mass Communication. The appointment will be under un-reserved category against a regular vacancy.

The last date for submission of offline application has been fixed 28th February 2015 and the text of advertisement can be accessed at www.buodisha.edu.in.

The incumbent will teach and guide research at the Post Graduate Department of Journalism & Mass Communication. The 41 years old Department was established in 1974. 

It is one of the oldest media training institutions of the county which have awarded bachelor’s and master’s degrees to more than 1,200 students and Ph.D. degrees to about 32 scholars over the years.

One faculty member of the Department retired from services during last June 2014 and two others will retire during July 2015 and October 2015. The new appointee will work with one Lecturer who joined in August 2013.

Monday 9 February 2015

The future of English journalism in India

What is needed to succeed in journalism is passion and commitment on a continuing basis,  especially when the going is tough. A fundamental principle to follow is to control costs while providing good, high quality content that fills a valuable community need.


By Abhay Vaidya
Editor, The Golden Sparrow on Saturday

In January 2014, Frederic Pages, a senior journalist from the iconic French newspaper Le Canard Enchaine addressed a gathering at the Patrakar Bhavan, Pune. The event was a rather unusual exposure for all present, be it journalism students, working journalists or the lay public. Le Canard Enchaine is a 90-year-old weekly newspaper published by a public trust in Paris. It is extremely popular with a circulation of about 3.5 lakh and week after week the French public looks forward to this newspaper. Investigative journalism, cartoons and biting satire are the forte of this publication.
Now here’s what’s most interesting about this paper: It has no advertisements. It does not accept a single Euro worth of advertisement as a policy because it does not wish to be influenced by advertisers and their interests of any kind. Inspite of this, this newspaper manages to run its operations smoothly, print week after week and pay its journalists well.

The newspaper has just eight pages, it is printed on cheap newsprint and to control costs, carries only black-and-white pictures. There is no heavy design and layout, no glossy supplements and high-quality four-colour printing and no half-naked, bikini-clad stars to boost circulation. It’s hard to believe in this day and age, but here’s a newspaper that is driven purely by the strength of its content. This newspaper, in a sense, has not been affected by change.

Which newspaper do you read? And why?
Let’s look at some other aspects of journalism today. When I began my career 27 years ago, and many years after that, one of my favourite questions to people I met was: “Which newspaper do you read?” I would get unexpected, thought-provoking replies. Like this reply from one professor who said that he subscribed to a small, English local daily from Pune (now defunct), and not a national daily, because “it gave ample space to municipal news such as ‘No water today’.”
This piece of news was important for his wife, he said, and therefore subscribed to that newspaper which had a staunchly loyal base of readers. Even in the 1980s, it had a circulation of 25,000 copies, which was quite commendable.
There is no mathematical formula, or a set of ingredients, that can guarantee the success of a newspaper. A restaurant can become popular on the basis of a few dishes that it masters. In the case of newspapers, it is still a mystery as to what precisely are these ingredients. However, replies, such as the one by the professor, would reinforce the point that there is an opportunity in local, community news. Let us return to this point later.

We don’t read newspapers
I interact closely with journalism students in the various journalism institutes of Pune and get to learn a lot from them about the new trends that are impacting journalism today. Internet is one of the biggest forces that is re-shaping the world of journalism. It is now very common to expect at least 80% of the class to say that they don’t get their news from newspapers. This is the young generation and they are all hooked on to smartphones. They get their entertaining news and gossip at the speed of light from social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter; from Internet news sites and from TV- which will soon become available on our mobile phones via 4G connectivity.

Many people today, including the young, don’t necessarily begin their day with a newspaper in hand as we and previous generations did. The Internet and its impact on journalism is something that we need to reflect upon.

Difficult times
Let’s now look at the example of a major Mumbai-based media house which launched an English-language newspaper in Pune in 2008 and closed publication after seven years, in 2014. Why did this edition fail? Were the costs of production so overwhelming and the advertising revenue so unsatisfactory that the Pune edition became commercially unviable?

This is indeed one of the grim realities of the business. In the stiff competition for advertising revenues, newspapers in India have not hesitated to embrace unethical and professionally reprehensible practices like ‘paid news’. Even this tainted revenue has been inadequate to ensure the survival of newspapers. What is most unfortunate is that even publications which are in a leadership role and flush with advertising and circulation revenues, have been unabashedly indulging in ‘paid news’.
There is absolutely no doubt that these are challenging times for Indian journalism, full of new directions and new opportunities. Here are some thoughts to ponder on:  

Will new newspapers survive in the market?
In the last 10 years, just two new broadsheet English dailies entered the Mumbai market, one of which is struggling and the other is doing a little better because of strong support from a sister edition in Delhi. Around the same time, an English tabloid was launched strategically by a leading media group which, because of support from its parent group, stood insulated from many of the challenges of new newspapers. As noted earlier, the Pune edition of a Mumbai newspaper ceased publication after seven years because of acute revenue pressures.

Readers today have a variety of options to get their news from; they also have a variety of distractions in the form of social media which is interactive. There is no pressing reason for them to pick up and read newspapers, some of which begin with four full pages of advertisements, putting off many readers and making them angry in the process.

Producing a newspaper is an expensive proposition today when one considers the cost of newsprint and printing; the cost of distribution, advertising and marketing, the long gestation period and the cost of personnel and staff salaries. Reader preferences are very difficult to change unless something very different and original is put on the table. Because of these factors, one does not find new newspapers entering the market.

Changes driven by Internet, technology
In sharp contrast to print publications, a dozen or more Internet-driven news portals have made an impact in the last 10 years. Firstpost.com is a leading example, on the lines of the immensely successful Huffington Post, which became very popular. There was Rediff.com before that and the latest news site to be noticed is Scroll.in. There are many more, each with their distinctive appeal. In Pune itself, we have a popular Internet and SMS-based news site called Mypimprichinchwad.com which received an award for the creative use of the Internet.
The advantages of the Internet are low cost of production, massive reach across the world, immediacy of news delivery and special appeal to the Indian diaspora. This is clearly one of the strongest trends of the future.

Internet will give reach, but will it give revenues?
This is a matter of challenge and there is hope that revenues will start coming in once a publication is able to reach an adequate number of people, establish a niche identity, consistency and credibility. For example, we know of a number of service-related websites, such as a property-related portal, which is generating revenue from additional consultancy services because it is found reliable and credible. Promoters of Internet-based news operations will have to think of creative ways to generate revenues and be sustainable.

How about strong community content along with a print + Internet version?
New publications will need new approaches to win readership, and thereby advertising revenue. New publications can score by focusing heavily on local content and community issues- area which cannot be covered adequately by the big papers. How about combining a limited print edition along with an Internet edition? A number of small, community newspapers in the United States have been able to break big, national stories and win the Pulitzer prize for excellence in journalism on the strength of their local, community coverage. This is a very viable model to follow for Indian journalism.

New publications must control costs while giving high quality content
High, unsustainable costs are the primary reason for the failure of most new publications. Just as journalism students should not aspire to become star anchors and journalism celebrities overnight, promoters of new publications should not dream of becoming news barons overnight. Whether you are a journalism student, a promoter or an established journalist, what is needed to succeed is passion and commitment on a continuing basis- especially when the going is tough. A fundamental principle to follow is to control costs while providing good, high quality content that fills a valuable community need.

‘Positive news’ has a future
Early this year, the writer-philosopher Alain de Botton published his book The News: A User’s Manual in which he questioned the state of journalism today. In his view, the media around the world continues to focus on negativity and sensationalism. Everything that is sensational and negative is prime time news for the media. Instead of this, says Botton, the media as a powerful and highly influential vehicle of mass communication should play a role in helping shape the future that we desire. This is possible if the media gives up its focus on negativity and instead highlights what is positive, extraordinary, inspiring and insightful.

This is not to say that the media should not perform its role as a watchdog on the government and as a mirror to society; but at the same time, shouldn't the media promote the values of kindness, tolerance, harmony and cooperation among the people? Shouldn’t the media be constructive instead of destructive? There is an opportunity waiting to be tapped in the pursuit of positive news.

Draw strength from the fundamentals
Journalism is one of the essential pillars of democracy because it is on behalf of the people of the country that journalists question the government, expose irregularities, applaud positive developments, report on successes, failures, achievements and tragedies and in general, hold a mirror to society. Such is the importance of the freedom of the press that the Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has observed that famines do not occur in countries with a free press.
More than two centuries ago, Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, observed that if he had to choose between “a government without newspapers” and “newspapers without a government”,  he would have no hesitation in choosing the latter. In 1791, this spirit found an echo in the American Constitution in which the very first amendment states  unambiguously that  no law shall be made abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.
Eminent jurists from across the world have spoken eloquently on the significance of press freedom. As one judge observed, “A free press stands as one of the great interpreters between the government and the people. To allow it to be fettered is to fetter ourselves.”
 For a robust and flourishing mass media environment, it is important to have as many outlets for the dissemination of news rather than a few monopolistic behemoths. Because then, suppressing news from the people becomes as much difficult even if some news organisations decide that that is what they want to do.

The path ahead
Journalism needs to be practised while keeping in mind these fundamentals and cardinal principles. The principles of journalism won’t change even if the medium and the technology undergo a change. News operations can survive in a changing environment provided they adapt well to changing technology, control cost of operations and win the trust of their readers.
Journalists should necessarily be paid well; but under no circumstances should they demand and command corporate salaries- paid to executives of companies who manufacture soaps, chocolates and cigarettes.
Journalism is a social cause and this ought to be at the heart of a journalistic operation.

 A publication- be it in print or the Internet needs to be mass-circulated because its survival depends on a healthy circulation. However, maximising profits ought not to be the single most-important goal for a publication – as this would then lead to many compromises with the ethics and values of journalism- as can be seen around us today.
There will always be a future for a publication which follows sound practices and wins the trust of its readers.

(Abhay Vaidya has worked from Pune, Delhi and Washington previously for The Indian Post, The Times of India, Asia Pacific Communication Associates and DNA. He is currently editor, The Golden Sparrow on Saturday, a weekly newspaper from Pune.
This paper was written for the Pune Union of Working Journalists’ (PUWJ) 75th anniversary souvenir.)