DAY 1, JUXTAPOSEE: 21st SEPTEMBER 2017, THURSDAY
ALL INDIA MEDIA MEET(AIMM)
By Sanjana Chawla
Lady Shri Ram College is one of the finest educational institutes and is featured as the best institute for journalism and mass communication in the country. JUXTAPOSE is the Journalism department’s annual academic meet that aims at engaging the community to deliberate over issues that affect citizen’s and budding journalists. The theme of this year- “New Media: Ushering a New World Era” aims at providing a platform to understand and discuss the newly emerging faces of new media and technology.
One of the most important event is All India Media Meet(AIMM) where a group of delegates hold discussions on media-related issues. AIMM is our department’s adaptation of a Model United Nations’ session wherein people represent media houses and personalities. The session continued with the theme, “Formation of an ideology in a post-truth era with special emphasis on the credibility of news sources”. The committee was headed by Aaron Mirza and Sharmishtha Singh.
“Journalism without ethics is a wild beast”, said the Managing Director of Reuters India. The representative claimed that its media house aims at using verified and credible sources of information. It called for a reporting process that is localised and properly monitored. The Managing Director emphasized on an authority that formulates rules and works according to the media ethics. He focused on the importance of verification of facts and truth. However, the representative failed to respond to the question put up by the representative of Amnesty International regarding verification of opinions. Representative of Amnesty International emphasized on the issues concerning human rights and emotions adding onto it commenting how the organisation thrives for and on credible, verifiable and complete, unbiased reporting. The representative quoted that “media houses appeal to emotions, i.e. they manipulate the recipient’s emotions”. According to the representative, journalism should act as a facilitator who would disseminate information. Delegate representing the Times of India focussed on the relations of emotions and news. The media house focuses on what is good for the nation and on the need of holistic picture or outlook that represents the truth the way it is. “The ideologies are often based on emotions and carry their own opinions, backgrounds and biases”, said the representative of the Times of India. The Sub-Editor of Scroll had a different ideology and believed in creating a media, free from bias. The representative promoted an open funding of media so that only one media house exists. According to the subeditor, the monopolisation of media houses would ensure that the questions of credibility and imbalances are properly answered.
The committee had heated arguments on the importance of objectivity and verification. Many media houses claimed to be truthful and objective in nature but they ended up contradicting their own statements. Objectivity is not an object but an idea that needs to be analysed and understood deeply. The media houses and journalists need to reflect the ethical codes and be sure of the information sources and establish credibility in the best possible way.
The session ended on a light-hearted and fun note as the executive board declared the results. The Managing Director of Reuters got the Special Mention while Representatives of PTI and Amnesty International got the High Commendation.
Panel Discussion Day-1
“Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide”
by Sreya Suri & Ishita Sharma
As a part of Juxtapose, the Annual Academic Meet of the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, a panel discussion was held on 21st September, 2017. The topic for the same was, “Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide”, and the panelists were the Press Secretary to the President of India, Ashok Malik; Independent Journalist and specialist in gender journalism , Neha Dixit; Head of Zee Web, Dayashankar Mishra; and, Assistant Editor-in-Chief, The Quint,. Garvita Khybri, who moderated the discussion.
The panel was graced with great academic minds. Ashok Malik is a senior analyst and a fellow of the Observer’s Research Foundation. He is currently the press Secretary to the President of India. Neha Dixit is a former ICFJ Knight fellow who has done immense work in the field of gender journalism. She is currently working as an independent journalist. Dayashankar Mishra is the current head of Zee Web, a digital enterprise of Zee Media Corporations and Garvita Khybri is the Assistant Editor-in-Chief for the quint.
The new age of media has brought the world of social networking and digitalization into the limelight. With the Internet being used now more than ever, there is a juncture being formed between the traditional old schools of media and the new forms which are coming up today. There is a collision of cultures in a world where old media and new media continue to exist in an ever changing alliance. This was the basis of the panel discussion that took place as part of Juxtapose, 2017. The panelists began by discussing the concept of feedback, which is an essential feature of the new, age – interactive media. Neha Dixit said that feedback is important, as it allows one a larger arena of perspectives than what one received before. Ashok Malik, commented on feedback via social networking sites, and said that audiences now have the choice of voicing opinions of differing nature, leading to a “hierarchy of tweets”. He even confessed that he was overwhelmed by the interactivity of social media and said that “Twitter was overwhelming and scary” as it exposed the interactivity of democracy.
He went on to talk about Citizen Journalism and claimed that the Internet has disrupted the hierarchy of news. He said that while earlier there was a prime time for news, with information accessible at all times, the concept of a news cycle or prime time is no longer available. With everyone being a journalist, cost of publishing has fallen, increasing access to news, with special emphasis on regional news which was earlier not as easy to access.
Dayashankar Mishra talked about how Internet generated content is different from digital media. He questioned the verification of “news” that people share on the Internet. He explained that this very concept of verification differentiates Citizen Journalism from digital journalism. He talked about social media as a platform to express personal views with equal opportunity and not a tool for journalism; and, explained that credibility is more important in journalism than creating “viral” stories.
The discussion progressed on to the topic of fake news. Neha Dixit said that “Journalism is no more about ground reporting”, and that in today’s world everyone feels entitled to their own opinion. She explained the negative repercussions of this. She also talked about modern market research and the gender stereotypes that are still prevalent in today’s news houses. She talked about the war for revenue and advertising and the blind broadcast of information in the name of revenues. She explained that slowly news is losing its use. Dayashankar Mishra, then, commented that social media creates content which is free of cost and hence has no credibility. He explained that the amount we pay for information is proportional to the credibility of news and information received. He explained that the generalization of information is also fraud, and is corruption of information.
The panelists talked about the challenges that still exist today, that there are still gender disparities, caste disparities and cultural disparities that still exist in media houses today. They also talked about media ethics in the light of new media. In this context, Neha Dixit said, “Journalist is not the story. Journalism is the story”. The panelists concluded with the importance of individuality and told the audience to stay true to themselves. The discussion ended with the question, of whom to look up to as aspiring journalists, in a world of unethical media debate and sensationalization, which got the panelists thinking.
Ad Mad
By Shraddha Acharya
Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
The Department of Journalism of Lady Shri Ram College For Women hosted such an event on 21st September 2017, Thursday. Ad- Mad, a competitive event was held wherein every team had to advertise a product given on the spot and the most creative advertisement was rewarded. There were seven teams who participated and the event was judged by Prof. Paroma Sen. The selection of products to be advertised was done by a process of picking chits that had names of random products written on them ranging from Pokeball and Snapchat to ‘Jhaadu’. The groups were provided with twenty minutes to brainstorm, post which each team had to present their advertisements in about 3-4 minutes. The products advertised by the seven teams were jhadu (broom), fidget spinner, invisible pen, beard/moustache oil, eyebrow comb, cape and diet water. Taking cue from the unconventional products, the acts also had acting mixed with a tinge of spice. Jhadu presented by a team of two who told story of a jhadu with a mix of music. Fidget spinner enacted by a team of four who depicted a family with one son, Mukesh as the victim of the spinner. At the same time we see younger brother Suresh trying to take advantage of this situation. Invisible pen a product advertised by group of two explained how it is advantageous in writing a love letter and keeping secure the notes of a topper. The beard/ moustache oil advertised by team of three presented that the boys not having moustache and beard need not worry as the Baba Baleshwar men oil is right here! Team of three where one girl is shown deeply grieved because of her badly shaped eyebrows is turned joyous after the use of an eyebrow comb. A special cape to make a happy married life was the next product in the list advertised by group of four. The last product was diet water which team of two advertised showing how contaminated water made a woman fat and decreased her beauty level. But a person suggested the consumption of diet water which made her slim trim. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by its enthusiastic spectators. Efforts of all were appreciated by the judge, Ms. Paroma, who then announced the results based on the performance, creativity and spontaneity of participants. The first, second and third prizes were given to the fidget spinner, jhadu and invisible pen ads respectively. A gift hamper sponsored by SheThePeople.Tv was given away to the winners. The event was a great success!
DAY 2, JUXTAPOSE: 22nd SEPTEMBER 2017, FRIDAY
PANEL DISCUSSION DAY-2
“Economic versus Editorial Judgement”
by Sanjana Chawla & Shraddha Acharya
Renowned panelists present their views on media, accountability and money.
In the world of media where profit and money take the lead, digital media provides a cheaper way to tackle the advertising costs incurred. On the other hand, the digitalisation of world poses the biggest challenges to editorial judgement.
The Journalism Department at Lady Shri Ram College for Women had the second day of its Annual Academic Meet, JUXTAPOSE on the 22nd of September 2017. The panel discussion with the theme “Economic v/s Editorial Judgement” aimed at discussing the age of digital capitalism and its impact on the objectivity of news reporting. The session continued with the motive of obtaining answers to many questions like: Does economy of news necessarily hamper media content? Can an organisation make economic profits without compromising the content?
The event had esteemed media figures as the panelists. Prabhu Chawla, one of India’s finest veteran, political journalists, who is known for his sharp analysis and investigative reports. Rega Jha, the editor-in-chief of Buzzfeed India. Kavindra Sachan, Senior Anchor at Rajya Sabha TV. Nagma Sahar, Senior Anchor and Associate Editor of NDTV, one of the most respected electronic media journalists of India.
Rega Jha was the moderator of the session and started the event by asking other panelists a question regarding the modes of earning and making money in their media companies. According to Prabhu Chawla, “The youth doesn’t connect much with the Print and TV. Nobody pays for news as it is subsidised. It takes approximately Rs. 18 to print and deliver a newspaper however, we pay Rs. 2 for it. The remaining Rs. 16 are obtained through advertisements”. Journalist Naghma Sahar said that no person is happy to be in any field without salary, which applies to Journalism as well. According to her, people think that it’s just media’s responsibility to bring out the unfair things in society. Kavindra Sachan strongly supported the functioning of public broadcasting systems and publicly funded models as they aim at presenting facts clearly and using neutral tools. The duty of an anchor is to rectify flaws in the system and prevent miscommunications and problems. Prabhu Chawla emphasised on field work as without gathering news, the reporter won’t get anything beyond second hand information. “If newspapers don’t spend money on news gathering, the news would come from deviated sources”, quotes Chawla. The panelists also discussed the importance of discarding our intentions in news writing as it brings in the issue of biasness. “All people are not suitable for television because not everyone likes long speeches or repetitive news”, said Nagma. She stated that viewers have wide
choices because of the presence of internet. According to Kavindra Sachan, there are no viewers who want to see fighting or violent shows and the media often confuses news with entertainment. News today are either extremely leftist or rightist as they are obtained from the agencies who are not completely neutral. Responding to the audience’s questions regarding infotainment, Prabhu Chawla told that people are interested in the content so the way it is presented is very important. “Televisions, though are very small, have a huge impact on the society because it is visual in nature. The television industries are held accountable for everything that is said”, quoted Nagma. According to her, the image of the show anchor is very crucial and depends on the management, seniority, appearance and the kind of reporting that has be done. Further extending her statement, Prabhu Chawla gave examples of anchors like Barkha Dutt, Arnab Goswami and Rajat Sharma who are well-known and influence the image of the channel.
Online medium is highly influential and can be verified and checked easily. It is important that news is not exaggerated and the quotations should be relevant to the discussion. The panelists took turns to answer all questions and engaged the audience in fun and interesting conversation. “Fear none, favour none, always remember the 3 W’s and never forget why”, said Chawla thus guiding the budding journalists with his wise and experienced words. Nagma suggested never analysing and presenting news with pre-conceived notions. Kavindra Sachan concluded the event by emphasising on the importance of being balanced and neutral.
RELEASE OF ‘SPECTRUM’: Newsletter by First Year Journalism Students at LSR.
The first year journalism students received an incredible opportunity to hone their skills and work on a professional project in the nascent stages of their course, that is, ‘SPECTRUM’, a newsletter publication by the first year students of the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College for Women. Apart from the lessons learnt and knowledge acquired, they also came together as a cohesive unit, having been unfamiliar with each other in the past. They learned about their own strengths alongside learning how to work together as a team. It was a pleasure to watch the efforts of these young, budding minds come to fruition on the second day of Juxtapose, where the newsletter was released post the panel discussion which was graced by Rega Jha, Prabhu Chawla, Naghma Sahar and Kavindra Sachan . To watch journalists of such great caliber release the publication was a befitting culmination and gave the first years a feeling of great pride in their successful endeavor.
VOX POP: ANNUAL TURNCOAT DEBATE
By Sreya Suri
It is widely believed that journalism is a profession of representation of all voices. A journalist must understand the various viewpoints that society is built upon and keep in mind that there are at least two sides to every story, at least two very different perspectives, at least two very diverse notions about every agenda. Vox Pop, the turncoat debate was conducted as a part of Juxtapose, the annual academic meet of the Department of Journalism, LSR, on 22nd September, 2017. The motion of the debate was “The house believes that it is necessary to use verified sources to report news to the public in a state of conflict.” The debate was judged by Meghnad Bose, who is currently a reporter for The Quint.
The debate saw participants covering various themes with relation to verification in journalism. They spoke about the various ways in which verification can be defined and its implications in today’s world. In their arguments for the motion, the speakers talked about issues like the credibility that news is expected to have, the birth of rumors from falsely reported news, and the dependency of citizens on the media for a source of the absolute truth. The need for immediate news during a time of crisis making verification difficult, and the absence of a verified source in a crisis situation were some arguments participants touched upon in their discussion against their topic.
All arguments made by the participants were supplemented by a plethora of examples from real world journalism in the national and international arena. The participants also voiced very diverse viewpoints in their arguments and covered various economic, cultural and financial aspects that were thought to be an integral part of the agenda.
After listening to the arguments of all the participants, the winners were declared by the judge. Arshia came in third place with Aditya coming second, and Umarnath winning the Vox Pop 2017. Following the declaration of the winners, Bose also spoke to the contestants about their arguments and gave them individual feedback regarding their performance in the debate.
Slam Poetry
By Ishita Sharma
Juxtapose is a concept that aims to engage the community to deliberate over issues that
are important to us – as citizens and burgeoning journalists. It is a platform that
encourages ideas, views and opinions to be expressed and exchanged. With the same
in mind, Juxtapose with one of it’s event of ‘Slam Poetry’, an artistic medium that
facilitates personal development and social change through emotional narratives
provided a platform to discuss whether Silence is equivalent to compliance or not in this
world of political tide waving across the world. This year’s slam poetry event with the
theme of ‘Spiral Of Silence’ that was held on 22nd of september 2017 gave the young poets an area to express themselves. The judge panel consisted of ‘Mohit Dhingra’ and ‘Aniket Basu’. There were 32 contestants sharing their views and all with a motive of performing and the truth that art can’t really be judged.
Young innovative and creative minds with their originality being the essence in their
poems dared to pick up various issues and express their own emotional struggles. They
talked about nationalism, feminism, societal norms, individuality crisis, frustration,
hardships, duality of love and many more. The first position was given to ‘Lakshaya’ who
talked about his dream and aspirations with an element of love and recited a beautiful
hindi poem on the internal struggles a person faces due to the inability to express, that
often leads to a spiral of silence. The second place holder Manyata, talked about silence
during an emotional conflict that involves holding back one’s tears while venting through
one’;s fears. The third place was given to Ashna, who feels how silence can be negative
and subjective at the same time. Unlike the others, she talked about the damages that
can be caused because of silence. The creativity involved, flooded through the
participant’s poetry. It was a blend of both hindi and english poetry taking up different
elements of society with varied comparisons of societal standards to ‘Mahabharata’, the
patriotism symbolising love and fears that are often manipulated. Some of the beautiful
lines extracted from the poems by the judges were; ‘’ Desert for me is sometimes the
aftertaste of something better’’, ‘’ i love you’ i say. You say it sounds like silence’, ‘’I paint
rainbows on your chest’’, ‘’Holding back tears, venting through fears’’, ‘’Bahut bhare rehte
hai asoon, bhaar bhete hai toh ankhein saaf rehti hai’’ and many more. In the end judges
shared their own poetry with the participants and gave their reviews to them.
The Media Quiz
by Sreya Suri
The last event conducted as a part of Juxtapose 2017 was the Media Quiz, which was conducted on 22nd September, 2017 in the auditorium of the college. The quiz master of the quiz was Mohd. Fahad, a DTU graduate who now leads the marketing team of Coding Blocks, a startup which works in the field of education and technology. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from a large number of teams from different colleges in the city.
The preliminary round of the competition was a pen and paper round where the teams were made to answer questions relating to media facts, current affairs and word etymologies. The first round consisted of 29 questions which the participants answered in the written form. Following the preliminary round, six teams with the highest score were selected for the final round which was conducted on the stage of the auditorium. The final round was divided into two segments, an oral segment where teams were required to answer questions out loud and a written segment. The quiz covered questions from different arenas of media elements, from media houses and brand advertising to word etymology and journalistic conduct.
After a heated final round, Robin Jacob and Abhishek Mishra emerged as the winners of the quiz, with Gokul and Gaurav sharing the second place with Gaurav and Ashish. The winners and runners up were given cash prizes along with gifts from the sponsors of the event.
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