 We now move to a very insightful hopefully and an exciting one-on-one conversation Helming the conversation is Mr. Ruhail Amin senior editor exchange for media group could I request mr. Amin to join me on stage in Conversation with mr. Amin a Journalist who I think needs no introduction Miss Sonya Singh the editorial director for any TV can we have a big round of applause please ladies and gentlemen There's every no tax on the chairing, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you, Sonya for taking out time Sonya Singh Editorial director and a TV needs no introduction will straight away head into the conversation so this gathering is a eclectic mix of academics practical media and Students and and we have someone here who can address the concerns of all the three stakeholders in this conversation so straight way What we're debating is? how academic journalism is Maybe losing out in the race of practical journalism. We see that in the last ten years. We have If my figures are right, I mean one lakh print publishing Publications 400 news channels, you know and do we see the Journalism the academic side evolving at the same rate are they keeping pace with a changing landscape of media? Well before I before I answer a question directly I'd like to thank Anurag of course for inviting me and I was a bit wary of Attending this media educators because of course. I've never been to a media school I studied English which literature which as my parents told me is a course which will never get you any job It's a course you study for passion and luckily journalism is also something you study You work in for passion because there's no reason to work in journalism. It's not it's not glamorous It doesn't have the best pay it has the worst hours and Your performance reviews depends on what the audience finally thinks of it so journalism is a profession you should only join if you're passionate about it and Then I thought that actually perhaps the one thing I do know about media education Is the fact that I was lucky enough be part of the first batch of I think what was the premier media education? Institution of our country and that's NDTV because every television channel today is headed by people who are NDTV graduates So I think that has been a wonderful comment, I think on how a television company can a media company can also be a training ground and that I think perhaps is a challenge that many of the media schools now have to face that how do you actually make sure that you're Working ground your classroom is a slice of real life because after all what our journalists beyond looking at Reporting the stories of real life. How do you bring that real life in the classroom? And I think that is a challenge that Media companies and media institutions will have to look at working together in fact I think this kind of conversation is really important so we can bring those divides Much closer and look at how we can address that So so that blind spot if we have to pinpoint that blind spot that is there in the academic side of it I mean what would that be is there a heavier side to the theory part of it? Is there not the kind of right technology where the media has you know already arrived, you know Very exactly is that blind spot on the academic side? You know, I mean we do now tend to as said earlier as I said when I joined journalism We had people from very diverse backgrounds. Nobody had a journalism degree Everybody was where this English literature. We had engineering with very diverse backgrounds now We do look at media institutes. It's a plus point. Definitely. There's a degree from a media institute But what we do find is that often there's an obsession with technology But we leave aside then the old-fashioned values of journalism and when there's the journalism values Then there's a disconnected technology. So we need to marry the best of old-world journalism I think that really is something the The role that integrity ethics credibility must play in a journalist is something which I find sometimes in classrooms Has been taken a backseat to the issues of can you shoot your story? Can you do your can you the mobile phone properly or can you edit? So we have to marry that and I'd we are getting very bright young batches or recruits but we I think if there needs to be much closer connection between the The television companies or the internet companies are hiring and the classroom I think that has to be come together much closer, right? And when we see students aspiring to be journalists and when they look at news media, I'm specifically talking about news media What has happened is like as you're aware everyone is aware that it's slightly I'm sorry to use the word slided towards entertainment and you have screaming anchors, you know So how what is the responsibility on the media side when the Aspiring journalist is watching a news channel and he wants to be there. He's getting trained But he sees the idealism being stripped when he sees the real media How do you see that on the owners on your side? How do you try to address it, you know from your end? You know, I mean, I actually agree with you completely on that and often I mean, I actually find it now that I think this is a very difficult time for a young person to enter journalism because when I When I see like for instance, I think a case maybe and I don't mean to refer nasty to any particular channel or may as well but when I see Like maybe like I thought a clip I think Shashi through was coming out of some airport And there were 20 journalists surrounding him shouting at him I remember thinking if I'm a young reporter would I think I've joined journalism to shout at him Have you murdered your wife? You wouldn't and I do think that that way it is a television Channel that I was not just telling online But I think we are failing somewhere in a responsibility of remembering the ideals of journalism We all joined for I do have to say that all channels are headed by extremely brilliant Extremely smart people and we all joined with ideals We shouldn't let those ideals fall by the wayside because we are all big names in business down We think that we can dictate the political agenda We still have to realize there is a respect a certain Integrity and credibility which our words and our actions carry in fact even more than our words are actions So we tell a young person that you go out then you behave like this. They don't have a choice But to listen to you so the responsibility we have is immense and I do find it extremely worrying sometimes what young journalists Fresh from graduation schools are doing nowadays or being taught to do nowadays I agree with you That's a larger problem of the media especially at television media. I hope there will be a backlash I find amongst viewers. It is a backlash of people turning away from that kind of journalism. I hope that will Get people to actually correct because beyond self-regulation you can't this is not something someone from outside can tell you to do It has to come with From within I will go for two quick questions and I want to open it for the rest of them for next five minutes I'm showing a lot of them and nodding and they just want to ask you some questions First is what would be your three? Quick points about fixing the gap between academic side and the practical media side Three quick fixes not quick fix them into three solutions Well, I think I chase one solution I would suggest that and I know that at least any TV'd be very happy to do it that perhaps media institutions look at a Two or three month internship in actual newsrooms. I think that would be a wonderful addition to a course I mean news channels are always looking for young bright people It would help us almost as a kind of a bridge way to get a sense of how what are the things we actually look for a Company senior journalists on stories get a sense We have many interns coming to us because they need for their college applications So they know they want to intern with NDTV But I think it should actually be part of curriculum media institutions across channels to place Their students for at least two or three months in actual newsrooms I think that would be a wonderful bridge to actually get people better acquainted with what the expectations are in the real world Right and for aspiring journalists to what three things would you tell them in the contemporary, you know scenario to Learn or unlearn, you know to be the next future journalist who will be relevant and taken very seriously What would be those tips? I mean for the students who are sitting right at the back? Well, one is don't think journalism is glamorous. It's not glamorous at all It's it's hard work, but it's the most exhilarating exciting I mean, I hate the word profession because I don't think of journalism as a job or profession I think of it as a vocation a passion I think I mean I am very proud of the fact that we considered the fourth estate a pillar of democracy so I think really join it as a passion and Don't look at anything else. We are sincere. We committed hard-working and of course Definitely don't join it to be an anchor as I would say because we have many young kids will join and we'll do the interview and They'll say and all that we find and say, okay, ma'am, then when can I start anchoring? So I think that we have to wait a little bit for but I think it's In a way, I start off by saying that there's no logical reason to be in it, but it is the best Vocation to be in yeah, so five minutes. I would take that liberty and just want to open up whoever has questions only three questions But quick yes, please if you could introduce yourself and quickly Oh All right, okay because We actually had one but then we had we shut it down a few years ago because we did feel that there was not so many media schools We didn't need a separate one. So we are actually very open to placements and I'm not sure I said I know that Many others I think a republic also don't have their own media houses. So I think now there's so many I mean, I know our online division is also always looking for people. So I think that outreach perhaps I mean you can mail me you can mail our HR department, but we are always looking for fresh recruits and Often what we do like a lot is that we test that if you know if people are willing to work for three months as interns I think that willingness to and many of the people we've had have been young people who just badgered us We just want to intern with any TV because we believe in it and then have been absorbed because we feel that it They're so passionate being part of the channel Then these are the kind of people we want so I think that that's one of the ways perhaps that can be addressed Yes on the right side Yes, yeah, there's a mic You know these days there's no dearth of news channels around you know and you keep on surfing Switch one one from channel to another. I just want I'm very disappointed in one fact that are these News channels politically motivated and do they have affiliations? So can you give a short one question? Yes? Yes That's it No, I think I look I think the viewers the final judge I mean, you know, I think they will be there I mean whether it's X Y or Z and I'm not pointing at any channel and I'm sure you can say the same I mean people would say the same about us, but the viewers the final judge credibility our credibility is judged every day So I think if a viewer thinks if there is a political affiliation no viewers silly it will be out Very soon and it it comes out I don't think you can hide anything anymore in this world whether it's of social media or television. I Mean it's a badge of honor you're saying so I think but you know everybody has a remote control the way to vote as it says with We can take less of the conversation offline. There's one more question on that. Sure. Hi. I'm bridge. I'm from business world So, you know taking on from the last question Do you think that you know viewers today are foolish because? we see TPs of some channels actually on a rise and they and they are stuffing propaganda to people I mean, it's so out in the open, but they are also you But then they are still of course we are viewers But then they are still you know getting higher and higher TIP is of course those numbers are debatable But what is that? What is that? Which is you know, you know fully people and viewers Is it the hegemony of media as a fourth pillar? See a bridge. I'm not sure. I mean, I don't say anything on TRP's because last time I made some remarks I got a lot of trouble and a complaint after I talked about TRP's are not mentioning it But I think really we need to relook at TRP's and really has something rather than television rating with credibility rating points I think that is what is really what should be marketable in today's industry should be credibility that is really the gold standard if a channel is credible or not Often I find that should we have news system or some of the news channel should actually be the entertainment channels are not news channels that perhaps addresses some of the issue that perhaps You know, you're tired of being shouted at by your wife So you want to look at somebody else being shouted at on TV and you watch it for some reason But let's just say that I think the current TRP system the way it's being done is Not the ideal situation. However, I do find that I think credibility has become key for instance recently we had Nikki Haley in India and Nikki Haley at that time was a President Trump's representative at the UN and as you know the Americans and I'm sure I'm back from this research Impact and which TV channel they go to methodically. They look at TRP's. They look at online impact They look at what the feedback they'd get and they chose any TV is only TV channel And if they had gone by bark ratings, there's no way they would have chosen us But there is an intangible which cannot be measured which is respect which is credibility And I believe that even as I speak today Twitter has signed up with us only TV channel for town halls for the three election states These are these are companies thrive on research and market research And if those companies choose us over some other channels, I think the answer on credibility and why it's important really rest there So are we doing good on time? Is there time for I think we're doing really good on time And I think we have one more question, you know one more. Yes, please sir. Yes Yes I Giving them the exact basically point where they University with so many of us a graduate from the framework should be the same as it is of any subject in depth knowledge I think in depth knowledge is relevant to contemporary journalism with of course grounding in the history of the profession the greats of our profession the lessons of Journalism but it has to be contemporary That's the framework the rigor of academia must be there. I don't think journalism is easy It is the more we read the more of different viewpoints young students have been exposed to the better journalists They are but the academia has to be in sync with contemporary Requirements as well, which is often technological requirements along with the academic Rigger which is needed from any syllabus Thank you, I think we're done and thank you once again for your time. It was lovely to me too Can we have a huge round of applause? Thank you Thank you. Missing. I request you to stay on stage for just a minute. I Like to call upon mr. Sagar Kaushik go founder of pleasant stride foundation. Please and strike foundation I beg your pardon, please come on stage and felicitate our speaker Round of applause, please