Why you should listen to this spellbinding podcast interview with the mother of one of the Columbine shooters

On April 20, 1999, when Sue Klebold heard about a shooting incident at Columbine High School, her thoughts immediately turned to her 17-year-old son, Dylan, who was a senior there.

"In the very beginning, I didn't know what to think," Sue tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross [in this podcast interview]. "I was aware that there was a shooting incident occurring at the school. I didn't know if Dylan was in danger, if someone was trying to shoot him, if he was doing something."

Gradually the truth emerged: Dylan and his friend, 18-year-old Eric Harris, had gone on a shooting rampage at the school, murdering 13 people and injuring 24 others before killing themselves.

If you're a media student and if you aspire to become a journalist, here are six reasons why you should listen to this interview:

1. To understand how to ask questions
2. To understand how to listen to the responses and ask follow-up questions
3. To understand — in this case — what questions to ask a woman whose son and a friend shot dead 12 students and a teacher and then killed themselves
4. To understand the importance of diction and intonation
5. To understand what it means to be a popular radio host
6. To understand what works on radio — if you're a media student it is quite likely that the production of a radio feature is part of your course curriculum (as it is at Commits)

So go on over to the NPR website and pay careful attention to how Fresh Air's Terry Gross conducts this interview (recorded earlier this month to coincide with the launch of a book written by Sue Klebold): "Columbine Shooter's Mother: I Carry Him 'Everywhere I Go, Always'".

TERRY GROSS

You can also read a transcript of the interview here. If you have learnt how to "write to pictures" (TV news scripting), reading this transcript will give you a good insight into how "radio copy" works.

Speaking of radio copy, you should also read the transcript of a wonderfully descriptive podcast review on Fresh Air of singer-songwriter Sia's latest studio album, "This Is Acting", by rock critic Ken Tucker. Study the structure: Intro by host David Bianculli... SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "UNSTOPPABLE"... Beginning of review by Tucker... SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BIRD SET FREE"... Tucker again... and so on till the end.

You can read the transcript as well as listen to the review here: "Sia Reclaims Songs She Wrote For Others On 'This Is Acting'"

• ALSO READ: You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts

Golden words of advice for journalism students

Earlier this month Commits student Sudeshna Dutta (Class of 2017) began publishing her blog, Journalism 101. Her first post is titled "Why I want to be a journalist".

Already the post has attracted comments. The feedback (see below) offered by three veteran journalists is especially worth noting for the frank evaluation of Sudeshna's aspirations and for the advice that is sure to be valuable for every young person out there who is keen to be a journalist:

1. FROM PATRICK MICHAEL
Former executive editor of Khaleej Times, Dubai

Dear Sudeshna,

(A few thoughts from a vet, all my very own.)

Enthusiasm. Check. Passion for reading. Check. Writing skill: Check, but could do with a bit more sharpening that will come with experience. (My editors would often tear up my first submission and ask me to write it again, and again, till I got it perfect!)

Welcome to the world of journalism.

The thirst for news has never been greater, the news-gathering tougher, and the competition stiffer. So get ready for a rocky ride, but I promise you it will be one you will enjoy. And cherish.

Sudeshna, you’ve learned the ropes and honed the basic skills of news-gathering and dissemination. It’s time now to put what you’ve been taught to practice and I’m quite sure you can do it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

When I started out way back in the early seventies, it was said journalists were jacks of all trades, masters of none. Few had the privilege to specialise in a particular beat. Today, the approach to knowledge-based journalism (which is quite different from basic beat reporting) is more demanding. You need to specialise. At least that’s what I think. If it’s investigative reporting, then you need to be the best investigative reporter and work towards it. Be confident, work hard, and you will hit mother lode.

A WORD OF ADVICE: Read, read, and then read some more. I cannot emphasise this enough. Look at issues with many eyes, always do your homework before you go out on those deadline-driven assignments, AND don’t ever be afraid to ask questions or question someone.

I wish you the very best as you take the plunge. Feel the pain, bask in the glory. Enjoy the craft…. And the ride.

2. FROM SHAGORIKA EASWAR
Editor, Desi News and CanadaBound Immigrant, Toronto

Full disclosure: I love hearing about/from young people who want to become journalists, and so I am already sold on your dream. For I have always believed that journalism is a vocation, much like medicine. While anyone can get the marks (if they try hard enough) to make it to med school, a mere degree does not a doctor make. It takes passion and the drive to go above and beyond. The same qualities that distinguish a true journalist from a hack.

Your passion has led you to the right place to learn the craft. Honing it is something only you can do. From the books on varied subjects that you have listed, I can see that you have followed the advice of your journalism professor. It is truly the best advice. Read everything you can lay your hands on. Even the bad ones teach you something – how not to write!

I do have to add a cautionary note, though. Journalism is not all glamour and adventure. There’s a lot of grunt work involved, too. A lot of plodding through material to research the background, to get the details right, to uncover the unexpected angle. A lot of rewrites to finesse your work. Well before you get the 3 am call, you’ll be up nights, fighting to meet deadlines.

That said, I can also assure you that you’ll have so much fun doing it, you’ll never “work” a day. You’ll meet the most amazing people from all walks of life and have the privilege of telling their stories. Every day will bring a new story idea, the opportunity to make a difference.

I wish you all success. I am sure you will make your mark and your journalism professor proud.

3. FROM KOKILA JACOB
Former reporter and columnist, Khaleej Times, Dubai, and Gulf Daily News, Bahrain

Dear Sudeshna:

Congratulations.

As a journalist who has never regretted becoming one and enjoyed every single moment of being one, I can assure you that you have made a remarkable career choice.

My love affair with journalism started when I was in Standard VIII when we had to write an essay on our career choice. My mother advised me to consider journalism noting "you like to read, have a flair for writing and you are always curious about everything". That was an astute observation.

Curiosity is what underpins great news stories, if you have that you will never be short of story ideas.
Just writing well is not enough, you have to develop a "nose for news".

Fact checking is also extremely important. Remember what you are told in journalism class – "When in doubt, leave it out" – I can’t emphasise this enough.

Patrick and Shagorika have covered all other relevant points. I wish to repeat one of them: "Keep an open unbiased mind". It is harder than you think, we are all humans after all, but you have to try your best to do so.

You are launching from a strong base – a reputed institution such as Commits and the best mentor a student can dream of in Ramesh.

So belt up and enjoy the journey with all our best wishes.

Kokila

Barkha Dutt's This Unquiet Land: Such an important book...

...especially for media students, and especially for those who want to become television journalists.

When I brought a copy to the college today, Sreya Chatterjee (Class of 2017), whose ambition is to become a TV reporter, immediately called dibs on the book and made me promise to give it to her first. And as soon as she got her hands on it, she began reading it, giving me regular updates. "This is so amazing," she told me five minutes into the book. When we met again a little later, she was still raving about Barkha Dutt's writing: "That line about journalism and the anticipation of adventure. I just loved it."

So naturally I asked her to give me her first impressions in some detail. Here's what she had to say after reading just a few pages of This Unquiet Land:

ABSORBING: SREYA CHATTERJEE AND THIS UNQUIET LAND

Every aspiring journalist should read This Unquiet Land, especially if you have that fire in your belly. On Page 11, Barkha Dutt writes, "The anticipation of adventure is one of journalism's many blessings in my life." That is so true for people who get bored very easily. And I am one of those people.

A journalist's life can never be boring — that is what I believe. There might be days when things won't work out; days when you think you should have taken up a bank job instead. But the idea is to never give up. When you're feeling low, what better inspiration than Barkha Dutt? All you have to do is picture one of the country's best-known journalists clambering onto the the bonnet of a car — in the line of duty — and then climbing up to the vehicle's roof and parking herself there just to get a sound bite from a man the authorities were shielding from the media. As she tells it, the car began moving, albeit slowly, but she refused to get off. And seeing that it would be impossible to dislodge her without harming her, the officials gave in and let her have her bite. As our journalism professor never tires of telling us, "Persistence, persistence, persistence."

One more thing: If you're a feminist, as I am, then that is another reason to read this book. There's so much in This Unquiet Land, with regard to a woman's place in our society, that I can identify with and appreciate.

Thank you, Barkha Dutt, for this wonderful book.

• Also read: Barkha Dutt on TV, media and India

ADDITIONAL READING:

• What it means to be a TV news producer-1
• What it takes to be a TV news reporter-1
• What it takes to be a TV news reporter-2
• What it means to be a sub at a TV news channel
• What it takes to be a TV news anchor
• Want to know how to have a successful internship at a TV news channel? Read this post.

"Why I chose to be a digital marketing professional..."

Niranjana Muraleedharan (Class of 2014) wrote this piece for The Commits Chronicle in June 2104:

Yes, my Facebook page is always open, as you can see in the photograph below. But I browse Facebook not for fun; I do it to earn a livelihood. Never in my life did I know about the existence of careers in digital media until I came to Commits. Today I am working as the Jr. Executive, Campaign Management-Digital at AdVerb Inc. in Bangalore.

Like any other fresher, I was also blank about where my skills lay and what career I could pursue. In my first semester I liked journalism because I thought I could write; in the second semester my thoughts turned to advertising because I thought I could ideate. And then I found my true love, Digital Media Marketing. All thanks to Commits, which conducts special classes on the subject for MMC specialisation students.

NIRANJANA MURALEEDHARAN AT HER DESK AT ADVERB.

I must have run to Sai Sir’s and RP Sir’s cabins umpteen times to ask them what job would suit me best when, one day, Sai Sir asked me to try out this new field. He told me about the boom in, and scope of, digital marketing. At first, I was doubtful because the field is new, but my second internship, arranged by Commits, cleared all my doubts.

Digital Media Marketing has a bit of content writing, ideating, and brand management. As there were classes in all three subjects at Commits, it is easy to understand my work better now. Life is fast-paced when you are working in digital media. RP Sir’s dictum — “Pay attention to detail” — has proved invaluable: If I make one mistake, thousands will see it.  Hence, I always keep his words in mind.

One more thing: The Commits radiance spreads everywhere. To my surprise, I have a Commitscion (Razia Kuvale, Class of 2009) as my manager and I am so glad. No one can ask for a better boss.

*
And in January 2016, after moving to a new company, Niranjana contributed another piece to The Commits Chronicle:

THERE'S SO MUCH SCOPE FOR
DIGITAL MEDIA PROFESSIONALS TODAY

“Oh! How I just hate that ad which pops up before the YouTube video starts playing. All I want to do is press the skip button.”

Say that no more if you want to be a digital media enthusiast.

In this fast-paced world, brands have started investing more on digital advertising. For them, it is a fair deal because every metric is tracked. There are determinants to understand the performance of each ad. Since the communication is two-way and the results are immediate, believe me, it makes the job more fun. You know if your strategy has worked or if the thinking cap you wore when coming up with your strategy was the wrong one.

NIRANJANA AT ISOBAR.

This reminds me of an interesting episode. We were working for a client, MeraJob.in — a job-matching portal for blue-collar workers. The challenge to communicate with these blue-collar job-seekers was immense because their English communication skills were weak. We tried talking to them in simple English. We wrote content they would be absolutely interested in.

But we received no response on the page.

What was wrong then? Was it because they disliked the content or was the content not relevant to them? It struck us then that the language we had chosen was a problem. We took a different route and started sharing content in Hindi. And boom! In came all the responses. This was proof that any strategy works only if you have understood your target audience well.

If you want to become a Digital Marketing Professional, you have many areas to choose to work in. This includes social media, search-engine marketing and optimisation, web analytics, e-mail marketing, media planning, creative designing, and client servicing. The growth is immense in the field.  I started my career as a Social Media Executive at AdVerb; recently I moved to Media Planning at Isobar. This means, it’s good if you explore various fields in the medium and gradually become an expert.

You can get into digital media if you have the right educational qualifications, which means it helps to have a master’s degree. But what’s more important is learning on the job. Keeping an eye on what’s happening around digital is a must. You should be updated about what other brands are doing online, the changes in advertising techniques, the advertising tools, as well as the new features.

And you don’t have to worry about the fun part! Digital media folks are the most chilled-out people you will meet in your life. You will not know how those nine hours or more (!) at work have whizzed past.

FUN TIMES AT WORK: NIRANJANA WITH HER COLLEAGUES AT THE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY.

• Niranjana Muraleedharan's manager at AdVerb was a Commitscion, Razia Kuvale. Now, at Isobar, her boss is another Commitscion, Baniaikynmaw Lydia Shanpru. Read Baniaikynmaw's post here: "What it means to be a social media marketing professional".

• Mint speaks to three professionals who reiterate that digital marketing is more than just designing Web pages and advertising online: There’s a lot of potential to grow in digital marketing, but you also need the ability to adapt as technology evolves

How to be a success as a freelance production professional

SAAKSHA BHANDARY

Saaksha Bhandary (Commits Class of 2012), a production professional based in Mumbai, was most recently Associate Creative Director of the just-concluded reality TV show, I Can Do That, for Zee TV. She is possibly the youngest ever to be an ACD for such a big show.

I asked Saaksha to give us a lowdown on what it means to be a freelance production professional and elaborate on the responsibilities of an Associate Creative Director. Here is her piece:

Being an Associate Creative Director or Associate Creative Head means you, along with the Creative Director, are responsible for conceptualising and executing a show from start to finish — right from thinking of the basic idea of the show to finally working on it, putting it together, and delivering the “master” to the broadcaster.

When it comes to television shows and events, it means you are basically in charge of everything related to the show, be it thinking of the central theme or idea, the set design, the venue, the performers, the anchors, the on-stage and audience interactions, the light design, the costumes, the seating, the props, the scripts, the music, the acts, the choreography, the show flow or show progression, the edit pattern... in short nothing gets the green signal until the creative team approves it.

You are in complete charge of what the content of the show will be.  It's a lot of work and responsibility because one small mistake could have adverse effects on the show.

All this might seem quite daunting at first but the more shows you do the more efficient you become. I found that one of the most important qualities to have in order to be successful in this line of work is to be able to think on your feet. The Hindi television industry is not a big believer in “forward planning”. Everything happens, or, conversely, does not happen, at the very last minute and you need to be able to think of a solution immediately.

SAAKSHA BHANDARY WAS THE ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF I CAN DO THAT, WHICH WAS TELECAST ON ZEE TV.

If you are thinking about taking up this profession, here’s some serious advice:

• If you're planning to come to Mumbai to join this segment of the production industry, forget about having lots of time to socialise and relax! Say goodbye to most weekends.
• Don't play safe. If you want to get ahead in this field, playing safe isn't going to get you there. Take risks.
• Take this up only if job security is not your first priority. There have been stretches of time earlier on in my career when I have sat at home for months without work.
• Network, network, network! I wasn't too good at networking earlier. I would just come, do my work, and get out. But now I realise the importance of networking in this industry. It takes you a long way. 

Okay, I know I've made it look like a very difficult and scary field to work in... But I have come to love it, despite all the pressure and sleepless nights. When I finally see my show going on air it gives me a tremendous high to think that I have been part of creating something that lakhs of people in India and abroad will watch.

All I can say is, this is a very fulfilling job and I am fortunate to be among those people who can actually say “I love my job” and mean it. :)

IN APRIL-MAY 2011, SAAKSHA WAS ONE OF FOUR COMMITS STUDENTS WHO INTERNED WITH RED CHILLIES IN MUMBAI AND HELPED TO PRODUCE COKE STUDIO.

• ALSO READ: How to have a successful AVC-related internship

A kindred spirit! As my friends and students know, I, too, can't read only one book at a time

Here is a relevant excerpt from Jerry Pinto's column in the latest issue of The Week:

Now that it is the end of the year, I thought I should do an audit of how many books I am reading simultaneously. So I went through the house — not a difficult task to do in a small Mumbai flat — and listed every book of which I had read more than 20 per cent. When I was done, I found I was reading 30 books at the same time. This does not count Marcel Proust — I am in the middle of The Captive The Fugitive — which I have been reading four pages at a time for the last two years.

He is reading 30 books at the same time! I am not so bad, rather, good. According to my Goodreads feed (above), I am reading 10 books currently. (Actually, the number is 11 — two days ago I began reading Sarasvatichandra, by Govardhanram Madhavram Tripathi. But the book is so new, it does not figure yet on Goodreads.)

Here you can read Jerry Pinto's column in its entirety: "Strange Encounters".

"Words. A child needs a forest of words to wander through, a sea of words to splash in. A child needs to be read to, and a child needs to read."

TWO EXCERPTS FROM A POWERFUL PIECE, "The Gift of Reading", by Frank Bruni, IN THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Words. A child needs a forest of words to wander through, a sea of words to splash in. A child needs to be read to, and a child needs to read.

Reading fuels the fires of intelligence and imagination, and if they don’t blaze well before elementary school, a child’s education — a child’s life — may be an endless game of catch-up.

“Kids who read more get better at reading, and because they are better at reading, it’s easier and more pleasurable so they read still more,” he [Daniel Willingham, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of Raising Kids Who Read] said. “And kids who read well don’t just do better in English class — it helps them in math, science and every other class, too.”

I’d go even further. Reading tugs them outside of themselves, connecting them to a wider world and filling it with wonder. It’s more than fundamental. It’s transformative.

Read the article in its entirety here: "The Gift of Reading".

• ALSO READ: "Read, kids, read"

No, my dear young lady, contrary to what your parents have told you, journalists are not "fanning the flames"

On November 25, I received this message on Facebook:

• [REDACTED]
  

  
  

  All these reports pointing to increase in Hindu extremism. What is your take? My parents insist the media is fanning the flames but I can't believe it.
  
  MY RESPONSE:
  
• 

  11/30, 1:45pm

  Ramesh Prabhu
  

  
  

  Many people, when they refer to the "media", they are, I think, referring primarily to TV news channels.
  
  Take the Aamir Khan episode, for example. If you were watching our 24-hour news channels the day after his comments were reported, you would think this episode was the most important news of the day. But that is the nature of the beast, as Rajdeep Sardesai described it during his talk at our seminar a few years ago.
  
  There were no flames being fanned. It's just that the debates, which become especially raucous on Arnab Goswami's prime-time show, gave the impression that the whole country was talking about this incident.
  
  By way of contrast, take a look at how two leading newspapers reported that same Aamir news item (see photo below). These are the front pages of The Times of India and The Hindu, which I was reading when on holiday in Yercaud last week.
  
  
  

  

  
  
• 11/30, 1:49pm

  Ramesh Prabhu
  

  
  

  But, yes, there are problems and there are difficulties.
  
  Some of the issues that plague journalism today have existed for a long time, for example, the pressures brought upon editors and their staff by the owners.
  
  Some are new, like the MediaNet phenomenon introduced by The Times of India.
  
  Some challenges are specific to today — social media has helped to amplify many issues, I believe, because it's so easy now to "shout from the rooftop" and be heard by all your "friends" and "followers".
  
• 

  11/30, 1:50pm

  Ramesh Prabhu
  

  
  

  Good training is part of the problem — do go through this article I wrote some time ago for a Pune-based magazine: "Media education: From course structure to quality of students, the challenges are immense"

  
  

  
  

  

  THE READING ROOM: Media education: From course structure to quality of students, the challenges...

  
  
• Monday
• 11/30, 8:05pm

  [REDACTED]
  

  
  

  Thank you Ramesh sir for taking the time for an elaborate reply... Your reply puts a lot of things in perspective.
  
  A lot seems to have changed as far as Indian TV channels are concerned in the 10 years that I have been away. But again it's the same everywhere — the TV news in the States is very sensational too!
  I find myself on the other side of the Hindutva issue than the rest of my side of the family. And I get judged a lot but I guess that's par for the course!
  
  *****
  "Indian mainstream news media has a strong culture of protest"
  JUST TO GIVE MY READERS ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE, here are three points I have excerpted from a piece on the Aamir Khan episode published by The Hoot, a New Delhi-based site which was set up to scrutinise the media in India:
  
  First and foremost, Indian mainstream news media has a strong culture of protest, and we are lucky to have such a news media despite claims of creeping corporate control. The culture of protest is much stronger than what we see in western democracies....
  
  Second, the news culture in India suggests that any value-framing of good vs bad in a news story will privilege victims, and should. This is what we would expect from any news media that speaks truth to power....
  
  Three, despite this predisposition, most journalists try to be fair to all sides in political debate over policy....
  
  Read the article in its entirety here: "Aamir's 'alarm' and media bias".

Suspensive hyphenation — what it is, how to use it

1. As used in a headline in Mint on November 10, 2015:



2. As used in a story in The Week dated November 29, 2015:

• ALSO READ: Everything you always wanted to know about the usage of punctuation marks (but were afraid to ask)

This media student's answer to a question about "burglary, robbery, and theft" gives a whole new meaning to the word "misappropriate"

What is the difference between ‘burglary’, ‘robbery’, and ‘theft’?

(a) Burglary means forcible entry with intent to commit a crime.

(b) Robbery means stealing with force or threat of force.

(c) Theft means stealing without force or threat of force.

And then there is this:

Obviously, these are testing times for students... and teachers.