Media Matters-3: "What you must do to become a journalist"

This was published yesterday on the Education Page of Dubai's Khaleej Times:

WHAT YOU MUST DO
TO BECOME A JOURNALIST

By Ramesh Prabhu 

When Shagorika Easwar wanted to work as a journalist in Dubai, she sent her CV to Khaleej Times. This was sometime in 1989. Shagorika’s CV landed on my desk because everyone knew that, as features editor of the newspaper, I was looking for a good hand.

Along with her CV, Shagorika had enclosed a copy of an article she had written. I don’t remember now what the piece was about but I can’t ever forget that one glance at it was enough to convince me that we had found our Ms Right. When you write like an angel, the world sits up and takes notice.

Shagorika joined Khaleej Times shortly afterwards and, until she immigrated to Canada with her family some years later, did the Features Department proud. She edited copy, sized pictures, laid out pages, came up with story ideas, wrote a few stories herself, developed good relationships with everyone from her fellow journalists to columnists to copy-setters and office drivers — all skills that she is putting to good use in Toronto as the editor of two highly successful magazines which she launched along with her husband.

It was easy for Shagorika to become a journalist because she has a recognisable and provable talent for writing. I don’t remember if I even asked her about her academic qualifications. Similarly, it was easy for me to become a journalist back in 1981 (see “Media Matters-2”) even though I did not have a degree in journalism or mass communication. (It is a different matter that two years ago, at the age of 54, I studied for and earned a master’s degree in journalism.)

In those days, the ’80s, there were very few educational institutions offering post-graduate programmes for media aspirants. Also, print was still king, with 24-hour television news channels nowhere on the horizon and the internet only a futuristic concept. So journalism, even though it was a highly respected profession, was not really considered to be a glamorous one and, consequently, the competition for jobs was not as intense as it is today.

What is the scene like now for those who want to become journalists? Media organisations are looking to hire only those who will be a good fit, so a post-graduate degree, or at least a post-graduate diploma, from a reputed institute is paramount. This is because, as I wrote in a magazine article last year, hundreds of television news channels and a few thousand newspapers and magazines are engaged in a race for both audiences and advertisers. The competition is so fierce that new recruits at the entry level no longer have any breathing space, unlike in the past.

No one at work has the time now to hold the newbie’s hand as he or she attempts to navigate the swiftly moving and often treacherous currents of the media ocean. There is no honeymoon period. There is no time for a honeymoon. Period.  That is why the industry today prefers to hire only those who have a master’s degree, or at least a post-graduate diploma, from an institute that has a reputation for providing quality journalism education.

So this much is clear: If you want to become a journalist, a good education comes first.

DEGREES OF CONFIDENCE: A first-class education is a must if you want to become a journalist today*. (PHOTO: DIPANKAR PAUL)

Now, how do you choose a good media college? Do extensive research. Study the course structure to assess the importance given to practical training. Find out as much as you can about the faculty: What are their qualifications to teach the course? How many years have they worked in the industry? Do they blog? Ask about industry tie-ups. Does the college arrange internships? Request contact details of alumni — if the college is a reputed one, the staff will be glad to answer all your questions and help you get a better grip on the course it offers.

For your part, if you are keen on becoming a journalist, make sure your decision is not based on a whim. Spend time talking with journalists. Try to understand what it means to be a journalist. And once you are sure journalism is what you want and after you have taken a decision on the college, give some thought to the advice I give all media aspirants:

• If you do not like reading you will be at a disadvantage, so make a huge effort to develop a reading habit. Read newspapers, magazines, books — fiction as well as non-fiction. Books on journalism. Books by journalists. Remember: In order to be a good writer, you first have to be a good reader.
• Watch movies. Listen to music. Immerse yourself in popular culture. Be aware of what’s going on around you.
• Talk to people. Understand their concerns. Develop empathy for your audience.
• At all times, behave professionally.
• Guard zealously your reputation for honesty, credibility, and integrity. Once it's lost, all is lost.

THINK ABOUT IT: “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon.” — Tom Stoppard, English dramatist who has written for TV, radio, film, and stage. He co-wrote the screenplays for Brazil, The Russia House, and Shakespeare in Love, and has received one Academy Award and four Tony Awards

• Ramesh Prabhu is professor of journalism at Commits Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bangalore. Commits offers a full-time two-year M.A. degree course.
• “Media Matters” welcomes questions from readers who would like to know more about careers in journalism. Please send in your queries to education@khaleejtimes.com.

* IN THE PHOTOGRAPH: Commits alumni Dipankar Paul and Shikha Gaba-Paul, husband and wife, both from the Class of 2009, with their master's degree certificates

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF KHALEEJ TIMES:

Dear Editor,

I have read Ramesh Prabhu’s column Media Matters (December 2) with interest ever since it was launched a few weeks ago. What a great idea, I thought, a respected journalist and teacher writing about the profession, providing insight into what makes for good journalism. Imagine my astonishment at finding my name in the latest column! To say it brought back lovely memories would not be entirely correct — I have never forgotten the years I spent in Khaleej Times as a sub-editor, learning, working, and yes, forging friendships that remain strong to this day. 

If I did some of what is ascribed to me by Ramesh, it was largely because I had a very good teacher in him. We are roughly the same age, and yet, I have always thought of him as my guru in this field. In this, the latest column, he writes about how no one has the time to hold a newbie’s hand. I was blessed that Ramesh took the time to show me how. That he never once rolled his eyes when I walked into his cabin on my second day on the job and — very diffidently — asked him how one chooses a font. That he encouraged independent thinking while explaining the rules. That he allowed people in his department to flourish. He cheered us on when my husband and I launched first Desi News in Toronto 19 years ago and then CanadaBound Immigrant. Because that’s what the best teacher does — he shows you the way and then lets you choose your own path. In both, I incorporated what I had learnt from him. 

Students from every batch he has taught at Commits in Bangalore have gone on to earn accolades in print and television media. It is fitting, I think, that Ramesh has chosen Khaleej Times to write about a field he is so passionate about. It was here, after all, that Ramesh Prabhu the teacher was born.

Shagorika Easwar

Editor, Desi News and CanadaBound Immigrant

Newmarket, Ontario, Canada

• ALSO READ: "There is no job like journalism" (Media Matters-1) and "Can anyone become a journalist?" (Media Matters-2)
  

Media Matters-2: "Can anyone become a journalist?"

This column was published in Khaleej Times yesterday:

CAN ANYONE BECOME A JOURNALIST?

By Ramesh Prabhu

More than 30 years ago I got my start as a journalist at a small fortnightly newspaper in Mumbai. I was fresh out of college, with a B.Sc. degree in chemistry and botany (I had obtained a first class in the final exam; Mumbai University had even thought it fit to award me a gold medal in botany).

The fortnightly was called Marine Times. Here, over a short period in early 1981, I learnt something about reporting and interviewing while doing my rounds of the city’s shipping companies. I also picked up a few production techniques at the private press where the paper was put together.

Two months on, I felt my stint at Marine Times had done its job as an appetiser. Now it was time to sink my teeth into something more substantial: Mid Day.

Mid Day was the most popular evening paper in the city at the time and was home to some of the best journalists in the city. At Mid Day, which took me on as a trainee sub-editor in June 1981, I got thrown into the deep end. And was I ecstatic! I felt energised by the snap-crackle-fizz of the newsroom. I did everything I was told, and more. I worked days. I worked nights. I was hooked.

Why am I telling you all this now? Because more than 30 years ago anyone could become a journalist, even someone who did not have any academic qualifications for the job. Even someone with just a science degree.

In my case, though, it helped that my father was a journalist who worked with a news agency, PTI, for most of his career. (Marine Times, where I got my start, was owned by a colleague of his.) From the time I can remember, newspapers were an important part of the morning routine at home. When he returned from work, my father would also bring with him the evening tabloids as well as some magazines. One of my favourite memories is of lying in bed and poring over the latest issue of India Today or Time. There would always be a few books lying around too. Reading became second nature to me; it felt as natural as breathing. And it still does.

So why am I telling you this now? Because even today anyone, with a little bit of effort, can become a journalist. But to become a good journalist, in addition to having the right educational qualifications (more on that in a future column), you will need to keep in mind Prabhu’s Two Laws of Intention.

HABIT-FORMING: It is called a "daily" for a reason. PHOTO: MATHANGI IYER

The First Law of Intention states that you should be obsessed with news. Don’t just read one newspaper. Read as many as you can lay your hands on. And don’t just read. Read closely. Magazines, news websites. On your phone. On your laptop. On Facebook even. Sign up for news alerts. Get a Twitter account. Follow the best journalists in the world. Watch the news on TV. Be aware of what’s happening around you. For one thing, that’s how you get story ideas. Second, you get to learn from the experts how to structure your stories. And you get a bonus in the form of an enhanced ability to make intelligent conversation even with people you have just met and get them to warm up to you. That’s a wonderful talent to have in your armoury when you’re trying to prise important information out of your sources.

Prabhu’s Second Law of Intention states that you should be in love with words. Whether you are a reporter or a sub-editor (and especially if you are a sub-editor), your language skills should be first-rate. You should be a wizard with words. Only then will readers stay glued to what you have conjured up; only then will they read from beginning to end what you have worked so hard to write or edit. As I noted in an article I wrote last year for the 35th anniversary issue of Khaleej Times, “Indifferent writing breeds indifferent readers. Quality writing attracts readers of all kinds.”

An obsession with news; a devotion to words. If you aspire to be a journalist, there’s no better way to rise... and shine.

THINK ABOUT IT: “In the English language, it all comes down to this: Twenty-six letters, when combined correctly, can create magic. Twenty-six letters form the foundation of a free, informed society.”  ― American journalist and non-fiction writer John Grogan, author of Marley & Me

·        Ramesh Prabhu is professor of journalism at Commits Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bangalore. Commits offers a full-time two-year MA degree course.
·        “Media Matters” welcomes questions from readers who would like to know more about careers in journalism. Please send in your queries to education@khaleejtimes.com.

• ALSO READ: Media Matters-1: "There is no job like journalism".

"There is no job like journalism" — Media Matters, my new fortnightly column in Dubai's Khaleej Times

The inaugural "Media Matters" column:

THERE IS NO JOB LIKE JOURNALISM

By Ramesh Prabhu

JOURNALISM is the world's best profession.

I believed that when I first became a trainee sub-editor in 1981.

I believed that when, after more than 20 years as a journalist in Mumbai, Dubai, and Bangalore, I was given a golden opportunity to give back to the profession as a journalism teacher at a media college in India’s Silicon Valley.

And I believe that even today as I revel in the joys of journalism when sharing my experiences with my students, year after glorious year.

Of course, I am not the first person to assert that journalism is the best job in the world. The credit for that goes to the late Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whose essay on the subject has been shared and re-shared multiple times on the Internet.

Nobel laureate Garcia Marquez, the author of the much-loved classics One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera, knew what he was talking about. After all, he had got his start as a journalist in his native Colombia many years before anyone outside his home town had even heard of him. By 1997, when he wrote that illuminating essay, he had become a global phenomenon, but he did not forget his debt to journalism. Here is a telling excerpt from his final paragraph:

No one who does not have this in his blood can comprehend its magnetic hold…. No one who has not had this experience can begin to grasp the extraordinary excitement stirred by the news, the sheer elation created by the first fruits of an endeavour….

No one has put it better.

Today, I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to spend quality time with young media aspirants, many of whom have since forged successful careers in newspapers, television channels, and magazines, both in India and abroad.

I absolutely love what I do. Every year I now get to interact with — and learn from — a fresh batch of students. And I think I am a much better journalist today because my students keep me on my toes with their questions; in order to do a good job of the answers, I am constantly updating my knowledge base.

I also love books, music, films — in fact, almost every form of popular culture — and it’s fascinating for me to be able to discuss what I read, listen to, and watch with Gen Next.

I must add a few words here about how technology helps the faculty-student interaction. I use e-mail to send my course material in advance so that the students can prepare for debate and discussion in my class. I also alert them via e-mail to interesting articles and links. And I publish two blogs. One is The Commits Chronicle, which takes a close look at happenings in the college and on student activities. The second blog, The Reading Room, focuses on reading, writing, and journalism.

Facebook is a big help — I use it as a distance education tool and my status messages are mostly about something important in the books I have read and on news articles that I want future journalists to read. And I upload pictures that my students may find interesting; of course, I write an appropriate caption for every photograph because caption-writing is a skill which I aim to teach in class as part of the journalism course.

Facebook has other productive uses, too: when I took part in a charity run in Bangalore (four times so far) to raise funds for an NGO that works with underprivileged children, I used my status messages as regular event alerts in the hope that at the right time in their lives my students will give serious thought to helping disadvantaged communities.

All this is by way of introducing myself and this new fortnightly column on the joys of journalism. In the coming weeks and months, with the help of “Media Matters,” I hope to enthuse my readers into taking up journalism as a career. Why? Because it is the best job in the world.

THINK ABOUT IT: "Four hostile newspapers are to be feared more than a thousand bayonets" – Napoleon Bonaparte

·    Ramesh Prabhu is professor of journalism at Commits Institute of Journalism & Mass Communication, Bangalore. Commits offers a full-time two-year MA degree course.
·    “Media Matters” welcomes questions from readers who would like to know more about careers in journalism. Please send in your queries to rd.prabhu@gmail.com.

• ALSO READ: "The future of newspaper journalism", my piece in the 35th anniversary issue of Khaleej Times.