When both reporter and copy editor screw up big-time

Page 3 of Bangalore Times today — that should be "greenbacks" (a colloquial term for the US dollar), not "green bags".

• ALSO READ: When subs fall asleep on the job

Who are these people who get bombed while doing their work but keep going back?

And who are the people bringing us their stories?

Physicians working for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) have saved countless lives in troubled and war-torn regions over the years.

Dr. Navpreet Sahsi, an emergency room physician from Toronto, on his daily rounds in an MSF camp in South Sudan. Dr. Nav, as he is known, features prominently in the podcast discussed below. Photo courtesy: NPR/David Gilkey

But what does it take to volunteer for a mission with one of the world's leading humanitarian organisations?

And how will we, siting in the comfort of our homes, know what it means to be an MSF doctor if we didn't have journalists who risk their lives too by travelling to these dangerous areas to report on the work being done there by these amazing, brave, big-hearted men and women?

If you want to know more, and I'm sure you do, click on this link: Embedded for Five Days and Five Nights with Doctors Without Borders.

When you get to the page, click on the "play" icon to listen to the podcast.

When listening to the podcast, pay attention to the journalistic values — how similar is this podcast to a news feature in a newspaper?

Also pay attention to the following:

1. Pronunciation

2. Voice modulation

3. Use of music

4. Use of silences

This is a great example of "radio journalism".

Also, it's a great example of a human interest story.

Who else but journalists can bring us such stories?

• NPR is a wonderful source of some gripping podcasts, as is Longform. Here are some of my favourites:

The mother of all podcasts: Serial

Do you have dark thoughts?

You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts

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

Listen in as Rukmini Callimachi, the remarkable journalist who is tracking ISIS, talks about possibly the most difficult of media assignments

ALSO:

The best Indian podcasts

How marvellous it would be if you could edit your own writing...

...but there are not many people out there who are capable of doing so. Lisa Lepki of Ragan Communications understands that and she wants to help. So she has compiled a list of six common problems to fix "before your editor gets out the red pen":

1. Replace adverbs with strong verbs.

2. Fix repetitive use of initial pronouns.

3. Get rid of clichés.

4. Declutter your writing by cutting redundancies.

5. Eliminate your passive voice.

6. Get rid of sticky sentences.

Lepki elaborates on each point and also provides easy-to-grasp examples. Check out her post here: 6 self-editing tips to strengthen your writing.

Afterwards, download this free white paper, "10 ways to improve your writing today".

"Whether you're composing a press release, a blog post, a script, or executive talking points, these techniques," Ragan claims, "will enhance your communication." Get the white paper here.

• ALSO READ: What you need to know about amateur writing vs professional writing

"8 small things you do that people use to judge your personality"

Yes, you will be judged on whether you are punctual, whether you arrive in time for class, for a date, for a meeting. But did you know you will also be judged on how you treat waiters? And where you look when you drink out of a cup?

Business Insider India has helpfully made a list of eight small things we do that people use to judge us. Here's the list:

1. Your handshake
2. Whether you show up on time
3. How you treat restaurant staff
4. Where you look when you drink out of a cup
5. Whether you bite your nails
6. Your handwriting
7. How often you check your phone
8. Whether you make eye contact

You can read this topical feature in its entirety here.

"I'll drill you, I'll grill you, so that the industry won't kill you"

What makes a journalism professor tick? This short video perhaps provides the answer:

This profile was produced by Commitscions Shristi Thapliyal, Shreesha Ghosh, Meghana Khare, Dona Dey, Soumya Matham, Sneha Rudra, and Sudeshna Bardhan (Class of 2017).

• ALSO READ:

WHY I DO WHAT I DO, or What a joy it is to be a journalist and a journalism teacher!

What you must do to become a journalist

If you love what you do, is it "work"?

Golden words of advice for journalism students

On journalism, Commits students, and the historic Commits-Network 18 tie-up

What is it that makes life endurable?

"...we all require devotion to something more than ourselves for our lives to be endurable. Without it, we have only our desires to guide us, and they are fleeting, capricious, and insatiable. They provide, ultimately, only torment."

~ Harvard philosopher Josiah Royce, quoted in a fascinating book I bought for myself recently, Atul Gawande's Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

• Want to know more about the book? Check out this review.

Why you shouldn't worry about what people think of you

There are many young people out there who are sure to benefit from reading this first-person piece:

"So much of life is dictated by what others will think of us. In fact, we spend more time wondering what people will think rather than trying to accomplish things that will get them thinking about us in the first place."

Click here.

Playing the role of a television interviewer

Watch this clip from my days as the host of a TV show on TMG Enter, the technology channel launched by the company I joined back in 1999 in Bangalore.

Keep in mind that I have done a fair amount of research to be able to ask my guest relevant questions about a topic I am not an expert on. He is the expert. I am also listening to the answers so that I can ask follow-up questions.

Keep in mind, too, that this chat is meant for an audience comprising technology enthusiasts and people from the tech industry.

I hope watching this video will give Audiovisual Communication students some insight into how they can prepare for and produce their own chat programme for their TV news shows.

YOU ARE A WRITER

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

"You may say you’re not a writer. But if you have a job that requires communicating with others, you are. If you keep a to-do list, that’s writing. If you draft a project plan, report, or meeting agenda, that’s writing. And, if you’re like most writers, you want to be more skilled at using your words."

~ From a promo for Evernote

ALSO READ:

• Great writing can be learnt

• "The key to all good writing is understanding your audience"

• What you need to know about amateur writing vs professional writing

• What matters most in good writing

• "Want to be taken seriously? Become a better writer"

The world is your oyster...

...when you have the 3 i's: Interest, Initiative, Imagination.

And Sumukh Mehta, a 21-year-old Bangalorean, seems to have the 3 i's by the bucketful.

That's Sumukh on the cover of GQ. What's he doing there, you ask? Read all about it here: Your Resumé Doesn’t Stand A Chance Against This Dude’s Ridiculously Creative One.

Sumukh's story featured prominently on the websites of many news outlets. Here's how it played out on the BBC's site: This graduate made his CV look like GQ magazine — and it worked.

ALSO READ:

• How's this for initiative (Aaqib Javed's story)?

• How to write an e-mail that will get you your dream internship (Commitscion Tia Raina's story)