Ethiquette: Premediameet Newsletter

Media Meet - Annual Media Conference Pre - Media Meet Newsletter Published by the Department of Media Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University) | 29 August - 31 August, 2019 | Private Circulation WORKSHOPS It Isn’t Always What it Seems It Isn’t Always What A Media Meet Workshop On Journalistic Fact Checking: News Verification Tools And Techniques it Seems Anisha Das Anisha Das III MAMCS PR Secrets The Department of Media Studies of CHRIST Photo Courtesy: Anirudh Madhava Rao Revealed! (Deemed to be University) joined hands with CoMedia Lab to organize a successful workshop rummaging through their search results on Serilda Lucy Coutinho on ‘Journalistic Fact Checking: News, Verifica- Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, Times of India, tion Tools and Techniques’ on the 21st of July, The Hindu, India Today and other big shots. The “Ethics is a fine line 2019. Christites from across departments spent point of the activity was to determine whether between taking the day with resource person, Ms. Shobha S. V., the reputed names were caught in the ‘informa- inspiration and who guided them through the world of big com- tion disorder’ debate. Tons of manipulated im- panies, an individual’s rights and the grey area ages, out-of-context click-bait stories popped replicating”: Vivian of consent. Ms. Shobha S.V. currently represents up on the laptop and mobile screens in the Me- Ambrose CoMedia Lab which is an organisation invest- dia Lab room and students were shocked be- ed in practice of journalism and media literacy. yond belief. Each group handled Checklists and Aiswarya N She has been an independent researcher for more Softwares given by Shobha S. V. It was a relief than 13 years with a combined cross sectoral ex- to know that many meta-data fact-checking ap- Virtual Reality and perience in journalism, research and digital media plications were developed by the common man, Steps Towards for nonprofits. She has been associated with organ- to tackle the information disorder sweeping the zations including International Center for Journal- world currently. Reverse Image Search, Tin- Ethical Journalism ists, Breakthrough India, Bangalore Mirror and eye and Who.is were some of the favourite ver- other media organizations in different capacities.   ification tools that participants loved to handle. Christina Tom Jose The workshop started with videos by First Draft The participants on Sunday were overall semi-lit- News, an organization dedicated to educating erate in the digital news media ecosystem as there journalists on ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinforma- were students from across departments. “I think tion’. The introduction to concepts like ‘Filter it’s nice that it is a student initiative. You are Bubble’ and the delegitimization of news were put bringing people from different walks of life and forward. Students handled various browsers and that makes a difference. In future when you’re search results of similar topics. The difference in handling such topics, maybe you can bring people the search results is what peaked students’ inter- from a more technical background like software ests and everyone tuned in to Shobha’s lecture on engineers and coders who are the people who code how companies customize the data for an the algorithms that create the confusion” she said. individual and thus the individual misses out on On being asked how the common man can get ed- “ ucated to stay away from disinformation and keep their faith in the media intact, she replied “I think We are all we need to be informed about how we consume consuming content. Thus, it is information. It should be done at a very young level - like sessions in school. It has to be an on- important to know how we going educational process. Also, we need to focus consume it on adult literacy. As active consumers of informa- tion in the digital format, every individual needs to ” stay informed on how the news gets manipulated. This affects everything - how you perceive things, -- Shobha S. V. how you decide whom to vote, how we put people in positions of power. Our choices should be our access and knowledge without their consent. choices and not be driven by manipulated sources”. An excellent analogy given by Shobha was that For her, Media Meet 2019 was a hit. of a librarian and Google. “You go to a librarian and get a book based on how you look and what you wear. That’s what’s happening to the news you receive via your search engines and brows- ers” she said. The differences between various kinds of ‘information disorders’ was also dis- cussed. “Let’s not delegitimize news by calling it fake. The better term is information disorder”. The students had an enjoyable afternoon, track- ing their data on WhatsApp groups and then

PR Secrets Finally Revealed! A Pre Media Meet Workshop on Public Relations Serilda Lucy Coutinho I MAMCS We are another step closer to Media Meet and we are work life, Nalam focused Photo Courtesy:Shrisharan absolutely thrilled! The workshops have become on corporate media relations the weekend’s highlight as students are actively siting examples of media the key element and clients are willing to pay for taking part and learning more! The topic for this relationship agents and tac- good content was the point that was point driven week’s workshop held at the Media lab was ‘Me- tics used. As the workshop across to the participants during the workshop. dia relations with reference to Public Relations’. gained momentum the floor A take away from this workshop regarding ethics was left open to the audience would be the subjective approach of ‘truth’ in PR Adarsh Nalam who has an expertise in public re- to brainstorm and list com- generated content. Nalam says that “PR is neither lations, content marketing, and long-form writ- ponents that are required to ethical nor unethical it is the people who make it, ing along with consultation experience for tech be a part of a successful sto- so it is difficult to come to a common consensus” companies, MSL Group and brands like Nike, ry pitch to a journalist. Fur- ESPN and Sony television, mentored the partici- ther moving on to address- pants. He gave an insight into the strategies used ing the queries of aspiring by the PR profession for their clients. There were PR professionals, to create some interesting activities to understand and de- effective content Nalam says fine PR and putting forth a media strategy and im- “know what you are talking plementing it in the real-life scenario for a client. about and do not be a jerk.” The main focus was to deconstruct the content Despite not making a direct reference to PR eth- offered by media to distinguish between what is ics during the workshop various ethical decisions being sold versus what is being told. “The person that impact the execution of media strategies were creating the content has a hidden agenda and that discussed. One of the examples cited was how the agenda is delivered through media that is then launch date for the product is impacted by the death forming your perception of the world,” says Nalam. of an eminent personality in the country, due to which it has to be rescheduled on ethical grounds Giving the participants an insight into their daily as well with the fear of losing out the thunder to the death news. In PR excursion of the strategy is “Ethics Is A Fine Line Between Taking Inspiration And Replicating”: Vivian Ambrose A Pre-Media Meet Workshop on Ethics and Photograpy Aiswarya N I MAMCS A wide array of knowledge about photogra- took up this field due to his passion and attachment According to Vivian, ethics in photography is phy - be it Ethics, tricks, genres, perspectives, towards that. “I used to shoot in my dad’s film cam- more than mere plagiarism and immoral photo- technical aspects, ideas, art or creativity - over- era during my childhood. I used to love doing that graphs. He said that ethics is a fine line between whelmed the audience who attended the pho- and realized my passion for photography,” he said. taking inspiration and replicating. He believes tography workshop with motivation and desire. that, just like copying someone’s photograph, The workshop on ‘Photography and Ethics in Pho- Considering the diverse range of audience attend- it is also unethical to replicate someone’s idea. tography’ was conducted by Vivian Ambrose, who ing the session he discussed the basic and advanced “When you replicate a photograph, you will not is an alumnus of Christ (Deemed to be University). level of photography. By emphasising the role of learn anything new. Try to understand the tech- Vivian, who is a photographer, filmmaker and a light in photography, he said “Light is everything niques and try something of your own,” he said. diver has worked with major companies like Apple, and a great photograph emerges when the compo- Google, Oppo and OnePlus as an influencer. Despite sition of light is proper”. Besides his talk on pho- The sessions wouldn’t have been this interest- all the challenges in underwater photography he tography, he screened numerous photographs cap- ing and entertaining if not he had shared his ex- periences behind every single photo. Rather Photo Courtesy: Anmol Verma tured by him which than just clicking a photograph and fortunate- included, stars, galax- ly it turning out well, he believes that it is also ies, underwater pho- equally important to learn about the object that tographs and so on. you are photographing and the camera settings. For every photograph Patterns in photography, different angles, light- that he screened, he ing, exposure, frames, photo manipulation, editing never failed to explain were the other things that he discussed during the the camera aspects session. Despite talking art in photography and and settings which he manipulation techniques, he believed that at the used while clicking end of the day all a photographer needs is their that particular photo. audience to understand what they try to convey. Speaking about per- spective, he said that Following the discussion and presentation, the perspective differs ac- afternoon session included the practical aspects. cording to the process Having seen the photographs clicked by the stu- of thinking. “Find dents, he reviewed every one of them, provid- where you belong and ing more guidance and support to the students. what you want to do,” he said to the students.

Virtual Reality And Steps Towards Ethical Journalism A Pre Media Meet Seminar on Virtual Reality Christina Tom Jose I MAMCS Photo Courtesy: Keya Christiena He was of the opinion that truly authentic docu- Photo Courtesy: Keya Christiena mentaries are possible only through virtual reality, A workshop was conducted on Virtual Reality Sto- because the viewer chooses what to see and there tion of the most advanced 360-degree cameras was rytelling by the department of Media Studies as is little scope for manipulation through editing. also conducted, showing attendees how moving part of Media Meet 2019, on Sunday the 25th of Mr. Sagiraju’s talk was able to start discussion that images are captured for virtual reality. Students August. The workshop was headed by Sairam Sa- involved every participant in the room. The session were able to try and test out the virtual reality giraju, founder of Meraki VR Studio. More than was interactive, with as much contribution from equipment individually. Some even viewed virtu- fifty students undergraduate and post-graduate the students as from the resource person. “It was al reality material for the first time here. Mr. Sa- students from Christ University and other insti- interesting to see the good turnout and involvement giraju also showed how a photograph is captured tutions attended the workshop, which was held at in the session. It is high time that future technology and stitched to form a virtual image in real time. the Media Lab located in the Auditorium Block. is part of the curriculum,” comments Mr. Sagiraju. The workshop discussed all relevant topics in the Mr. Sagiraju’s pioneering virtual reality studio field of virtual reality. The students were introduced The workshop also covered the ethical impli- Meraki was established in 2015. A student of to the concepts of virtual and augmented reality. cations behind the use of virtual reality, in lieu Christ University, he has worked on multiple films of the theme ‘Media Ethics’ for this year’s Me- and music videos, notably the Winds of Samsara The scope of virtual reality in different sectors was dia Meet. He commented on how techniques music video for Bengaluru based musician Ricky discussed at length. Mr. Sagiraju started the work- of traditional film-making like montage and Kej, which even won a Grammy. In the five years shop by discussing the history of the visual art form, closeups are often used to sensationalize news, since its establishment, his firm has worked on a from cave paintings to the film, a medium that is which could be overcome through virtual reality. number of projects involving virtual reality vid- much familiar to students. He then demarcated the Each student was provided with a Virtual Reality eos and has worked with a variety of clients. differences between these and virtual reality. He headset, through which they viewed 360-degree pointed out how virtual reality and film-making in videos on their phone. An informative demonstra- the 360 degree covers the limitations of traditional films which are often restricted to a flat surface. QUICK PEEK

MEDIA TALK A Stand Against The Ethical Barriers In Journalism A Stand Against the Ethical Barriers in Gopika Krishnan Journalism III MAMCS Gopika Krishnan Portraying Facts With Fiction Tyra Colaso Want a Happy Client? Photo Courtesy: Madappa P.S that the firm would reflect these right ideologies. Bring Out The ‘Ethics’ He began by stating that paid news should simply Harish Upadhya didn’t bat an eye before he excit- be called corruption and that it is a parasite within Checklist! edly said, “I am thrilled to be back in the campus, the vernacular media. Because of the skimpy sala- definitely. It is great to see how it has grown, how ries that the journalists receive, they end up accept- Anisha Das the department has become bigger and so has Me- ing offers to pick up paid news for outside forces. dia Meet. The event was only spread over a short Ethics = (Account- 2-day when I was here. Now I see you guys are He then slowly delved into the problem of Editori- ability*Self-Regula- celebrating the 10th anniversary over 3-days. It’s al line’s ideology. He kept reminding the audience tion) +Responsibility great!” when asked if he was happy to be back to the that a journalist mostly has to have the support of, University where he had spent over 3 years during if not the entire organisation, the Editor in Chief Aiswarya N his under graduation. Harish was back at Christ to say the least. If the latter has extended the sup- (Deemed to be University) as the first speaker for port, then it becomes quite easy to run a controver- Fly In Different Di- Media Talk, 2019 which was held on 27th of July. sial story. If not, “you have to put your foot down rections, But Don’t and explain to the firm why you think the story As soon as he went up on stage, he cheeki- is worth publishing,” says Harish. Nevertheless, if Just Wing It! ly said “I’ve always thought PPTs were boring, the writer is unable to persuade the organisation so no PPTs today,” putting the audience to ease. to print it, it is important to ensure that the sto- Sharanya N Eshwar During his 15 minute talk, Harish dealt three top- ry comes out, one way or the other, even if that ics pertaining to Media ethics that, according to means providing the scoop to another organisation. him are the major reasons stopping independent journalists from performing their jobs ethically- Harish made sure to touch upon the Paid news and corruption, Fake news- which he three important aspects of ethical prob- mentioned, is a daily battle we’ve all had to put up lems faced by media and media personals. a fight against, and the Editorial line- the ideolo- gy backing the firm if any- for example, an right- wing politician backing a newspaper would mean Vivek MV Talks About the Dangerous Two Minutes Of Fame Priyadarshini Bishnoi Photo Courtesy: Madappa P.S

Portraying Facts with Fiction Tyra Colaso I MAMCS Photo Courtesy: Madappa P.S head, one’s eye and get trickier. Panning through some of the most fa- one’s heart on the same mous yet ethical targeted photographs, Gayatri put The second speaker to take up the stage was Ms. axis” and then went on forth her views on the images. The first out of the Gayatri Ganju, an alumnus and a documentary pho- to state that everything box was a photographer of an Afghani girl, Sharbat tographer who graduated from The London College has the potential to be Bibi which was selected to be on the cover of the of Communication with a Master’s Degree in Doc- a story. She further ex- National Geographic Magazine clicked by Steve umentary Photography Through a huge experience plains that it depends McCurry. She explains how the caption which was in the field of photography, she was able to portray on the people of the related to the fear of the war in the eyes of the her passion to know more about people’s stories as media, who consume girl, was contrasting to the fact that McCurry had well as their relationship with their surroundings. and create stories so forced her to unwrap her face and it was that fear as to why and how the which made him win a lot of fame and recognition. The speaker started off with a quote by Henri stories are told. “It is Cartier Bresson, “ To take a photo is putting one’s all about the choices She also gave instances where the photograph of one’s conscious- that won the World Press Photograph, shot ness” said Ganju. by Paul Henderson drew a lot of controver- sies for staging or editing the picture of two She goes on to break young boys body being carried to their grave. the myth that ‘you are your own boss when Looking upon the brighter side Gayatri brought you get into freelanc- to light the photography series clicked by Uma ing’. “I get a lot of NOs before I get a Yes” said Bista of the oppressive patriarchy faced by the Gayatri while she explaining how difficult the job of girls in Nepal during their menstrual cycle. She a freelancer is when the client does not know what says, “What is really beautiful about this series is he wants. She also encouraged people to work as that she has worked collaboratively with the girls freelancers, even if it was for a short period, keep- and took them to spaces where they feel free”. ing in mind all the hard work and discipline it takes. She ends by stating the ironic “working as When it comes to ethics, she feels that there’s a con- a photo journalist for the last seven years I’ve become stant stream of information that we are bombarded a bit disillusioned with photo journalism”, putting with that means there’s a lot of content being creat- into context her work as a freelance photographer. ed and consumed but how and why is where things Want a Happy Client? Bring out the ‘Ethics’ Checklist! Anisha Das III MAMCS A great number of minds were inspired as speak- shaped by your education. The thread attached to are dependent on TRPs, need their own set er Kevin Johny’s speech for Media Talk 2019 the bag signifies your flexibility and even relation- of factors like accountability and credibil- concluded. Kevin, who currently works in the ships and interactions. The amount of experience ity so that they remain a prestigious name. Client Servicing department of Wizcraft Interna- you have, dipped in hot water, is what determines This reporter asked Kev- tional Entertainment, delivered the third speech your flavour. This happens to everybody. And when in a further ‘personal’ question. of the day on Saturday. His speech was filled you’re a Christite, the bag itself becomes a brand. How does it feel to be back on the campus? with anecdotes and analogies that the audience At Christ, you’re churned out differently altogeth- “It feels amazing! The place looks beau- is sure to remember for a long time. He spoke er. Your brand is what you carry. Your brand makes tiful. It hasn’t changed. It gives me a about how an event management firm needs to for an experience you will be giving to a future cli- whole lot of pleasure to come back here.” keep ethics in check while matching up to cli- ent,” his voice boomed in the packed auditorium. ents’ expectations. “Ethics for one person may Photo Courtesy: Madappa PS not be another person’s pleasure. Your clientele Kevin also added that will define the ethics of the project,” he said. to become a brand, ethics, adaptability, An excellent analogy put forward was Wizcraft’s patience and filtra- experience of handling an IIFAproject and a private tion of values are key party. The rules of both systems were explained to points along with cir- the audience - of how varied ethics comes into play cumstances. Curating for a public audience and then a private one. Videos experiences matter of the Wizcraft events were shown on the screen for a lot for advertising the audience to have a better grasp of the concepts. and public relations personnel. That cura- ‘Branding’ was the next concept taken up. Kevin, tion depends on not an ex-Christite himself, defined how each member just packaging won- in the audience, is a brand for themselves, with the derful stories but also analogy of a tea leaf. “Tea plants will grow only in keeping adding media the right kind of soil. You too, just like tea leaves, ethics, authenticity need the right soil to flourish. Your choices matter and credibility. Kevin a lot here. The leaves you choose to be with, in a spoke about how even filter bag, are your peers. The filter bag itself is IIFA awards, which

Ethics = (Accountability*Self-Regulation) + Responsibility Aiswarya N I MAMCS “Ethics is the result of adding of responsibili- ty, accuracy, integri- Photo Courtesy: Madappa PS ty into the combination of accountability and ty and upholding in- self-regulation”. By quantifying a metrics like dependence while forms for gaining information which leads to them ethics, Sumantra Basu gave a clear-cut idea talking about ethical getting bombarded by a whole lot of information. about the facets of media ethics on the Media reporting. While dis- So, they do not have enough time to verify if each talk, held at CHRIST (Deemed to be University). cussing on uphold- one of it is true, and thus if they pass on without Sumantra, an expert in the field of Public Rela- ing independence, he verifying chances of spreading fake news are high. tions, currently leads the Education and Infra- added that how every Speaking on the ethics in PR, he said “Like structure vertical at brand comm Public Relations, person is becoming how a person should not lie to doctor and law- Madison World. Though he started his career as their media outlets. yer, they should not lie to their PR professionals a journalist, later he widened his area of work also.” He added that it is extremely necessary onto the field of public affairs and advocacy. He By citing about the to ask questions for getting the right informa- had also worked with CNBC and ET Now. Af- Associated Press, tion from the clients. “What needs to be spoken ter completing his degree from Christ Univer- which is also the first is the truth, even if it is not desirable”, he said. sity, he did his Master’s degree in International global new agency to Journalism, from Cardiff University, London. start reporting news from North Korea, From providing a wide range of information to the he left the audience audience regarding media ethics and ethics in pub- with a dilemma of just lic relations, Sumantra was truly appealing. The De- reporting the news or whether they can actual- mocratization of Media, Accountability in the Dig- ly make a change, and hence the question al- ital Age, Fake News, Facets of Ethical Reporting ways lies in whether to report or to not report. and Ethical Frameworks in Public Relations were With the proliferation of technology adoption, amongst the topics that he emphasized in his talk. each of the people has become a media agency- be Speaking about the ethics, he said that, it lies in it social media or citizen journalism or whatever. the mindset of people and they have unique thresh- olds. “Setting standard ethics is an almost impos- He poses questions towards the audience like what sible task,” he added. While focusing on the prac- is the extent of an ethical framework and who sets titioners and observer’s perspective, he said that the bar for ethical framework. He holds a view that how a perspective is extremely important while as internet penetration have increased incredibly trying to follow ethics. He stressed accountabili- since past years. The people acquire numerous plat- Vivek MV Talks About The Dangerous Two Minutes Of Fame Priyadarshni Bishnoi a part of. “Something that is opposite to what articles being published about whether In- III MAMCS we think, something that is unusual. In the news dia should play Pakistan or cut off all ties. Media Talk 2019 saw Mr. Vivek M.V. as one of the world, that is what we are drawn to,” said Vivek as Later, he moved on to expressing how fake news keynote speakers. Vivek is a sub-editor and report- he began his talk on media ethics and laws. Mov- in a time when information is consumed every er at Deccan Herald, Bangalore. Having been writ- ing on, he expressed his views on how 2 minutes of second could be devastating and dangerous and ing on sports and films for the Deccan Herald for fame could be dangerous citing an example from how it could possibly become a personality trait. five years now, he shared quite a few experiences the industry. He explained how as a journalist, one “We aren’t robots. Objectivity is something that that dealt with Media ethics and laws. A respon- might not be reporting what he should, rather what is highly spoken about in Journalism. But when sible reporter, he strictly believes in holding on pleases the readers. Stressing upon the fact that you are critiquing, add emotions to it. That is how one’s own ground on issues pertaining to ethics. research, fact checking, and verification are para- you show your care towards the subject that you’re During his talk, Vivek touched upon certain sce- mount to steer clear of the dangerous two minutes writing on”, said Vivek while talking about how narios that a mainstream journalist comes to be filmmakers have contacted him in the past asking of fame, he moved on to him why he would bash their work. “I consider Photo Courtesy: Madappa PS showing one of the wide- your work with respect, that is a reason why I am ly circulated photographs also critiquing it,” is what he wishes to tell them. of the Pakistani Cricket captain Sarfaraz yawning. Furthermore, he advised the students to always be ready to face the wrath of the public for what they “When you write, it is write and to not change who they are. Holding on to very easy to get influ- their own is the key. Vivek also advised not to take enced by the weight of all the respect and fame to the head. He believes in the situation. The situa- being grounded, ethical, and striving to improve. tion is so hard that you try to churn out copies that He concluded by saying, “There will be a lot of don’t mean anything.”, events and why Media ethics is such an important expressed Vivek while topic is because there is a very strong air of negativi- talking about the trending ty that surrounds this profession.” He expressed that news that talked about In- the battle is to change the perception of the commu- dian and Pakistani crick- nity about journalism and that it can only be done et team during the ICC once we follow up with this profession ethically. World Cup 2019 and the

Fly In Different Directions, But Don’t Just Wing It! Sharanya N Eshwar Started by questioning is when he decided what he wanted to do and for- III MAMCS the audience, “are we tunately that is where he is working right now. living or merely exist- “The worst part about being an RJ is that, every- Photo Courtesy: Madappa PS ing?”. Talking about his body thinks they can do your job better than you formula to successful- can, so be prepared the best thing in the world: ‘Everything is in your hands’, as the saying ly converting life into feedback, listen to it and do whatever you want goes, RJ Karan Machado seems to have every- something extraordinary, anyway”, he says that people have this misconcep- thing in his hands because he has hands-on ex- he said, passion, hard tion that it is easy to just go and say anything you perience in versatile fields. Known across India work, belief in oneself want to on the mic, but there is a lot of prepara- for being the youngest morning show radio host and luck is what got him tion that goes into the show every day and they at 94.3 Radio one, an improv artist at two im- where he is now. He said cannot just wing it, because winging it is not an prov groups, a teacher, mentor, actor, emcee, that one way to profes- option, preparing and winging it in the direc- and the list goes on. The audience at Media Talk sional success is to find tion that life takes you is what he asked us to do. ’19 seemed to have enjoyed his humorous nar- passion in what you do. rative as it had them cheering and applauding “Passion is the hardest to As a person who loves film and photography, he as they could all relate to what he was saying. find but the minute you admits to have bought himself sometime after his wake up every morn- undergrad by pursuing masters in film, television ing, if you’re dying to and digital video production at St Xavier’s college go to work and do what in Mumbai. ‘Living life one moment at a time and you do, trust me you’ve taking things as they come’ has been his mantra, found your passion”. Karan mentioned that noth- he tells students to always give their one hundred ing in this world comes without patience, it is percent into whatever they do so that they don’t something that gives you what you’re passionate have any regrets in the future. He ended the talk about, a strong piece of advice was to not let the by saying that running behind money is not the wait weigh us down because patience is the key. choice one should make, instead we should first love what we do, let happiness be the currency, we Speaking of his days at Christ, Karan also says are the masters of our story so we should be able to that the compulsory internship that he was forced write our own unique story because, “there never to do when he was in Christ was a boon, he was a story like yours and there never will be”. worked at 94.3 Radio One as an intern and that Photo Courtesy: Madappa PS

Ready? Smile Please! Media students stage Photo Bhoot to promote Media Meet EVENTS Shireen Honmode Mark your calendars, its time! III MAMCS Ready? Smile Please? Media Meet isn’t just mere words, but a vibe Photo Courtesy: Rufus Barigala for every media student at Christ University. Shireen Honmode This year marks the 10th year of Media Meet and it is going to be grand this year. The theme The Cornerstone of a for this year’s Media Meet is Media Ethics. New Tradition The students of Media and Communication Studies Gopika Krishnan & are gearing up for their most awaited event of the year. Anisha Das The Department of Media Studies is buzzing with energy as the preparations for Media Meet 2019 is in full swing. As a part of promotions and publicity of the event, the team had set up a “Photo Booth” station near the Mango Island situated the Main Campus. There were some colourful frames, aesthetical- ly arranged, beautiful people flocked and it was all smiles galore. The colourful backgrounds, chic colour paper fans, Instagram frame, and a colour- ful yellow frame were all part of the decorations. The props were so beautiful and yet so delicately handcrafted. All that had to do be done was choose a background or a frame and put up a big smile. There were 2 Photographers on the field who would click pictures and produce them almost instantly. Media Meet 2019 is here and we just cannot keep calm! The Cornerstone of a New Tradition Department of Media Studies introduces ‘Film Fest’ Gopika Krishnan & Anisha Das wards the endemic. “I think this Photo Courtesy:Madappa P.S III MAMCS film is wrong. The point where it goes wrong is- it begins with devoid of their ethical responsibilities. The former The Post Graduate students of the Department of a norm getting disturbed- not Asian Age journalist spoke about a startling mem- Media Studies came together last Sunday to host because of a moral impediment. ory of an editor telling him, ‘The story is not what the first installment of Film Fest- an event where There is nothing about moral he told you; the story is why he told you’. The con- registered participants can watch a selection of dilemma throughout the mov- cepts of propaganda, people-pleasing writers and movies that fall under a theme- as a part of Media ie, until, the very end where yellow journalism was put forward to a shocked Meet that is slated to happen on 29th, 30th and the satire turns serious and they auditorium. As Mr. Belawadi effectively put it, 31st of this month. Three movies revolving around bring in the moral urgency,” ‘Being a reporter is not a profession - it’s a calling’. the theme of Media Ethics were screened during said Mr. Belawadi while speak- the event that was chaired by Mr. Prakash Belawa- ing about the movie. His opin- Indeed, Media Meet 2019 could not have di, a renowned theatre and film personality from ion was followed up by a few started with a more appropriate speaker in- Bengaluru. “Cinema sets an image that shapes students whose questions were augurating the successful Film Fest 2019. our imagination. Sometimes, you are robbed answered by Mr. Belawadi. of an original and personal imagination,” said Mr. Prakash as he gave his introductory speech. The second half of the Film Fest was as informative and entertain- The event that began at 9 AM was attended by ing as the first half. The film Shattered Glass was about 90 students and faculties from various de- screened for the audience. Directed by Billy Ray, partments. The first movie to be screen was Mo- the film was on the 1988 incident of Wunderkind rality TV and Loving Jehad: Ek Manohar Kahani, Stephen Glass putting highly creative, outrageous a 30 minute long documentary by Paromita Vohra, stories to impress the editors of The New Republic. released in 2007 that traces a thrilling tale of the Mr. Belawadi was highly appreciative of the film Police swooping couples from a Park in 2005. along with the awestruck audience. The actor’s This event was extensively covered by the media session right after was filled with anecdotes of of the region and telecasted and retelecasted, with- how his journalist colleagues have also, from time out a second thought towards the moral implica- to time, faked their stories. He spoke about ethics tions. The second movie- Peepli Live, followed in journalism and how investigative stories are not soon after and showcased a satirical take on the issue of farmer suicides in India and the lack of empathy from Political and Media platforms to-

Indian Media and its Dwindling Freedom of Expression Is the national media losing its right to express? FEATURES Sathya N. I MAMCS Indian Media and its Dwindling Freedom of Expression Sathya N Are Media Ethics “Freedom of Press is the mortar that binds together porate bodies in India is another challenge faced by Going For A Toss? the bricks of democracy and it is also the open win- the journalists which curtail them from the effective dow embedded in those bricks” - Shashi Tharoor functioning as watchdogs. The media agencies are Serilda Lucy Coutinho gradually moving towards a profit-based capitalis- Through the years, India has witnessed celebrated tic structural setup and this may lead to devastating What’s in a Name journalists turned revolutionaries who strived for changes that may affect the welfare of the posterity. the betterment of the nation and the state. But, the The recent ban of government advertisements Tyra Colaso recent World Press Freedom index compiled by being published in The Hindu, The Times of In- Reporters without Borders (RSF), comprising of dia and The Telegraph shows that the ruling Media’s Ethical 180 countries vouches that the number of nations government vividly secludes itself from the me- Barriers: Sensational- that provide a safe environment for journalists is dia agencies which are most appreciated and on a steady decline. The sad bit of the story is that widely consumed by the majority people. “The ising News With India’s rank has dropped from 138 to 140. Hatred undemocratic and megalomaniac style of stop- Victim’s Identities against journalistic freedom is becoming very ob- ping government advertisement is a message vious in recent times and these global reports are to media from this government to toe its line,” Aiswarya N the signifier of the position of our “fourth estate”. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said. In the recent past, the democratic freedom of In- This kind of striking actions taken by the govern- dia has been under threat when the country wit- ment vindicates the stand of the journalists who nessed the murder of many journalists- the murder voice against the ruling government. Eminent me- of Gauri Lankesh was one of the most threatening dia personalities have condemned this particular ones in recent times. As one of the most outspo- move by the Modi government and thus, the perks ken journalists in the country she had unveiled of a successful democracy would be cherished only various mysteries of her region through her ver- if there is complete freedom of the press. The jour- nacular press. Media is the fourth pillar of the nalists and media personals have to be addressed nation standing righteously on par with the leg- and respected with due rights that they are bound islative, judiciary and the executive and so it has by duty and work with righteousness to ensure an to be given significance on a wider spectrum. ease in functioning of the government machinery. Media being monopolized by the economic and cor- The Age of Post-Truth Sathya N

Are Media Ethics Going For A Toss? A Closer Look at Indian Media Ethics Serilda Lucy Coutinho I MAMCS Media as the fourth pillar of democracy has a huge court that passed a verdict barring the media from responsibility shouldered upon itself. Thus, the me- sensational reporting of the case. Justice Altamas dia is expected to abide by the ‘code of ethics’ in- Kabir stated, “We are asking the press not to sen- volving truth and fairness, respect for privacy, duty sationalize something which affects reputations.” to distinguish between facts and opinion and creat- ing a space for feedback and criticism. This code of To keep the audience glued to the content, the inter- ethics in the media is important because the power net and broadcast news channels even reconstructed given to it is no more only in the hands of print the actual crime scene to make it more ‘relevant’ to and broadcast but is also shared by the new media. their audience and gather Television Rating Points. The media channel the youth looks up to for their There have been ample examples of sensationalism Now that we are in this race of breaking the news daily dose of news is social media. Unfortunately, in the print and broadcast medium too. Take the case first and sensationalising the news item, there is it is in high demand for sensational news. News of the teenage girl named Aarushi Talwar who was a need for news channels to sensitize themselves matter that is sensational being picked up faster found murdered along with a domestic servant of to issues that need priority in terms of coverage and posted across various pages to the extent of her house in a posh Delhi locality in 2008. The me- and in-depth research. Sticking to the grounds being shared among friends. The hunger for likes dia conducted its own trial of the ‘supposed’ guilty of ethical decision making in news is important and clicks online has taken over the need for an without proper corroboration by the concerned au- for the media, especially the online news media ethical presentation of news and that is the rea- thority. Media’s constant pressure forced the inves- that has lesser number of regulations in place. son one finds celebrity news or scandalous news tigating agency, the CBI, to approach the Supreme Accountability and the code of ethics should making the rounds on the prime social media be present on all practising forums of media. news pages like Buzzfeed and ScoopWhoop. Why just blame the new media for that matter? Tyra Colaso What’s in a Name? issues. The share of apprecia- I MAMCS tion that the original author de- Giving credit where it is due serves would not reach them, “If I have seen further, it is by stand- becoming very unfair on the ing on the shoulders of giants.” Credibility, here goes hand in hand with the author part of the person adopting in- In these famous words written in giving the direction from where he took the ma- puts from it for one’s own profit. 1675 in a letter by Isaac Newton to terial for the final output. Although it’s more like In an era filled with abundance Robert Hooke, it is quite evident giving out your source, it’s a much easier way to of fake news and alternate that how much importance giv- show that the information given is trustworthy. It news options, it becomes dif- ing credit for one’s work seems to creates a special space for the readers to get more ficult to conclude on the actu- hold. The statement gives greater from the original piece as they can not only double al message. The war for TRP insights into how even the greatest check facts but also verify the matter with accuracy. (Television Rating Points) and scientists have been dependent on Other than the technical part of giving credit to clicks have destroyed the ethi- their fore-bearers to get informa- authors, when the authors don’t receive proper ac- cal standpoint and journalistic tion. In that bargain, it explores the knowledgement it tends to show the rise of ethical integrity When the source gets aspect where once the fore-bear- stated, it avoids such confu- ers were given credit, their work sions and also strengthens the could be accessible to the masses. argument that’s put forth. It also brings out an improved quality Every time another author’s intel- of writing and thoughts that the lectual property has been adopted author had initially considered in order to create a new version or of giving out to his readers. to fulfill one’s own needs, it be- Moreover, giving credit to the comes mandatory to give credit original works will help make for all that has been taken. While it a base for any further finding denoting the term intellectual into the same field of research. property, it could concern not just books and research papers but also Appropriate sources can drive you to the most photographs, doodles, etc. In fact, accurate conclusion of the discussion. Giv- any matter than could bring one to ing credits can eventually avoid half the is- test for the issues of copyright and plagiarism falls sues that would have arisen, so taking such in- under this category. For instance, even while taking stances into consideration will only help the matter from the internet to compile a presentation, author develop his work and skills further. one needs to provide appropriate references. That will in turn help the presenter deliver good qual- ity and plagiarism free matter to their audience. Giving credit doesn’t only deal with such issues. There are many more important aspects which one comes across when looking into matters of giving proper credits and holding the person accountable for the certain kind of matter that comes out way.

Media’s Ethical Barriers: Sensationalising News With Victim’s Identities The ethical conflict of breaking confidentiality Aiswarya N. ry on the issue involving interviews with these con- victim throughout newspapers and television I MAMCS victs and showcasing their remarks and answers, sets- despite the ethical problems and several no- was even banned in the country. Social media’s tices (from the Delhi High Court to various me- Ethics binds us humans through all walks of life- effort of garnering attention towards the issue only dia houses) against revealing a victim, especially almost all of us confront ethical and moral dilem- resulted in unwarranted attention on the victim and a minor one. Despite Nirbhaya’s parents revealed mas in the professional or personal fronts. Media comparatively so much less towards the convicts. her name to be Jyoti Singh when she lost her life that creates opinion leaders and the consumers of at Mount Elizabeth hospital in the media stuck those opinions are not free from it either. As the The news coverage of Kathua rape and murder- onto the media conferred name of Nirbhaya. fourth pillar of democracy, Media has immense another sensational story, next only to Nirbhaya power to imprint thoughts and beliefs in the minds showcased the photograph of the eight-year-old Following these incidents, on 20th September of people and today, when rape and sexual assault 2018, Supreme Court told the media cases are on a rise, it can play a prominent role not to sensationalise the events, even in shaping our thought process through what we though there cannot be a blanket ban consume as readers and view- on media reporting such cases. That ers. Hence, it is essential to was a sign of how media infringes the ensure that there are specified rules. Media has that power to shame ethical rules that the media a person by publishing their identity. and the creators of the con- tent that we consume, should In the process of communication, the always make sure to follow. receivers tend to acquire what the The 2012 Delhi gang rape case sender feeds the receiver with. Media, victim, - is remembered by the while revealing the identity of the vic- people all over as Nirbhaya tim, is in some way or the other disre- and this, is the result of media specting the dignity and foregoing an sensationalising the case. Even unwritten confidentiality between the though the victim of the case medium and the victim. Rather than was not identified by her name, sensationalising the news and reveal- the name Nirbhaya still rever- ing identities, it would be sensible if berates in every Indians’ ear. media went with the facts and provid- However, Ram Singh, Mukesh ed deserving space to the victims. The Singh, Vinay Sharma, Pawan role of media is to provide the audienc- Gupta and Akshay Thakur, the es with information and knowledge, names of the convicts who bru- rather than merely seeking attention. tally raped and murdered the girl are remembered by only a few. India’s daughter, a documenta- Sathya N The Age of Post-Truth then the Right to Privacy would be curbed. I MAMCS This itself has become a sort of post-truth “A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thou- Misleading Democracy? strategy. Just because there is some distort- sand times becomes a truth” -Joseph Goebbels ed news being spread, we cannot claim ev- to the limelight recently when the Attorney Gener- ery other information to be fake. And this This powerful saying of Goebbels proves the al of India, K.K.Venugopal argued in the Supreme is what happens with the present scenario fact that the concept of post-truth evolved Court that the accounts of all the registered users as well. When there is a question of oppo- way back in Germany. The concept of agen- of the social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp sition, the authority or the people in power da-setting played a significant role in the and Twitter should be linked with their Aadhar claim that to be a fake one. The term ‘fake ‘conditioned’ developments in society. Tak- number. The spreading of distorted information news’ has become a ‘Trump card’ for the ing this into consideration, are we moving has resulted in the pathetic stance which the gov- people in power to evade from accusations. towards a kind of misleading democracy? ernment has proposed. If this comes to effect, The news which is spread is at times not only false but also, they tend to manipulate the As far as India is concerned, many people in minds of the common masses. They influence rural regions do not know to read a newspa- people in a bad way. The media being the fourth pil- per. But they might be regular users of social lar of the nation must not be a weapon in the hands media. Therefore social media acts as an in- of an untoward person. Further technological ad- termediary in a responsible position of keep- vancements must be developed in such a way that ing the masses informed. But the question of the accuracy of the information should be ensured. credibility arises as there is a lot of information in recent times that are misleading the people. The manipulation of content and distortion of news happens now and then. This is a great threat to the normal functioning of the state. This came

EDITOR’S NOTE “Per Aspera Ad Astra” It gives me immense pleasure to bring out “Ethiquette”, the pre-seminar newsletter for Media Meet 2019. This encapsulates a fraction of the hard work and sleepless nights of the dedicated members of the documentation team who are the real voices of this newsletter. Every word that finds its space in this newsletter is an ode to the evergrowing process of the dissemination of knowledge. THE TEAM REPORTERS EDITOR - IN - CHIEF EDITORS Rohan Pradhan Sathya N Shireen Honmode Aiswarya N DESIGNER Anisha Das Tyra Colaso Christina Jose Sahana S Kashyap Gopika Krishnan Reshma Samuel Priyadarshni Bishnoi Serilda Coutinho Sharanya N Eshwar Pragyan Agrawal