Media Meet 2020 Newsletter

THE SPECTACKLE Media Meet-Annual Media Conference MEDIA MEET NEWSLETTER Published by Department of Media Studies, Christ (Deemed to be University) 27-29 August 2020 for Private Circulation “Journalism Right Now is Between a Rock and a Hard Place”: P. Sainath Akchayaa A talk on rural reportage and the state of Indian media by P. Sainath T3MAMCS he second day of Media Meet 2020 cy on media has risen significantly was ed interests of such billionaires. The ended with the powerful and evoc- highlighted by the speaker. “Attacks speaker also highlighted the structur- ative speech by P. Sainath, Founder and on journalists by the state and non- al exclusion of marginalised sections Editor of People’s Archives of Rural state actors is on the rise,” Mr. Sainath from mainstream media houses and India (PARI).The veteran journalist, citing how, in the first two months of how people from those communities who is also a Magsaysay Award winner the lockdown, nearly sixty journalists prefer careers in civil service over me- delved into issues like the need for rural across India were targeted with arrests, dia. Mr Sainath encouraged aspiring reporting in mainstream media, nexus FIRs, and charged under “extraordi- journalists to sell their labour without between the state and corporate owned nary” laws like Epidemic Disease Act selling their souls so that the former media, and the underlying principles and Disaster Management Act. exercises autonomy over their work. of good journalism. Defining what good journalism is, “Cynical pessimism and false opti- Mr. Sainath began his talk by high- Mr Sainath said “You determine good mism are two sides of the same coin. lighting the sudden interest shown by journalism by seeing how it engages Journalists should not be cynics but the popular media on the issue of mi- with the processes of the time,” The skeptics,” the speaker said, stating me- grant labourers during the pandemic, speaker mentioned that some of the dia students must connect and engage despite the issue being a long-standing key processes of this period are the with parts of the society that are often one. “We ask why they are leaving the agrarian crises, devastation of rural ignored and not receive education in cities but not why they left their homes livelihood, and the pandemic and how a bubble. The session ended with the and villages in the first place,” stated there seems to be little or no engage- speaker answering questions posed by Mr. Sainath, expressing his concerns ment from mainstream media with the the audience. over the lack of accurate coverage of same. Shedding light on the nexus be- the migrant crisis by mainstream me- tween corporate media and the govern- dia during the lockdown. ment, Mr Sainath said that “rent thick Mr. Sainath then segued into media billionaires” become rich by exploiting “COVID-19 has provided a clear, perfect and ownership and its impact on the qual- public resources and eventually own thorough autopsy of the neo-liberal economy ity of journalism in India. The irony large stakes in media companies. Such and capitalism. We are forced to look at the of corporate media houses firing their media houses will not question the corpse on the table. We can’t turn our heads journalists and reducing their pay es- government’s policies regarding these pecially at a time when the dependen- public resources as it affects the vest- away” -P. Sainath

The Future of News Organisations in India Keynote Address by Dr Vinod K Jose, Executive Editor, The Caravan Christina Tom Jose T3MAMCS he 11th edition of the annual media conference The business models and problem of funding for organised by the Department of Media Studies, news organisations were discussed at length, com- Media Meet 2020 saw an enlightening start with the paring different models in terms of successes and keynote address of Dr Vinod K Jose, executive editor drawbacks. “The new models for media are very of The Caravan. Dr Jose touched upon some unique similar to the old ones,” he pointed out, referring to aspects and challenges of working as a journalist in how media organisations have turned to depend on the country and the extent to which the power struc- subscribers for revenue. Drawing on the example ture influences journalism here. of The New York Times, Dr Jose illustrated how a news organisation can not only keep afloat but also The event was kickstarted by the welcome speech by become extremely profitable, even during pandemic Prof. Padmakumar M., Head of the Department of stricken times due to a well-structured subscription Media Studies. Both Fr. Abraham VM, Vice-Chan- model. He also suggested how a cooperative model cellor of CHRIST (Deemed to he University) and Dr could be the future of news media organisations. John Joseph Kennedy, Dean of Arts and Humanities expressed their thoughts and wishes for the confer- Dr Jose was also critical of the controlling influence ence in respective addresses. of politicians and large businesses on the media. “The media landscape is reflective of the power structure In a memorable and vivid discussion that included that exists in society, be it corporate power or politi- anecdotes from his own career, Dr Jose highlighted cal power,” he mentions. The address concluded with the different approaches taken towards journalism an interactive session in which questions posed by by most practitioners in the field. “Some people tend students were answered by the speaker. to consider journalism as a mere job, while on the other extreme, some tend to think of it as a calling “Some people tend to consider journalism and stand for the truth,” he said. He emphasised how as a mere job, while on the other extreme, Indian journalism has fared on this spectrum over the years, fluctuating between being a mere job to some tend to think of it as a calling and finding middle ground in being considered a pro- stand for the truth” fession. His talk revealed that there are very few in- -Dr Vinod K Jose stances in the timeline when journalists practised their work as a calling.

The Changing Digital Media Landscape Keynote address on digital inequalities by Dr Shakuntala Banaji Sathya N 3MAMCS The last day of Media Meet 2020 witnessed many The speaker discussed the positive and progressive talks that proved to be the highlights of the con- aspects of the digital spaces that have enabled impact- ference. One among them was the keynote speech ful youth activism across the globe. She spoke about on ‘The Changes in the Digital Media Landscape’ the contradiction in terms of parenting that exists by Dr Shakuntala Banaji, Professor of Media, Cul- between the West and the East. She said, “Children ture and Social Change in the Department of Me- of rural India are being encouraged to participate in dia and Communications at the London School of the online spaces with the notion of expanding their Economics and Political Science. Having authored exposure whereas the parents in the USA, the tech and co-authored several articles and books, she is valley, are restricting their children’s internet usage”. the recipient of the European Award for Excellence in Teaching. “There is also a dystopian end to the digital spac- es,” she said while explaining how digital algorithms Dr Shakuntala Banaji aimed at sharing her scholar- are deliberately being adopted by large corporations ly knowledge gained from her research titled “New and governments in a way that punishes the poor media, old inequalities: Approaching youth, creative neighbourhoods and poor people across Western politics and media literacy across social class, gender countries. and geography”. She elaborated on the ethnograph- ic studies conducted by her team and herself across While talking specifically about the Indian scenario various parts of the world. Her speech touched upon of digital usage and consumption, she said, “40% of the imperialism present in digital spaces as well. India is not digital, not electrified and barely eats. Another 30% is barely digital. The latter has access Dr Banaji brought in various observations and as- to phones but they really do not enter the digital sumptions present across the existing literature space”. Dr Banaji spoke about the prevailing discon- about the integral links between technology and nect between the Indian tech designers and real-life democracy. She furthered her arguments by chal- in India. She also touched upon the harsh realities lenging the “techno-optimistic narratives” that have of hypernationalism that has been widespread in re- been postulated by various publications. The speak- cent times. With a concluding remark stating “There er also presented various case studies that have been is a desperate need for critical media literacy,” the conducted extensively in countries like South Afri- session came to an interactive end where the speak- ca, Tunisia, the Middle East, India, the Americas er answered questions raised by the audience. and the European countries.

PLENARY SESSI ONS Ninad Samaddar ‘I’m not a storyteller but a story Assistant Professor, seller’: Ninad Samaddar CHRIST (Deemed to be A talk on theatre as a storytelling space with Ninad University) Samaddar Pallavi MD Varsha Manoj Nair Singer, Actor, TV 1MAMCS anchor The speaker for the plenary ses- “My grandmother used to tell stories. Shilpa Mudbi sion on day one of Media Meet It was a source of entertainment and Kothakota 2020 was Ninad Samaddar, a teach- engagement for me.”, says Ninad Sa- er,practitioner, and a faculty member maddar who wishes to create some- Creative Director - at the Department of Theatre Studies, thing as immersive as his grand- Urban Folk Project CHRIST(Deemed to be University). mother’s storytelling. His granduncle, An ex-CHRIST student himself, Mr. Padma Shri Shekhar Sen also played Sumeet Samos Sammadar pursued masters from the an inspirational role in his career. Mr. London Drama School and is part of Samaddar considers himself to be a Anti Caste Rapper and various theatre forms including Flute story seller instead of a storyteller and Activist Theatre and Immersive Theatre. He believes that it is the sense of joy af- was also the lead actor in Taj Express- ter presenting a story that motivates a A Bollywood Musical. theatre artist. For Ninad Samaddar, storytelling be- Theatre is all about the ensemble and gan at a very young age even though variations. “Why do we watch the he professionally followed it much lat- same interpretations of Shakespeare’s Bezwada er. As a child, Mr. Samaddar enjoyed plays?”, he asks. It is the ensemble’s Wilson visual representations over reading. “ variation during each show which I had to challenge myself to make keeps the audience entertained and National Convenor of reading interesting. And that was the- makes them watch interpretations the Safai Karmachari atre for me.”, he says as he cherishes of the same play. Mr. Samaddar is of childhood memories of transform- the opinion that no two shows are Andolan ing stories to plots. His grandmother the same and every rehearsal depicts was very influential in developing his an individual’s level of commitment. Harsh interests and she continues to be a Hence, theatre is about communicat- Mander source of inspiration. ing one’s emotions to the audience through multiple sensory experienc- Former IAS Officer and es. Social Activist He concluded the session by quoting Baradwaj T.S. Eliot, -“We shall not cease from Rangan exploration, and the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we National Award-win- started And know the place for the ning Film Critic, Author first time”, to explain theatre perfor- mance in a nutshell. & Editor -Film Companion (South)

Pallavi MD: Art as an Amalgamation of Music, Theatre Srimoyee Biswas and Poetry T5JOUH of patriarchy,” she added. he second speaker in In conversation about music, the panel was popu- lar singer, actor and TV Ms Pallavi highlighted an in- anchor Ms Pallavi MD. stance in which she created a She talked about how musical piece with Bindu Ma- for her, poetry, music lini called ‘Threshold,’ about and theatre all influence the unknown, alternative each other. “It’s kind of story of Mozart’s sister, and ‘synesthetic’ for me; one thus makes audiences under- cannot exist without the stand the gendered narrative other and simultaneous- of stories. She ended her talk ly influences the other,” she said. Elaborating on by singing a piece which narrated the history of her work and the need for oral storytelling, she de- Tyagraj Aradhana, a folk assembly in honour of scribed how important it is to see stories through Tyagaraja that occurs in Tiruvayur. At a time when a different lens, something she attempts through women and men weren’t allowed to share a stage or her plays. “We chose to make the play interactive perform with a courtesan, Bangalore Nagarthama, in order to make the audience question the ideas who had enshrined this event, pursued to achieve of user choices, female agency over the body and this feat and left viewers pondering over realities in fact understand artistic expression in the sense and the lens they use to judge and understand art. Shilpa Mudbi Kothakota: A Catharsis in Folklore Srimoyee Biswas T5JOUH Talking about the origin of most he power of storytelling has stories, she spoke of how her in- been pivotal in shaping nar- ratives, but how far can these tales volvement with theatre and music shape experiences? Can they be stems extensively from the stories presented in a condensed fash- she heard from her grandmother. ion for the audience to consume? “Most of these art forms which Even if the audience consumes it, we know originate in the homes will the effect remain the same? of somebody in the form of sim- These were a few integral questions that built up the ple stories,” she observes. Discussing preservation, premise of the session ‘The Power of Storytelling’. she highlights the importance of engaging with the The session was moderated by Dr Shobana Mat- art through the practitioners, their communities, thews, Associate Professor at the Department of politics and personal struggles and the larger im- English at CHRIST (Deemed to be University). She plications of the same. “Does the art form become introduced the panellists pointing out how “most of dead once it goes into a shell? Maybe one should our knowledge is second hand, through books and observe it and try to be a part of it but perhaps not libraries, but these panellists have experienced it. It contain it,” she added, narrating snippets of stories is humbling to know about their experience.’’ she heard while interacting with a folk artist. The first panellist was Ms Shilpa Mudbi Kothako- Ms Kothakota reiterates that folk music isn’t about ta, Creative Director of Urban Folk Project, an ini- the quality of a ‘good song’ with a ‘good voice;’ one tiative driven to retain and archive folk art forms. has to emphasise on the tone and go beyond it, be- She began her discourse elaborating the concept cause it defines ‘character,’ which cannot be of what is considered ‘popular,’ which means that compartmentalized. a greater number of people consume the same.

Igniting Discourses through Rap A session with anti-caste rapper and activist Sumeet Samos Varsha Manoj Nair 1 MAMCS The last speaker for the plenary session on the ing from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Moving to a day one of Media Meet 2020, organised by the university space from a small village in Odisha, he Department of Media studies, CHRIST (Deemed felt the need to bridge the binary between popular to be University) was the anti-caste rapper and ac- and academic language. His performances were tivist, Sumeet Samos. Hailing from Southern Odi- his tools to confront these popular narratives sur- sha, Mr. Samos writes and sings in English, Hindi, rounding merit, affirmative action, and caste in In- and Odia. dia. “When students from marginalised commu- nities go to colleges, there is a difference in their merit judgement. The idea of merit needs to be deconstructed in the college space. I feel it is these people who have real merit.”, he added. Sumeet Samos has also travelled across India to de- velop an understanding of the cultural contexts of different communities. The ballads of Maharash- tra and the works of Dalit Telugu poets remain as some of his inspirations in anti-caste music. “My raps are not just a creative thing, it is also a peda- gogical tool where you interact”, he says as he con- cludes the session with a powerful song he wrote in 2016 describing the lives of marginalised com- munities that work on the field to produce life-sus- taining needs. Mr. Samos uses rap music as a medium to nar- rate his own experiences as a victim and witness of caste discrimination. He sparkles discourses through his songs which speaks of localised histo- ries and incidents of everyday violence that people from marginalised communities continue to face in the country. Mr. Samos began storytelling on social media in 2016 after Rohit Vemula’s death. He recalls how social media was used by students to share vulner- able experiences within various prestigious insti- tutions which led to collective actions.“This is for me is the power of storytelling”, says Mr. Samos who pursued his masters in Latin American Writ-

“Systemic violence is inbuilt in the power structure”: Bezwada Wilson A talk on countering systemic violence with the changemaker, Bezwada Wilson Varsha Manoj Nair 1MAMCS The speaker series, “Media Literacy to Counter Systemic Violence” held on the second day of Media Meet 2020, hosted by the Department of Me- dia Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), commenced with an insightful session by Bezwada Wilson. Mr. Wilson is an activist and the co-found- er and National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), an Indian human rights organiza- tion that campaigns for the eradication of manual scavenging and rehabilitation of manual scaven- gers. A crusader against manual scavenging and systemic discrimination, Bezwada Wilson has also been honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay award in 2016 for his selfless service. Addressing the virtual gathering, Mr. Wilson ex- way where we ask why this is happening”, he said as pressed that systemic violence in India is complete- he urged journalists to question the power struc- ly sanctioned by society. “We feel we are privileged ture while reporting stories. to discriminate against others, we do not feel that we are discriminating,” he said referring to the nor- He further explained the role of media students malisation of discrimination in India. He empha- in documenting the realities of the marginalised sised on the prevailing systemic violence in terms group. “We have a habit of highlighting sensitive of class and patriarchy which is embedded in our images of women carrying human excreta on their everyday life. He also stated that the notion of priv- heads, but what is the use? How do we get people ilege empowers people to pass any remarks without to start reacting to it?”, he asked as he mentioned understanding its derogatory nature. Mr. Wilson how aspiring journalists should use the power of explained how certain derogatory remarks affect the media to agitate people and to make them raise the self-respect, self-esteem, dignity, and identity their voice against systemic violence. of the marginalised people for a lifetime. Mr. Wilson also evaluates systemic violence as an Having worked as an occasional news contributor inbuilt character of the power structure. He be- at Kannada Prabha and Andhra Prabha in his early lieves that the power structure in the country con- days, Bezwada Wilson is of the opinion that the me- trols the people through violence and this systemic dia sets the agenda for the country today. He con- violence needs to be eradicated. He concluded the fronted the corporate ownership of media houses session by reiterating the importance of creating a and stated that the nexus of media and political par- clear opinion of democratic space in media, in uni- ties is creating the national agenda through media. versity, within communities, and also in the society “ While covering stories of sewerage problems or to eradicate systemic violence. safai karmachari’s problems, the media highlights the story from a sympathetic manner and not in a

Journalism Should Speak for The Victim: Harsh Mander Christina Tom Jose 3MAMCS country have an alter- native idea of a nation The second speaker to for India, one in which address the speaker series on “Media Literacy to Counter Systemic Vio- the country belongs to lence”was former IAS of- caste Hindus and other ficer, writer and social ac- religious groups, dalits tivist Harsh Mander, who and adivasis are deigned is also the Director of second class citizens. Mr Centre for Equity Studies Mander points out how and founder of the NGO over the years, this idea ‘Caravan of Love’. Mr has risen to the forefront Mander threw light on due to the compliance the highly unequal and of the media and the se- violent atmosphere in rious betrayal of politi- the country today, equat- cal parties in promoting ing it to the kind of division the region experienced secularism. An open war is waged against Indian during Partition. “Today we’re seeing a very differ- Muslims, who are constantly asked to prove their ent kind of partition, a partition of the heart,” he loyalty to the country. “Muslims had a choice to go puts it eloquently. and live in Pakistan, yet they chose India. Muslims He describes the ideological war that is underway in here are Indian by choice, while the rest of us are India, one that seeks to topple the idea of a unified, Indians by chance,” he says. Mr Mander emphasised inclusive nation as imagined by the country’s found- the complicit role of media in promoting this “so- ers and first leaders. “At the core is a question of be- cial project of hate” that constructs Muslims as an longing - to whom does this country really belong?” enemy, through utterly biased coverage of stories he says. According to him, this battle for belonging- such as the Tablighi Jama’at. ness is as old as the leadership of Gandhi himself. The discussion was concluded with an interactive “What was central to the idea of independent In- session with the audience. Mr Mander ended his dia was that this country would belong equally to talk with a plea to the youth to care, and young jour- people of all castes, religions and languages, an idea nalists to always take the side of the victim and not that is being contested today.” Certain groups in the support the majority under the guise of impartiality.

Cinema, Representations and the Art of Critiquing: Srimoyee Biswas Baradwaj Rangan R5JOUH yse and also have sym- epresentation in pathetic imagination. cinema has been an important point of “Basically you should debate and discussion be able to enjoy it and for several filmmakers put a frame around it and critics. This dis- and conceptualise it,’’ cussion attained newer he said while answer- heights on 29 August ing the question if one 2020 in the session with can enjoy a movie and Mr Baradwaj Rangan simultaneously critique moderated By Dr Aa- it.Acknowledging how sita Bali, an Assistant social media has crept Professor at the Depart- into everyday lives and ment of Media Studies the concept of attaching at CHRIST(Deemed to be University). Mr Rangan oneself with cinema has evolved, he spoke of how is a National Award-winning film critic, author and it has changed over the years. Speaking to all the Editor at the Film Companion (South). The inter- aspiring cinephiles, he advised, “The motivation action outlined and touched upon cinema, repre- should come from the fact that you like watching sentations of groups and identities and audience films and you like writing about them and getting a needs. grip on the response of the film.’’ He also said that perhaps, in terms of resources, they should be more The difference between ‘film critiquing’ and ‘film context-driven while understanding films. review’ was discussed and was steered to whether these two terms are even vaguely connected. “There There were several questions on censorship issues, is no hard and fast rule,” said Mr Rangan, elaborat- regional cinema and tangents of the sexuality of ing that review means something which common caste identities, and the growing prominence of people perceive and decide whether they like the OTT platforms during the pandemic. Mr Rangan movie or not. He reiterated that the whole process spoke about how every situation has to be dealt dif- of ‘giving a review’ is beyond his capacity and in- ferently and analysed from a business and an ethical stead, chooses to make a case for what he likes and perspective. He also highlighted the lowering atten- dislikes in the film. tion span of the audience and its correlation with Eventually, the discussion steered to the need of a reduction in time span of recent films. Speak- having a ‘sympathetic imagination’. Giving exam- ing of Maniratnam and his book on the filmmaker, ples of movies like Kabir Singh, he stated that they he said that Maniratnam upheld and defined truly do not necessarily have to be the ideal to be fol- what ‘direction’ in cinema meant. lowed. Instead, the aim of the cinema should be The discussion came to a close where the speak- about getting into the ‘heads of different kinds of er elaborated on how his love for cinema is simple people’ and to observe, as an audience, how these and he finds it a challenge to be ‘relevant’ and adapt characters deal with their lives. to the changing times. Lastly, he stated, “Art is an Two parallel processes have to happen simultane- intangible thing where you cannot put your hand ously when one watches a movie. They must anal- on and say this is the experience I am supposed to

PA N E L D I S C U S S I O N S Combatting Information Pollution with Media Literacy A Panel Discussion on taming the ‘Infodemic’ Akchayaa T3MAMoCSfoster critical consumption of media among ing the rise of anti-pluralist politicians, who dis- students, Media Meet 2020 is planned around credit any opposition against their governance as the theme of ‘Media Literacy.’ The first panel dis- ‘fake news.’ cussion of this three-day conference, titled ‘Fact vs Nolan Pinto, the Special Correspondent at India Fiction: Taming the Infodemic,’ was an extension Today, provided insights from a local perspective of this theme. The session was moderated by Prof. and how the pandemic has changed the way news is Padmakumar, Head of the Department of Media consumed. “Everyone used the lockdown to come Studies at CHRIST (Deemed to be University) who out with their information and was lapped up in initiated the discussion highlighting some key con- desperation to be safe,” he said, citing how poli- cerns regarding the consumption of media, includ- ticians too were uninformed about the pandemic ing information overload, trivialisation of news, but made statements without any hesitation, fur- and the pervasiveness of social media. ther spreading misinformation. “The term ‘information pollution’ is more appro- Shweta Kothari, Managing Editor of Logical Indian, priate to describe fake news as it suggests the pres- illustrated how the pandemic was communalised ence of ‘clean information,’ and therein is the solu- in India and even prominent journalists were not tion to the problem,” says panellist H R Venkatesh, immune to fake news. “Misinformation in regional founder of fact-checking website NetaData and languages is more prominent as there is no robust Director of BOOM Fact Check. He outlined the re- fact-checking mechanism,” she said, expressing her sponsibilities of all stakeholders who must prevent concern over the government’s fact-checking body the dissemination of fake news. becoming a propaganda tool. She believes a surge in local journalists in the north-east and central In- Prof. Tim Fenton, former BBC journalist and Di- dian states, which are often ignored by mainstream rector of Journalism at the University of Wessex, media, could combat regional fake news. had a different take on the issue. “Trust is the vac- cine to cure misleading information,” he stated, The virtual floor was open to questions which re- emphasising how media houses need to gain au- sulted in a lively interactive session. The panellists dience trust and the latter to choose trustworthy concluded by giving a word of advice for aspiring sources for news. He names the primary reason for journalists in the audience the dissemination of incorrect information as be-

The Premises of the Stories Matter A Panel Discussion on Community Stories Sathya N M3MAMCS edia Meet 2020 witnessed multiple plenary in the field of children’s rights activism for about 30 talks and discussions that revolved around years, Ms Ratna has done exemplary works in sensi- the theme ‘Media Literacy’. The second panel discus- tising the issues pertaining to children. She touched sion of the day was titled “ ‘Narratives from India: upon the areas of history where historical narratives Community Stories & Media Literacy’.The panel was have to be looked at from a different perspective. “It moderated by Dr Meljo Thomas,Assistant Professor, is extremely important to understand who writes Department of Media Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to the history,” she said while providing instances from be University). The panellists shared their experi- the past movements of child rights activism in India. ences that directly related to various community-re- lated work in their respective domains. “Understanding things can be at its best when you do it yourself ”, said Arathy Manay, Community Editor Angad Singh, Producer at VICE News, was the first at Citizen Matters. She gave an insight into the field panellist to share his views on community-related of citizen journalism. She also insisted upon the im- stories. Being an Indian who lives in the United States portance and the uniqueness of citizen journalism of America, Mr Singh was extremely concerned where certain stories are not covered by the main- about the hatred that is constantly being imposed stream media but have a huge impact on society. on their community especially. He reminisced about the Twin Tower attack that perpetuated islamapho- Pallavi Rao, Associate Instructor at Indiana Uni- bia among the Americans which also affected the versity, Bloomington spoke about the gap in aca- Sikh community. He said that this was the reflection demic research pertaining to journalism in India. of the hate speech that was being circulated in the She emphasised on the fact that communities from media. “Media is a pillar of democracy. Being repre- where the stories come from should be analysed and sented in the media is parallel to being represented understood. Ms. Rao highlighted the harsh reality in the Parliament”, said Angad Singh, while delv- where the existing power system keeps people igno- ing into some of his personal experiences of facing rant deliberately. Quoting from an American publi- untoward comments. All those bitter experiences cation, “The truth is paywalled but the lies are free”, of childhood made the 26 year-old plunge into the she talked about the inequalities that prevail on var- world of documentaries at a young age. ious grounds. Kavita Ratna, Director, Advocacy & Fundraising at The session concluded with a round of discussion The Concerned for Working Children (CWC) pre- where the questions from the audience were an- sented her experiences that related to certain un- swered by the panellists. derprivileged communities. Having a strong career

Of Structures and Biases: The Challenges to Amplifying Voices in Media A Panel Discussion on Media Makers and Democracy Divina Ann Philipose O1MAMCS n 28 August 2020, a panel discussion titled ‘Am- mented on how mainstream media in the country is plifying Voices: Media Makers and Democra- largely disconnected from reality and lives in a con- cy’ was conducted as a part of Media Meet 2020, the structed reality of its own. annual flagship event of the Department of Media Studies at CHRIST (Deemed to be University). The Dr Kasun Ubayasiri, programme director at Grif- panel was moderated by Dr Shantharaju S, a faculty fith University, Australia emphasised on the need to of the Media Studies Department and explored the recognise the biases that journalists bring to the ta- need to observe structures and biases that prevent ble using an example from his personal experience the amplification of voices from the margins. from his time in Sri Lanka when he reported on the conflict between the Sinhalese and the Tamilians. “It The panel discussed a wide array of issues, ranging is easy to criticise the state. I prefer to criticise our- from the role of academia in helping media to gain a selves as journalists” he said. “We need to start un- deeper understanding of issues to the media cover- derstanding our own biases and position ourselves age of the Rohingya crisis. The panel also discussed better when reporting,” the panellist added. at length the issue of caste in India and what it means within the field of media. As the discussion progressed Ms Vishaka George, Social Media Editor at the People’s Archive of Ru- Sudipto Mondal, an investigative journalist and a ral India took the discussion further by highlighting panellist, emphasised the need for Dalit writers and how even in the online platform, there was a need to more importantly, Dalit editors in media outlets. Mr adapt to the medium so that stories that are report- Mondal brought in the larger question of how the ed get the deserved attention. In her initial opening people operating in media continue to be blind to remarks, she had also highlighted the gross inequal- the structures like the caste system, that affect cov- ities in reportage concerning India. “According to a erage of issues faced by marginalised communities study conducted by the Centre for Communication who make up almost 40% of the population of South Studies, less than 1% of the front page space went Asia. into covering rural India” Ms Geroge added. Similarly, Ms Anjali Monteiro, a retired professor Across the panel there was a consensus on the need from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) also for media persons to have a deeper understanding of drew attention to the inability of mainstream media the issues that are reported. An understanding of the to engage with important issues. “Online mediums structures that affect the larger picture was advocat- are the only ones who are speaking out and have the ed for by the panellists. The session ended with the courage to do so,” she said. The panellist also com- panellists answering questions from the audience.

User-Generated Content: An Essential Currency for the Brand A Panel Discussion on Trends in Consumer Generated Advertising Aiswarya N T3MAMCS he second day of Media Meet 2020 kick-started dia technology. “The two factors that the pandemic with the panel discussion on ‘Trends in Con- brought into this field are trust and human connect- sumer Generated Advertising’, moderated by Dr edness,” he said. Speaking about digital marketing, Embassy Lawbei, Assistant Professor, Department he pointed out that advertising space online is com- of Media Studies, Christ(Deemed to be University). petitive. The moderator initiated the discussion by stating how the focus of advertisers on personalisation led Archana Vasudev, founder of talkative.world to the rise of user-generated content. brought in her personal experience to the discussion by elaborating on how she had become a user for “Consumer-generated content was a yardstick when generating content for Flintobox. “When it comes brands were measuring brand love, but when the to consumer-generated content, it is an amalgama- pandemic surged in, it had become essential cur- tion of local content with a global reach,” she said. rency for the brand,” said Prakash Ragupathy, Cre- While stressing on the ethics of user-generated con- ative Head at Klnnec. An accomplished copywriter, tent, she stressed that ethics is highly subjective and journalist and an author, Prakash Raghupathy was sensitive because users are involved in promotions. one of the members in the panel. Stating examples of renowned brands like KFC, Kelloggs, Uber, Oreo, When the moderator posed a question about eth- Xiaomi and TVS, he talked about how they have ics, Prakash Raghupathy pointed out that ethics are piggybacked on user-generated content. dealt on a case to case basis. “It is not about the au- Evolving advertisement trends brought in by thenticity of the asset created by the customers, but COVID-19 pandemic, ethical concerns pertaining with the sentiment with which they had posted the to user-generated content and digital marketing content,” he said. He also pointed out that the trends were the major topics that triggered the discussion. in terms of what the user generates as contents will Vaibhav Diwanji, Research Scholar, Florida State change from time to time. University pointed out that the web has evolved In their closing statements, the panellists sum- from web 1.0 to web 4.0, emphasising that it had marised how the brands have to acclimatise to the come a long way from offline content to a seamless new normal and have users promoting brands rath- integration between online and offline. Mr Diwanji er than celebrities. has experience of ten years in the field of new me-

Questioning the Conviction of Online Content as the Gospel Truth A Panel Discussion on Critical Literacy through Social Media Krupaharini O3JPEng n the second day of Media Meet, a stimulating media jump at rape cases like “flies to cow dung and panel discussion on the topic ‘Critical Literacy portray rapists as inhuman. She also stressed on the through Social Media’ was moderated Dr Kailash fact that they fail to address the propagation of rape Koushik, Assistant Professor, Department of Media culture and toxic narratives through social media. Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Ban- Dr Naresh Rao, Associate Professor at the Depart- galore. The panel had three eminent people from ment of Media Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be different domains of media who University). has a plethora of research publications In his opening statement, Akash Banerjee chal- in the subjects of politics and social media. He said lenged the view that satire is about finding flaws. that traditional media influenced people’s political Akash Banerjee is a political satirist who start- awareness. His research interest includes the posi- ed a YouTube channel called ‘The Deshbakht’. He tive effect of social media on youngsters’ political has experience as an anchor and reporter at Times participation. He shared instances wherein social Now. He has also authored the book ‘Tales from media was used in election campaigns to appeal to Shining and Sinking India’. He said that there is a the electorates directly. necessity for satire as there are enough ‘cheerlead- “Are you allowing hate to propagate?” asked Akash ers’. Although social media is punchy, there is hope regarding the selective removal of hate speech posts for criticality. He said, “The fact that our channel is online. He spoke about social media being an en- crowdfunded, and the questions are crowdsourced abler in blind nationalism which is the ‘opium of shows that people are willing to put their money masses’ to which Dr Naresh Rao added that it is a where their mouth is”. worldwide phenomenon. The discussion went on Following that, Kinita Shenoy commented on the further about the culmination of nationalism vs pa- simplicity of critical literacy. Kinita Shenoy is a triotism, politics, media and gender. consultant for the UN’s World Food Programme While speaking about the downsides of social me- and a GRO-GEST Post Graduate Fellow at the Uni- dia, Akash said that the internet was considered a versity of Iceland. “One simply has to unpack the ‘safe haven for paedophilia’ and that such inven- power dynamics. Asking simple questions like- tions are always ‘misused before they are used’. But Who is creating this narrative? Who is winning? these issues can be tackled. This enlightening ses- Who is gonna be affected? about the content reveals sion came to an end after two hours of educating the fundamental truths of it” she said. Providing in- the audience through deliberations on the scope sights on gender equality, she said that mainstream and issues regarding social media.

Unveiling the Mask of ‘Truth’ in Documentary Films A Panel Discussion on Documentary Realism and Media Literacy Shruthi R Bharadwaj 3 JPEng fessor and Programme Director, characteristics of documentary at the University of Saint Joseph, viewership and the increased ac- OSai Snehha N 3JOUH Connecticut, spoke on docu- ceptance of the same. Shedding n 28 August 2020, a panel menting films to support the mar- light on the impact of social me- discussion themed ‘What’s ginalised. Pondering upon the dia and the construction of ‘what Real?- Documentary Realism & notion of telling history through is real’, he mentioned, “Character- Media Literacy was conducted as documentaries, he questioned istics of filmmaking have changed a part of Media Meet 2020. Dis- the indexical quality of pictures. and filmmakers have a responsi- coursing about the censorship and He emphasized the importance bility in creating more than just viewership of documentaries, this of digital graphics and animation good images for themselves.” panel comprised four profession- of images through the concept Ambien Alqadar is an Assistant als from various domains and was of ‘Representational Absence’. Dr Professor at Rochester Institute moderated by Dr Rashmi Sawh- Correa questioned the roles of of Technology, New York. In ney, Associate Professor, Film gatekeepers, agenda setters, and her opinion, documentary films and Cultural Studies, CHRIST stressed on the involvement of shouldn’t be restricted to a cer- (Deemed to be University) critical theory along with the role tain definition of reality as truth is Malia Buker, faculty at Florida of epistemology while making subjective. With her experience, State University, and a documen- films. He mentioned, “If not you she claimed that documentaries tary filmmaker is also a media art- then who? If not you then who can be real even when they do not ist. Introducing the concept of the will? And if you don’t, your story use realistic techniques. indexical nature of an image, she will probably be never told.” She believes that a personal sto- discussed deep fake technology Pradeep K P is a documentary ry may not be the monumental and general distress in the media. filmmaker, a cinematographer truth but a subjective window of Alluding to the BLM (Black Lives and the co-founder of Pedestrian someone’s experience. According Matter) movement, a controver- Pictures. In the discussion, he put- to her, fantasy bridges the gap be- sial statement, “Men lie but, tapes forth relevant questions includ- tween reality and imagination by don’t,” was raised to show how the ing “How can one create a society allowing the filmmakers to create reality of the photographic image that is media literate to decipher space of images that do not exist. is rigged against the socially dis- the content independently even “Documentaries have a compli- enfranchised. She claimed that though they ideologically differ?” cated relationship with truth and “We need to embrace the com- Being an active participant in film there is always a gap between re- plexity in documentary realism screening in rural India, he elab- ality and representation,” said Ms. and not pursue the truth in our orated on the shifts in the Indian Alqadar. own filmmaking.” Dr Pablo Correa, Assistant Pro-

Ubiquity and Uniqueness of Video Games A Panel Discussion on Video Games,Media Literacy and Social Changes Aiswarya N tioned that at the beginning they were catering to the US audience and now the situation is different. I3MAMCS Ubiquity and uniqueness, negatives and positives ncorporating video games into the field of me- and portrayal of female characters in video games dia literacy, the panel discussion on the third day were widely discussed. Apart from this, the Indian of Media Meet 2020 added a whole new perspec- video gaming ecosystem was also touched upon tive to the audience. The session on ‘Video Games, by the speakers. “Games have a huge potential in Media Literacy and Social Change’ was moderated politics and policymaking decisions. Countries by Prof. Ajay Kumar, Assistant Professor, Depart- like the Netherlands and Germany have already ment of Media Studies, Christ(Deemed to be Uni- adopted that, and India has a great potential in the versity). field,” said Shagun Shah, Game Designer at Byju’s. The discussion was initiated after the moderator He also shared his knowledge about how serious gave the audience a quick glimpse of various fields gaming is becoming and how games act as educa- in which video games are used. “Video games are tional tools for children. used in schools, medical and art history profes- Speaking about the uniqueness of the video games, sions. Online shopping companies and various Saumya V Iyer, Mobile game Producer, Gear Inc news agencies have games on their website. While highlighted that it is all about immersive experi- NASA is using games to address future space ence rather than passive consumption of the con- health challenges, UNESCO finds games helpful tent. She stated that the player has to take action in promoting world peace,” said Prof. Ajay Kumar. to drive the story forward and can take decisions. One of the panellists, Poornima Seetharaman, “The players relate and identify themselves to the Lead Game Designer at Zynga and Ambassador character. So the games need to be effectively stud- of Women in Games, spoke about how the ease of ied and the impact needs to be assessed on a more access made gaming a common commodity. Cit- efficient level,” she said. The evolving trends in the ing the example of the game Assassin’s Creed, she industry and application of video games in differ- emphasised how games can be a platform for pre- ent fields were also widely discussed. serving historical knowledge. “Games are also a The session ended with the panellists recommend- good platform for promoting gender equality,” she ing games to the audience and answering their said. While emphasizing the role of female game questions. producers she mentioned that having more wom- en developers is not sufficient, and women should be in senior management. The panellist also men-

The Nuances and Significance of Media Literacy on a Global Scale A Panel Discussion in collaboration with UNESCO-GAPMIL Sai Snehha N M3JOUH edia Meet 2020, the flagship event of the Me- long time even though the concept of media lit- dia Studies Department, CHRIST (Deemed eracy is relatively new. He added that “Media and to be University), is a three-day international vir- information literacy is all about how we preserve tual conference set on the theme ‘Media Literacy’. the integrity of older times but develop skills of the The panel discussion on 29 August 2020 was titled modern age while fusing them in a non-linear per- “Should media literacy be a human right?”. The spective.” discussion was a collaborative event along with the The second panellist, Sherri Hope Culver, the Co- supporting partner, UNESCO-GAPMIL (Global Vice Chair of the International Steering Committee Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Informa- of UNESCO-GAPMIL, is an associate professor tion Literacy). at Temple University. In addition to this, she has The session was moderated by Prof Joel M Jacob, extensive experience as a television producer and Assistant Professor at CHRIST (Deemed to be consultant to public media and children’s media University). The panel included two speakers Al- companies. exandre Le Voci Sayad and Sherri Hope Culver. In the opinion of Sherri Hope Culver, “A human The discussion was directed to the very concept of right responds to the question of what kind of human rights; to address the notion of rights set by world we live in.” She emphasised on media being a an oligarchy who decide to whom it belongs and necessity in today’s times and to what degree things should apply to. shifted during the pandemic in the fields of educa- Alexandre Le Voci Sayad is the Co-Chair of the In- tion, healthcare, jobs, news, peaceful protests, and ternational Steering Committee of UNECO-GAP- the global marketplace. She feels that the techno- MIL. His knowledge and interests are not limited logical knowledge possessed is directly proportion- to entrepreneurship, consultancy, speaking, writ- al to the potential of a person in the 21st century. ing, journalism, and innovations. He believes that She also highlighted, “Media literacy is, indeed, a media and information literacy is already an estab- human right.” lished human right. The speaker said, “There is no The discussion made the audience decipher why need to make media and information literacy a bu- media literacy is a significant factor in our every- reaucratic policy to be accepted as a human right. day lives; the need to critically analyse, create and We have to start by considering it as a right in our consume messages; and how UNESCO-GAPMIL is practices, laws and public policies.” playing an essential role in making the world me- Through his presentations, he detailed how media dia literate. education and concepts are established for a very

Media Literacy Praxis: From Classroom to Citizenry A Panel Discussion on Media Literacy in Classrooms Divina Ann Philipose1 MAMCS Varsha Manoj Nair 1 MAMCS The panel discussion on dia (PARI) Education, opened ‘Media Literacy Praxis: the discussion by stating the From Classroom to Citi- need to unpack the topic of zenry’ marked the culmi- ‘media literacy’. “If there are nation of Media Meet 2020. 800 million people who live The panel had experts in in India but do not feature in academia from across the mainstream media, then the globe and was moderated by Dr. Pradeep Thomas J media literacy we are speaking of is a very specific A, assistant professor at CHRIST. one”, said Ms. David, as she explained how PARI tries In his opening remarks, Prof. Varghese, principal of to bridge this gap by covering stories of rural India St Stephen’s College, Delhi highlighted how media lit- in an interdisciplinary way. ‘PARI Education’ believes eracy is crucial across segments while noting that the that students must have a more human experience of media is a two-edged sword. “While most of us are what they are learning and hence, engages students to aware of the negatives and the positives of the field of interact with the communities and narrate their sto- media, we are not serious about it,” he explained, be- ries through PARI. fore expressing his concerns about the lack of privacy online as his greatest concern about this field. Resident editor of the Malayala Manorama newspa- Prof. Stephen McDowell, the Director of the School of per and the magazine, The Week, Sacchidananda was Communication, Florida State University expressed the next panellist. Speaking about the evolution of the need for media literacy to fit well into democratic media in the country over the years, Sachidananda roles of participation and engagement. Through his Murthy drew attention to the growing reach of me- opening notes, he emphasised the civic and demo- dia across the country. “Today, not the radio, but the cratic role of the media and the need for civic edu- smartphone is making information more accessible to cation. “It is not just about media messages but also people”, he noted and ended his opening remarks by a variety of mediated processes, including participa- noting that there has been both good and bad change tion and engagement”, he said, while describing me- in the media. dia literacy. “Every student today is a creator. So media literacy is The next panelist Dinesh Balliah coordinator of the not just about identifying fake news, it is also about career-entry honours in the journalism programme being a strong creator of media”, explained Dr. Su- at Wits University, Johannesburg emphasised on the mana Chattopadhyay, an associate professor at the need to empower students of journalism with tools to Diederich College of Communication at Marquette teach media literacy. Ms Dinesh Bhalliah, also asked University, Wisconsin. She redefined the term media for students to wear a lens, maintain a critical dis- literacy and drew attention to the generational divide tance from the content being produced and to reflect in classrooms by emphasising on the need for teach- often on the content they are producing while dealing ers to be updated with the media world to enable bet- with the infodemic. She called for an elevation of fact ter media literacy. checking from simple verification. The session ended with the panel answering ques- Priti David, the Editor of People’s Archive of Rural In- tions from the audience.

PA P E R P R E S E N TAT I O N Shruthi R Bharadwaj 3JPEng Divina Ann Philipose 1 MAMCS On August 27, 2020, research paper presenta- Another researcher in the panel on media ethics and tions were conducted as a part of Media Meet, misinformation looked at how people used misin- the annual flagship event conducted by the Depart- formation and disinformation as privacy firewalls. ment of Media Studies at CHRIST (Deemed to be Inclusivity, critical analysis of films and media liter- University). Films and media literacy, advertising acy were the other dominant themes that cut across and corporate communications, media and culture, panels. cyberculture and social media, and misinformation and media ethics, were the themes explored by each Discussions in the film panel involved aspects rang- panel. The discussions covered a wide range of di- ing from famous sitcoms, monstrous femininity, the vergent outlooks encompassing the theme of media concept of homosexuality, creation of Islamophobia, literacy and the vast field of media. to the idea of big fat Indian weddings through the lens of famous Bollywood movies and, media liter- A total of 26 papers were discussed by 10 panelists acy in target audiences. Through this, the subject split across five panels. The panelists consisted of a of sexual orientation, portrayal of romance, screen faculty from the Department as well as an external space, construction of own identity, and theories of researcher with expertise in the topic. The panelists gender roles were explored. interacted with the presenters and later the virtual floor was opened for questions from the audience. The sessions provided insights to the participants on the current trends in media including the effects Across panels, discussions on the relevance of so- of the pandemic on the field. The presentations also cial media to respective topics were observed. A helped the audience to critically engage with pop- researcher from the panel on advertising discussed ular content which was another step in the journey how social media helped fans get closer to sportsper- towards media literacy. sons and thereby increased engagement in their ads.

Representation, Identity and Education in Media: Insights from Research Christina Tom Jose 3MAMCS AKrupaharini 3JPEng discussions regarding media trials, memes and me- second round of research paper presentations dia representation. A student analysed memes in the was conducted as part of Media Meet 2020. context of post-truth and whether it is propagandist The papers covered the areas of journalism and po- or a vehicle of resistance. She provided comprehen- litical affairs, media identity, education and media, sive instances of memes used to resist oppressive media representation and visual media. The line- forces and proposed that memes are automatically up of researchers and scholars from all around the propagandist regardless of their supposed purpose. globe brought the benefit of multiple perspectives The presenter concluded that the nature of memes on each topic presented. is determined by the way in which they are used. The panel on journalism and political affairs saw a The final panel was interactive in discussing visual vivid discussion on topics relating to bias in news media. One presenter analysed the trends in con- media coverage, objectivity and the framing of is- tent consumption during the pandemic. She used sues. Under media representation, a paper on con- statistical methods to analyse the communication tent creation and reception of feminist ideas on channels used and the content being consumed. Facebook was presented. Another notable presen- Thought-provoking questions were posed to the tation discussed the discrepancies in the coverage presenter who focused on the works of Aravani Art of environmental issues in Indian news media. Re- Project. She used semiotics to study its role in the search scholars brought up issues relating to infor- community’s destigmatisation of transgender peo- mal online learning, remote learning during the ple through commissioned grafitti and explored pandemic, and pedagogy in media literacy in dis- discrimination, identity, validation, and creation of cussions on education and media. safe spaces. The panel on media identity initiated intellectual EDITORIAL Editors in chief Sathya N This is the age of information deluge. Being literate does not pertain to knowing how to read and write but decoding and analysing the Akchayaa R information we receive on a daily basis. Reading between the lines re- quires ample knowledge of the various facets of media. Sub-Editor Christina Tom To ensure that people are not in the midst of an ‘infodemic’, the media must function efficiently and provide accurate information without sen- REPORTERS DESIGNER sationalising it. Christina Tom Anirudh M The Department of Media Studies at CHRIST (Deemed to be Univer- Aiswarya N Photographers sity) is extremely proud to host the eleventh edition of Media Meet, Varsha Manoj Nair Karthik Vittal G S the annual flagship event of the Department. With the theme as “Media Divina Ann Philipose Balamurugan Govindaraj Literacy”, for this year, Media Meet 2020 is the first ever virtually held Srimoyee Biswas international conference with nearly forty guests and hundreds of par- Antu Sony ticipants. Sai Snehha N Abel Akash Shruthi R Bharadwaj Aimed at serving as the tool to tackle the flood of information, this year’s newsletter ‘The Spectackle’ has covered the events of this conference in Krupaharini excruciating detail. We are extremely happy to present the newsletter which is the culmination of the hard work and continuous efforts of the documentation team. Our belief is that this newsletter will inculcate the need for a more critical approach to media consumption in every person who reads it.