DPS students get closer to understanding journalism

“A genuine source of information with balanced views.” This is how Isha Gupta, a Class XII student of Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, describes a good newspaper.

“A genuine source of information with balanced views.” This is how Isha Gupta, a Class XII student of Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, describes a good newspaper.

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Participating in an interactive session at her school on Tuesday, Gupta, who is keen to learn more about the nuances of journalism, came up with many queries on the subject. Conducting the session on ‘Importance of newspapers and journalism as a career option’, for the students of Classes VIII and XII was Rajesh Mahapatra, deputy executive editor, Hindustan Times.

The talk, organised by Partnerships for Action in Education (PACE), the Hindustan Times’ Newspaper in Education Programme, touched upon important topics such as writing letters to the editor, putting views in the right perspective, generating opinions, and the qualities of a good writer, among other things.

“You must write the way you talk. There can’t be a more effective way than this for telling a story,” Mahapatra said.
The students sought answers as well as clarifications and offered suggestions on ways to make the media more reader/viewer-friendly and interactive.

Mahapatra had valuable tips for the aspiring scribes. “It’s important not to distort facts while writing or presenting a story. The reporter should not cause any harm to anyone, should not trivialise the issue and should present a balanced view,” he said.

Many of her peers had suggestions on what they would like to read in a newspaper.