NEW DELHI, 28 Oct: Ten journalists from Lower Subansiri district headquarters Ziro visited the national capital on a five-day ‘media exposure tour-cum-learning experience’ recently.
On the first day, the journalists visited the Jamia Millia Islamia University, led by senior journalist Bipin Sharma, Hindustan Times Media LTD senior manager Shah Faisal, and Pradeep Kumar from the Delhi Police.
AJR Mass Communication Research Centre director Prof Mohammad Kasim Hananasuy showed them the institute’s community radio station, which plays a crucial role in sharing community news, supporting local talent and providing information on education, health, and social issues. The team had the opportunity to record a traditional Apatani piece in the studio.
The team then explored the television production studio, where they learnt the technical aspects of production, including studio layout, control room setup, staging with drapes, microphones, sound equipment, video cameras and lighting rigs. The team also participated in an interview session at the studio,obtaining hands-on experience of the broadcast process.
Finally, they visited the university library, where they learnt the print media curricula, including newspaper clipping, editing, headline writing and article creation. Vice-Chancellor Dr Mohammad Shakul also interacted with the visiting media team.
The visiting media team then proceeded to the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), where they participated in a question and answer session with Prof Dr Pramod Kumar, Associate Prof Dr Rachna Sharma, and Dr Sangeeta Pranundra. They also discussed the role of the media, significance of media ethics in the digital and social media era, the impact of fake news on the public, and the value of radio in areas lacking other communication channels.
They also visited IIMC’s renowned library – the largest specialized library for mass communication in India. The team also visited the institute’s video studio, where they gained insights into the use of teleprompters and learnt to distinguish between hard news and soft news. The media team also had the opportunity to practice news reading in the studio. The team also visited the IIMC community radio centre, where they observed installations designed to enhance audio quality such as acoustic fabric walls, ceiling panels and condenser microphones.
The next day, the team visited ITV Network in Noida- a renowned broadcasting and television production house. Its programme coordinator Rupal Singhescorted them to the news reading room, where they observed live broadcasting by anchor Chandan Bharadwaj, who was seated in front of a chroma key screen. The anchor delivered the news using a teleprompter while the delegation observed the final edited visuals displayed on an adjacent monitor.
The team toured additional facilities of the studio,including English and regional language recording rooms, newsroom, news editing section, social media management department, layout design area, and cartoon creation room. They also observed a large wall screen displaying various news channels simultaneously, providing the ITV team with real-time updates from across the network.
The team then moved to the podcast room, where they engaged in a memorable session. Members were divided into groups, with some acting as hosts and others as guests, discussing topics such as generational differences, advantages and drawbacks of social media, strategies to overcome depression, beauty pageants, air pollution, and the inception and growth of Helping Hands. They also participated in a Q&A session with prominent ITV Network anchors.
On the third day, the team joined a blood donation drive at AIIMS, Delhi, organized by NGO Helping Hands led by Delhi Police Special Commissioner Robin Hibu. This initiative aimed to support patients from the Northeastern states particularly from Arunachal Pradesh who require emergency blood assistance.
On the fourth day, the team visited the studio of Aaj Tak news channel in Noida, which is one of India’s leading news channels under the India Today Group.
Gaurav Nauni, an executive at Aaj Tak provided an inside look at the sophisticated studio infrastructure that makes Aaj Tak a leader in the news industry. Renowned anchor Sayeed Ansari shared his insights into the world of broadcasting and showed them the channel’s production control room, master control room and auditorium, which are equipped with some of the best and latest media equipment tools.
On the fifth day, the team visited the SPUNER (Special Police Unit of North East Region), which has been established to combat discrimination and bullying often faced by residents from the northeastern states due to cultural and linguistic differences.
The entire arrangement of the visits to media houses at NCR, Delhi was arranged and facilitated by Robin Hibu, Special Commissioner Delhi Police.
Underscoring the importance of such media exposure tour, Hibu said that media teams from other Districts of Arunachal Pradesh need to take cue and organize similar tours to update their media skills. “Media professionals from Arunachal Pradesh should visit the best media houses of NCR, Delhi and learn their work culture, use of latest tools, technologies and techniques to enhance better quality work out put back in our state,” he said.
Meanwhile, the visiting journalists expressed their gratitude to Hibu, the Delhi Police, Helping Hands, Ziro-Hapoli MLA Hage Appa, the Lower Subansiri district administration, generous sponsors and well-wishers for facilitating the trip.
