Journalism is not only a form of writing or presenting news and information, but it is also a way of connecting people. Journalism has been an important part of our lives for a very long time. Just like many other fields, the pandemic has its effects on journalism too. To explain this in detail, the Student Entertainment & Event Management Cell, Division of Student welfare organized a live session highlighting it.
The session was delivered by Ms. Pooja, Anchor, and producer at News 24 who was part of Zee Media Corporation Ltd earlier. This session was held on 22nd July 2021 from 4 pm onwards on the official Instagram handle of the Division of student welfare. The session was hosted by our talented verto Shruti Gupta. This was a great opportunity for everyone to listen to the expert.
Ms. Pooja started the session by expressing her intriguing experiences from the pandemic. Unlike other professions, journalists and other media persons had to go to work every day during these difficult times.
There was no work from home and they had to do the reporting from the newsroom. It was painful as well as sad for them to inform people about the worsening situation of pandemic keeping a straight face. There is a huge team behind every news channel, and they had to cut down the number of people allowed in the newsroom to a minimum. During this time, viewership also increased and journalists were able to gain the trust of the audience.
When asked about her take on the matter where people were accusing the media of spreading fear among people, Ms. Pooja answered boldly that she believes in unveiling the reality, even if it is horrifying. She added a famous quote of journalism ”We report, you decide”. In the rapid-fire round, she revealed that her role model is Shweta Singh from the news channel, AajTak. She has a natural tone and writing style which communicates with the audience. Ms. Pooja also stated that she wants to spread awareness among women about the importance of self-independence.
Lessons learned from journalism
She did her journalism from ISOMES, Noida. LPU also offers courses in mass communication and media providing the necessary exposure and skills. Ms. Pooja asserted that she learned time management, multitasking, and most importantly daily life skills that helped her in a long run. She stated that journalism is a 24*7 job and her profession demands dedication.
A message for the Vertos
“There will be times when you will feel that this is your lowest point but this is the time when you need to remember why you started. Keeping your focus at the right place is the most important thing. You don’t need any source to get into somewhere, all you need is preparation. Life will give you plenty of chances and you need to grab it at the right time. Sometimes you might feel that you have lost sight of your goal but have faith in yourself and never give up.”
