A Guest Lecture on The Changing Face of Journalism

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On September 12, 2011 Mr. Verghese P. Abraham gave a two hour lecture to BA (JEP) students of TJC on the changing face of journalism. Verghese after having worked in CNBC and TV9 is presently concentrating on academic media research. With his experience in media he gave the students a practical picture on media scenario and spoke at length on the nuances of news coverage.

He also spoke about how media today is driven by market forces. He further pointed out the role a journalist plays in the present media industry with all the market restrictions and how freedom of speech is difficult to be practiced due to market forces. Verghese also discussed on the construction of realities rather than reality and why it is unethical but is being used by many media organizations. He also gave many examples of photography that are able to pass hidden but powerful messages.

The guest lecturer also talked about Mean World Syndrome to describe a phenomenon whereby violence-related content of mass media makes audience believe that the world is more dangerous than it actually is. Students should be aware of this and not take anything on face value but to do one’s own research if needed.

The students were also shown videos of media bloopers. Many tips were given to the students such as not to be subjective and give unbiased reports etc. The two hours were extremely fruitful, insightful and worthwhile.