GUWAHATI, July 27 - A webinar was organised on Sunday by the alumni body of Tezpur University�s Mass Communications & Journalism in collaboration with the university�s Mass Communications & Journalism department on the topic �Challenges and opportunities for media students in the time of COVID-19�.
Organised by the Global Alumni Association of TUMCJ, the webinar had panellists like Karma Paljor, editor-in-chief, East Mojo; Dr Sanjeev Kumar, development communication specialist and management consultant; Nurul Islam Laskar, founder of North East India�s first public relations agency Cabsford PR; and Agam Choudhury, chief revenue officer at DigitaLabs, a digital marketing agency.
The webinar began with a welcome address by Sachin Gogoi, president of the alumni association and Editorial Lead, BBC News. The moderator for the session was Indrani Das, vice president of the association, who is a communication skills and personality development coach.
The panellists expressed concern over the present state of journalism and how COVID-19 has deeply affected the industry. However, it was agreed upon that COVID-19 cannot be solely blamed for the sorry state of affairs in today�s media.
Paljor pointed out, �Journalists need to evolve more. They need to do in-depth research and ask more and more questions on behalf of the people, for the people; but sadly journalists today have dismantled their own spine.�
Dr Sanjeev Kumar, on the other hand, said, �The pandemic has actually created new opportunities, especially in the development sector. So, the media aspirants need to explore new ideas, learn, unlearn and re-learn skills to adapt to the changing nature of the industry.�
Nurul Islam Laskar was optimistic about the public relations scene in the midst of this pandemic. He advised the students and others to use this time to develop skills that would later help them pursue their dreams.
Agam Choudhury talked about the digital world and the crucial points to be kept in mind while creating anything digitally. He advised the participants to use the lockdown period to build references, establish connections, polish skills and gather knowledge.
The session ended with a vote of thanks by Dr Joya Chakraborty, HoD, Mass Communication and Journalism, TU, stated a press release.
