Looking for J-Schools to apply to? You should check out Jindal School of Journalism and Communication (JSJC) in Sonipat, Haryana inaugurated in December last year, which will be offering a three-year full-time BA (Hons) Media and Communication programme. The objective of this progamme will be to foster skills of critical inquiry and communication through interdisciplinary studies and hands-on training. This course is for students who would like to sample all areas of journalism — from print, radio, broadcast to new media platforms — and applications are now open! We catch up with the recently-appointed Founding Dean, Professor Tom Goldstein, who plans to examine other journalism schools in India this summer.
The professor, who has also served as the dean of Columbia and Berkley (USA) and who has worked with the Associated Press, The New York Times and more, believes that, “Good writing is at the heart of good journalism, whatever its format.” This is why almost everyone knows for a fact that a journalism degree is not a prerequisite for a career in the field. The professor also admits that attending journalism school is not for everyone interested in this profession. “A journalism school has great advantages. A student can sample the different types of journalism in an atmosphere where attention is paid to that student’s work,” he says, adding that one-on-one editing is the best way to learn journalism.
Placing equal importance on fieldwork, he assures that this too will be integrated into the curriculum. He states that the focus will be to prepare students not only for their first jobs but for their careers. He intends to make students astute critical thinkers along with teaching them how to “think fast, be resourceful and exercise wise judgment.”
While he certainly plans to explore a student publication, where students can display their work to a larger audience, he says that print will not “fizzle out” and will be around for a long time. He believes that quality journalism will play a more integral part in people’s lives. But, while old media will remain relevant, he states that there will be plenty of room for innovation, and so “new formats (such as Twitter), will continue to flourish.”
While his previous book, Journalism and Truth was published last year, he hopes for his second book to be published next year (“Fingers crossed!” he says). In his upcoming book, he wonders about “the historic link between advertising and news. Why should the amount of news depend on the amount of department store advertising (as one example) a news outlet can attract?” How about that for a hands-on approach to teaching world-class journalism?
Reach out to them at jsjc.edu.in
