Tuesday 7 April 2009
Sunday 5 April 2009
Friday 10 October 2008
VISUAL JOURNALISM: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
News images shape our culture in ways both profound and deep. As we live through this era of communal violence and hatred, we cannot help but remember the searing photographs that have come to symbolize Gujarat riots or Babri demolition-- Qutubuddin Ansari’s crying face, demolished Babri Mosque, and so on. These photos have woven themselves into the collective memory of a generation. There are some who would even say that the mounting weight of photographic evidence was the one of the primary causes for igniting public sentiment during Gujarat riots.
Journalism is at its most dynamic when it’s done with the use of images as well as the written word; a strong image can capture attention and convey a message like nothing else. The use of images or visuals to provide information has its own history. From the prehistoric times to the current internet or computer age, visuals have gone a drastic change as a medium to communicate or inform.
PAST
The use of images to convey information goes back to prehistoric times. Cave paintings or rock paintings are the pictures painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings usually dating to prehistoric times, these are widely believed to be the work or respected elders or Shamans. These cave paintings can be called as the first occurrence of visual journalism, although the modern visual journalism started only after the advent of photography.
Photography and Visual Journalism
Photography traces its history back to camera obscura, a dark chamber or room with a hole (later a lens) in one wall, through which images of objects outside the room were projected on the opposite wall. The principle was probably known to the Chinese and to ancient Greeks such as Aristotle more than 2,000 years ago. Late in the 16th century, the Italian scientist and writer Giambattista Della Porta demonstrated and described in detail the use of a camera obscura with a lens.
In 1727 the German professor of anatomy Johann Heinrich Schulze proved that the darkening of silver salts, a phenomenon known since the 16th century and possibly earlier, was caused by light and not heat. He demonstrated the fact by using sunlight to record words on the salts, but he made no attempt to preserve the images permanently. His discovery, in combination with the camera obscura, provided the basic technology necessary for photography. but we owe the name "Photography" to Sir John Herschel, who first used the term in 1839, the year the photographic process became public.
From the outset, photography served the press. Within weeks after the French government’s announcement of the process in 1839, magazines were publishing woodcuts or lithographs with the byline “from a daguerreotype.” In fact, the two earliest illustrated weeklies—The Illustrated London News, which started in May 1842, and L’Illustration, based in Paris from its first issue in March 1843—owe their origin to the same cultural forces that made possible the invention of photography.
But there can be found in the lapse of time between the invention of photo reproduction techniques and the integration of photography into real daily journalism (Becker
1992/2003). The half-tone process was invented in the 1880s and the first photograph was published in a newspaper shortly thereafter, a phenomenon that no one at the time seems to have paid particular attention to. In the United States, it was not until World War I that a visual interest was created, and several major newspapers began to publish weekly supplements that included photographs from the war. The tabloid press was the first to use photographs on a daily basis, and in the 1920s a sensationalistic journalistic genre quickly took root, based on a mix of large headlines and photographs. The more serious morning newspapers distanced themselves from this genre by avoiding the use of photographs altogether.
Although photography provided the essential technical breakthrough in capturing the times and space but another important tool of mass communication was being developed simultaneously, it was Printing Press.
Printing and Visual Journalism
The invention of the printing press depended on the invention and refinement of paper in China over several centuries. In the early 1450's rapid cultural change in Europe fueled a growing need for the rapid and cheap production of written documents. Johannes Gutenberg, a goldsmith and businessman from the mining town of Mainz in southern Germany, borrowed money to develop a technology that could address this serious economic bottleneck.
Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the printing press is widely thought of as the origin of mass communication-- it marked Western culture's first viable method of disseminating ideas and information from a single source to a large and far-ranging audience.
The practice of illustrating news stories with photographs was made possible by printing and photography innovations.
Early reproductions generally carried little of the conviction of the original photograph, however. But the method used to reproduce photographs on the printing press was not perfected until the 1880’s, and it was not widely adopted for several more years. The New York Times, for example, did not publish photos until 1896. Photographers throughout the mid 19th century used other avenues to share their images with viewers.
Television and Visual journalism
Television (TV) news is considered by many to be the most influential medium for journalism. For most of the world public, local and national TV newscasts are the primary news sources. Not only the numbers of viewers, but the effect on each viewer is considered more persuasive, as described by Marshall McLuhan ("the medium is the message" in his book “Understanding Media”). Television is dominated by attractive visuals (including beauty, action, and shock), with short sound bites and fast "cuts" (changes of camera view).
Television came into being based on the inventions and discoveries of many men and scientists. The 'first' generation of television sets was not entirely electronic. The display (TV screen) had a small motor with a spinning disc and a neon lamp, which worked together to give a blurry reddish-orange picture about half the size of a business card! The period before 1935 is called the "Mechanical Television Era". This type of television is not compatible with today's fully-electronic television system.
1950-1959 was an exciting time period for television. In the USA, B&W television exploded onto the scene at the beginning of the decade, mid-decade saw electronic color television and remote controls launched, and at the end of the decade the public witnessed some interesting styling changes and the introduction of transistorized television.
Computer, Internet and Visual Journalism
“The future of the internet lies in its ability to connect with other media.”
Computers have brought many changes in the way visual journalism is pursued. Although, initial computers did not provide any help to journalism, but the role of modern computers can not be undermined. From manual editing to software editing, the transition has taken place due to computers only.
The Internet was the result of some visionary thinking by people in the early 1960s who saw great potential value in allowing computers to share information on research and development in scientific and military fields. Both these inventions made the work of visual journalists easier, as recently as 15 years ago, nearly 30 minutes were needed to scan and transmit a single colour photograph from a remote location to a news office for printing. Now, equipped with a digital camera, a mobile phone and a laptop computer, a photojournalist can send a high-quality image in minutes, even seconds after an event occurs. Video phones and portable satellite links increasingly allow for the mobile transmission of images from almost any point on the earth.
The most pronounced change has been in the realm of reader interaction -- technology has made it possible for journalists, outside experts and other readers to talk to each other, to collaborate on news-gathering and analysis, to fact-check and to distribute journalism in new ways. It has pulled the newspaper package apart, allowing people to acquire and consume their journalism one piece at a time or to customize it to fit their needs. It has altered the journalist's relationship with sources and introduced new visual forms like the interactive graphic. It has picked up the journalistic pace.
Present
“Youtube.com, Flickr.com, Blogging… the new media...”
If we talk about the current state of visual journalism, it has come a long way from prehistoric times. Today’s newspapers or magazines have more visuals in the form of images and graphics; television has been an image plethoric visual medium to dissipate information.
The contemporary condition is often described as a state of being surrounded, even bombarded by images. The condition is also characterized as an image flow, increasing in its intensity as the means and sources of image production and distribution continue to expand geometrically.
Pictures are said to be the most common way of spreading information, of making an impact, of expressing oneself, of influencing others. Intimately intertwined with the development of new information technologies, this “new” culture of visual display has been celebrated as promising a pluralistic and egalitarian future, unfettered by the old linear competencies required by a text-based analogic culture.
This celebration of the image explosion has not gone unchallenged, however. From
many quarters the expanding flow of images is seen as a threat, to traditional forms of literacy and learning, to established cultural values and expression, to the sense of order promised by familiar discursive forms, including, it must be said, journalism. The deepseated ambivalence toward images in western culture (cf Mitchell 1994) has resurfaced in response to the intensified image environment in two ways. First, is the anxiety over the presumed “power of images” and fear of their influence. This is evident whenever images figure in sharp debates, often verging on moral panics over issues such as violence in news and entertainment media, invasions of privacy and the effects of advertising. The second ambivalence is directed toward the ways new technologies and forms of display alter conceptions of the image itself and its authority. This reaction can be seen, for example, in conflicts over the photograph and its representational authority in the “digital age” (cf. Lister 1995), and in debates over the forms and significance of post-modern art.
Future
Journalism is at the very heart of society and business. As the economy inexorably shifts from the tangible to the intangible, media in its many forms is accounting for an ever-increasing proportion of value created.
After tracing the history of visual journalism and examining the state of it today, one cannot help but wonder where visual journalism is going. Since nobody can confidently predict the future, the only option is to examine current trends and extrapolate. Certain technological innovations are likely to play significant roles in shaping tomorrow’s visual-journalism. Of course, without a crystal ball there is no way to be sure.
From the invention of printing press that made it possible to document images on paper, to the web visuals, technology has certainly played a part in the evolution of today’s journalism. One might even say that technology has been the predominant influence in the evolution of visuals. Likewise, technology will almost certainly be the driving influence regarding it in the future.
Gaurav Shukla
Thursday 19 June 2008
Jamia AJK MCRC Entrance Exam Results | Mass Communication Entrance Exam results declared
Lists of Applicants selected for Interviews (Results)
| M. A. Mass Communication 2008-2009 | ||
| M. A. Convergent Journalism 2008-2009 | ||
| P. G. Diploma in Development Communication 2008-2009 | ||
| P. G. Diploma in Graphics & Animation 2008-2009 | ||
| P. G. Diploma in still Photography 2008-2009 | ||
| P. G. Diploma in Broadcast System Maintenance 2008-2009 | ||
Venue for Interview : Conference Room AJK Mass Communication Research Center Jamia
Thursday 12 June 2008
10 Mass communication institutes in India
Small is beautiful. At least that’s what seems to be working for the two best-ranked mass communication institutes in the country.
The Mudra Institute of Communications in Ahmedabad (MICA) is the best mass communication institute to study in the country. It is closely followed by Asian College of Journalism, or ACJ, Chennai.
Amid a media boom and a frenzy to hire journalists across multiple media—print, online, television—employers have been increasingly witnessing a dearth of employable talent, despite about 200 colleges who offer journalism programmes recognized by the University Grants Commission.
According to a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), an industry lobby, India’s print and broadcast industries are expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 14% and 22%, respectively, until 2012. While print is estimated to become a Rs28,100 crore industry by 2012, television will be a Rs60,000 crore sector.
The schools say that their size works in their favour. For example, MICA has approval for intake of 120 students in its course on communication management. It has also started a one-year postgraduate programme for professionals with prior experience with a batch of up to 25 students, and runs a six-month crafting creative communications programme, again with a maximum of 25 students.
“So for a student strength of 170, our faculty strength is 37.
We equip our students to find their own solutions to problems and not tell them what the solutions are. Small size helps us give proper attention,” said Naval K.
Bhargava, dean, international relations, MICA.
Sashi Kumar, chairman of ACJ, too maintains that being small helps. ACJ has a policy of having one faculty member for 12 students. Though ACJ can admit 120 students, Sashi Kumar says it does not take more than 115 students.
Permanent faculty strength is 13, with 25 visiting faculty.
“Journalism is not about lectures but about intellectual training. We deal in ideas, so keeping small size of student batch helps,” he adds.
Having a smaller batch size also helps in better communication and brings in openness. “I liked the ethos of MICA and the promotion of free thinking. There is something very creative and dynamic about the place.
There is a real sense of excitement in learning and the tutors are exceptional in bringing their zeal and interest to the students. Amazing infrastructure, facilities and coursework makes MICA stand out from other institutes,” says Megha Vadodaria, MICA alumna of 2005, who plans to go to the UK for further studies. She is currently working with her own media house, Sambhaav Group of Publications, in Gujarat.
The other trait that has helped these institutes maintain edge is keeping their curriculum in sync with times.
“We are very focused on the needs of the market and the industry. We make students better equipped with what a consumer is likely to think and demand. Our students understand the consumers, their sociology, culture, socio-economic aspects. All sounds simple when you see the net results, but it is not so in reality,” Bhargav said.
For its part, ACJ is now working to teaching students the nuances of working in a fast-changing media sector, and also to better leverage technology. “Today people talk of podcasting, convergence, IP TV. What was taught to students in 2001 or even 2007 would be different from what they would learn in 2008 or 2009,” Sashi Kumar said.
Though both teach students to use mass media to reach their target audience and do not challenge the ratings, surprisingly, they both desist from calling themselves mass communication institutes. “We are allergic to the word ‘communication,’ as it has been abused by many university colleges in the past. We are more of a journalism institute,” Sashi Kumar said.
It is a view shared by alumnus and deputy news editor at business television channel CNBC , Harsha Subramaniam. ”I feel it is not right to call ACJ a mass communication institute as it is purely a journalism school. I feel mass communication institutes also teach advertising, public relations, corporate communications as part of their curricula,” he adds.
The MICA director, international relations, too feels that MICA is more of a communication management institute, linking them to Indian Institute of Management (IIMs). “We basically teach management with communications management at the heart. The only difference is that our subjects are different than other management schools and media is only one part of our curriculum,” he adds.
And how are these institutes looking to the future? MICA is already in talks with an international university to provide a dual degree course to its students in the future.
ACJ has been receiving a lot of requests for a similar institute in North India and in the West Asia. Both are exploring these options, even as they churn out small and intimate batches on the domestic front.
Tuesday 10 June 2008
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University CET MA in mass media results declared
GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY, DELHI-110 403
TEST CODE - (02) - Master of Mass Media
Go to http://ggsipuresults. nic.in/cet208results/cet08resmot02.txt to check the results..
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF MASS COMMUNICATION Entrance Examination results declared
RESULTS OF ENTRANCE EXAMINATION (WRITTEN) – 2008 – 09
On the basis of the Written Entrance Examination held on 20th May 2008 for admission to the Post-Graduate Diploma Course in English Journalism for the Academic year 2008 – 09, candidates with the following Roll Numbers have been short-listed for the Interview & Group Discussion :
ENGLISH JOURNALISM
JA10003 JA10005 JA10008 JA10011 JA10013 JA10015 JA10021 JA10022 JA10028
JA10030 JA10037 JA10038 JA10046 JA10054 JA10069 JA10071 JA10072 JA10074
JA10075 JA10099 JA10103 JA10104 JA10105 JA10106 JA10109 JA10111 JA10120
JA10140 JA10141 JA10143 JA10146 JA10182 JA10191 JA10212 JA10214 JA10227
JA10250 JA10257 JA10258 JA10260 JA10261 JA10267 JA10269 JA10274 JA10276
JA10280 JA10284 JA10294 JA10296 JA10299 JA10304 JA10306 JA10309 JA10312
JA10313 JA10314 JA10315 JA10317 JA10318 JA10320 JA10331 JA10334 JA10337
JA10347 JA10348 JA10354 JA10355 JA10356 JA10359 JA10377 JA10378 JA10380
JA10387 JA10396 JA10404 JA10426 JA10428 JA10429 JA10433 JA10446 JA10453
JA10454 JA10455 JA10457 JA10469 JA10481 JA10483 JA10489 JA10491 JA10495
JA10496 JA10500 JA10506 JA10516 JA10530 JA10533 JA10534 JA10535 JA10539
JA10543 JA10553 JA10568 JA10573 JA10575 JA10579 JA10582 JA10596 JA10618
JA10621 JA10626 JA10633 JA10646 JA10649 JA10654 JA10660 JA10663 JA10668
JA10669 JA10670 JA10671 JA10684 JA10692 JA10699 JA10702 JA10703 JA10705
JA10711 JA10718 JA10721 JA10724 JA10736 JA10749 JA10751 JA10758 JA10759
JA10769 JA10782 JA10786 JA10788 JA10790 JA10791 JA10803 JA10808 JA10810
JA10814 JA10817 JA10820 JA10822 JA10837 JA10861 JA10865 JA10875 JA10879
JA10885 JA10893 JA10895 JA10900 JA10902 JA10905 JA10907 JA10915 JA10916
JA10923 JA10933 JA10935 JA10942 JA10952 JA10964 JA10978 JA10982 JA10985
JA10987 JA10988 JA10990 JA10992 JA10999 JA11008 JA11019 JA11021 JA11025
JB20006 JB20044 JB20049 JB20058 JB20061 JB20073 JB20079 JB20100 JB20115
JB20122 JB20143 JB20165 JC30026 JC30046 JC30047 JC30048 JC30055 JC30060
JC30069 JC30070 JC30073 JC30076 JC30080 JC30084 JD40005 JD40012 JD40013
JD40014 JD40018 JD40020 JD40025 JD40029 JD40032 JD40038 JD40039 JD40040
JD40049 JD40052 JD40057 JD40071 JD40076 JD40093 JD40094 JD40105 JD40106
JD40107 JD40108 JD40119 JD40120 JD40123 JD40128 JD40129 JD40134 JD40135
JE50002 JE50003 JE50009 JE50011 JE50014 JE50015 JE50017 JE50022 JF60006
JF60007 JF60009 JF60011 JF60014 JF60015 JF60023 JF60025 JF60031 JF60033
JF60041 JF60042 JF60045 JF60047 JF60051 JF60052 JF60058 JF60063 JF60065
JF60069 JF60076 JF60080 JF60081 JG70003 JG70005 JG70012 JG70014 JG70015
JG70021 JG70023 JG70025 JG70031 JG70034 JG70035 JH80008 JH80010 JH80016
JH80020 JH80022
HINDI JOURNALISM
JA10006 JA10007 JA10026 JA10032 JA10049 JA10059 JA10063 JA10077 JA10081
JA10088 JA10089 JA10090 JA10107 JA10114 JA10115 JA10127 JA10129 JA10130
JA10131 JA10163 JA10188 JA10194 JA10195 JA10202 JA10206 JA10207 JA10215
JA10277 JA10281 JA10319 JA10344 JA10358 JA10366 JA10401 JA10407 JA10436
JA10437 JA10438 JA10441 JA10461 JA10462 JA10463 JA10464 JA10468 JA10474
JA10476 JA10480 JA10484 JA10485 JA10494 JA10502 JA10508 JA10557 JA10562
JA10577 JA10585 JA10655 JA10672 JA10673 JA10674 JA10677 JA10690 JA10697
JA10701 JA10716 JA10717 JA10719 JA10735 JA10741 JA10747 JA10750 JA10753
JA10757 JA10767 JA10787 JA10793 JA10796 JA10802 JA10813 JA10815 JA10831
JA10839 JA10841 JA10851 JA10852 JA10863 JA10867 JA10877 JA10901 JA10909
JA10913 JA10930 JA10937 JA10940 JA10947 JA10948 JA10953 JA10962 JA10979
JA11016 JA11022 JA11030 JA11033 JB20008 JB20014 JB20016 JB20025 JB20028
JB20029 JB20037 JB20038 JB20055 JB20059 JB20066 JB20082 JB20084 JB20095
JB20097 JB20098 JB20102 JB20108 JB20109 JB20111 JB20118 JB20128 JB20141
JB20149 JB20152 JB20156 JB20161 JB20162 JC30001 JC30002 JC30005 JC30007
JC30018 JC30019 JC30020 JC30022 JC30028 JC30044 JC30053 JC30057 JC30079
JD40042 JD40114
RADIO AND TV JOURNALISM
RA10010 RA10011 RA10020 RA10023 RA10027 RA10038 RA10043 RA10055 RA10094
RA10103 RA10104 RA10118 RA10122 RA10125 RA10131 RA10159 RA10177 RA10185
RA10188 RA10195 RA10248 RA10259 RA10265 RA10267 RA10285 RA10290 RA10297
RA10309 RA10313 RA10334 RA10336 RA10349 RA10379 RA10381 RA10385 RA10392
RA10415 RA10417 RA10436 RA10464 RA10468 RA10480 RA10515 RA10542 RA10550
RA10578 RA10592 RA10603 RA10613 RA10617 RA10635 RA10640 RA10652 RA10659
RA10676 RA10711 RA10717 RA10726 RA10741 RA10742 RA10751 RA10752 RA10758
RA10761 RA10766 RA10767 RA10795 RA10797 RA10819 RA10841 RA10848 RA10855
RA10865 RA10867 RA10894 RA10934 RA10937 RA10951 RA10961 RA10962 RA10980
RA10997 RA11009 RA11038 RA11043 RA11044 RA11052 RA11066 RA11067 RA11082
RB20004 RB20013 RB20035 RB20036 RB20048 RB20052 RB20053 RB20074 RB20078
RB20127 RC30012 RC30031 RC30036 RC30042 RC30079 RC30089 RD40039 RD40050
RD40054 RD40055 RD40092 RF60019 RG70013 RG70017 RG70028
ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS
AA10007 AA10008 AA10014 AA10016 AA10022 AA10042 AA10043 AA10047 AA10062
AA10070 AA10078 AA10086 AA10091 AA10096 AA10100 AA10104 AA10123 AA10124
AA10138 AA10142 AA10146 AA10172 AA10181 AA10188 AA10200 AA10202 AA10217
AA10231 AA10235 AA10262 AA10263 AA10264 AA10299 AA10300 AA10303 AA10304
AA10309 AA10343 AA10345 AA10346 AA10362 AA10371 AA10381 AA10401 AA10406
AA10410 AA10416 AA10418 AA10426 AA10435 AA10456 AA10463 AA10474 AA10481
AA10482 AA10487 AA10490 AA10492 AA10501 AA10554 AA10555 AA10573 AA10583
AA10584 AA10596 AA10601 AA10604 AA10606 AA10621 AA10627 AA10630 AA10632
AA10642 AA10664 AA10665 AA10667 AA10668 AA10677 AA10703 AA10706 AA10720
AA10724 AA10740 AA10771 AA10775 AA10780 AA10796 AA10798 AA10803 AA10806
AA10825 AA10836 AA10838 AA10842 AA10856 AA10865 AA10877 AA10882 AA10894
AA10895 AA10896 AA10928 AA10964 AA10974 AA10982 AA10993 AA11016 AA11049
AA11068 AA11071 AA11075 AA11077 AB20013 AB20018 AB20035 AB20051 AB20057
AB20061 AB20068 AB20071 AC30013 AC30023 AC30027 AC30050 AC30063 AD40001
AD40016 AD40024 AD40050 AD40056 AD40058 AD40086 AD40094 AD40095 AD40101
AD40102 AD40110 AD40113 AD40116 AD40118 AD40139 AD40143 AD40150 AD40156
AD40159 AD40181 AE50007 AE50021 AE50023 AF60005 AF60010 AF60029 AG70002
AG70006 AG70010 AG70012 AG70016 AG70017 AG70018 AG70022 AG70026 AG70029
The results are displayed on the Notice Board of IIMC, New Delhi & Dhenkanal and website of the Institute (http://iimc.gov.in). Letters to the selected candidates for Interview & Group Discussions are dispatched by Speed Post/Registered Post. The candidates are advised to cross check the result from website and notice board.
Important : The interviews will be held on 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th June 2008 at IIMC, New Delhi.
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