SAI International Education Group gives students a sneak peek into the world of journalism

SAI International Education Group recently hosted an online event with an aim to help aspiring scribes learn about the media industry by interacting with renowned journalists and columnists who have known the industry inside out.

Titled ‘Journalism Without Fear’, the event was organised by the Going Global Club of SAI International in collaboration with 18 Round Square schools registered from China, Vietnam, Uganda, Japan and India. Round Square is an international network of more than 200 schools.

Former editor of Business Standard, Shyamal Majumdar and the news head of Times of India in Odisha, Ashok Pradhan were the keynote speakers for the event.

There is no room for fear or favour in journalism, said Majumdar. Journalism should be accurate, compassionate and independent, he added, throwing light on the importance of presenting a balanced story to people, so they can make sense of the information that goes beyond sharing the basic news.

During the event, participants got the opportunity to discuss the importance of journalism in today's world in the presence of seasoned journalists and interact with them.

Students were given the opportunity to ask questions about the world of journalism and get an idea of how journalists have an impact on society. The session witnessed participation of around 200 school students from classes VI-VIII.

All participants had to work on a short research paper and create corresponding mood boards. The submissions will be judged under different age groups and categories. There will be an award ceremony after the school winter vacations on January 7, 2022.

Moli Shah, a class XI student of The Lawrence School, India found the talks extremely inspiring. “It was an honour to hear about journalism with real life examples and I am grateful that I got this opportunity," she said.

A Class VIII student of SAI International School, Tarun Tapan Bhuyan, was delighted to be a part of the event. He found the sessions informative and easy to understand despite the complexities of mainstream journalism that it covered.

“The sessions gave us a new perspective of what true journalism is. For the first time, we got to learn what journalism meant and how it affected our society,” he said.