Available courses

Introduction to Journalism

Duration: 14 hours/7 classes
Faculty: Nisheeth Upadhyay (Editor, Operations), Janki Dave (News Editor), Moushumi Das Gupta (Deputy Editor)

Course Objective
This is a general introduction to journalism practises. In this course, we ask What is journalism?, Why is it important?, What is news? and answer these with hands-on learning and examples. We outline the qualities media practitioners of today must possess and explain the various roles in a typical multimedia set up.

The course is aimed at aspiring journalists, researchers, scholars, those with a keen interest in media practises or who aspire to be individual all-in-one media personalities.

The course will explain how stories are covered and produced. It will introduce the basic skills of reporting, writing, editing, fact-checking, editorial writing, on-camera delivery and other aspects of digital/mobile news production.

Course Outline
The course will be divided into 4 parts

Part One
This part will cover the fundamental principles of journalism. It will include:
• A definition of journalism, what it is and why it matters
• Different types of journalism: News reports, long form, opinion, analysis and explanatory journalism, investigative journalism, data journalism, reporting from conflict zones, disaster sites, etc.
• The conventions and rules of journalism and media ethics
• Various roles and functions in a newsroom: Reporter, editor, video journalist, podcaster, illustrator, etc.
• Definition of news and what makes news
• The qualities of a journalist
• Topics to cover: Politics, policy, crime, defence, foreign affairs, education, business, etc.

Part Two
Reporting and News Gathering
This part will instruct students on how to gather news and report it, how to write and produce news for different platforms: online and print. Students will learn:
• Basic principles of reporting
• News gathering and sources of news
• The structure of a news story: The 6Ws
• Interviewing, sourcing and networking
• What is breaking news and how to cover it
• News research
• Qualities of a reporter

Part Three
Editing and production
After a news story is filed, it has to be edited and prepped for publication. This part of the course will include the different steps in editing and publication. It includes:
• What is editing
• How to edit a report
• Headlines, straplines
• Fact-checking in the time of fake news and social media
• How to prepare a news report for publishing online
• How to structure articles

Part Four
New Media
This section will deal with the world of digital journalism and contemporary media practises. It will look at:
• Digital-first journalism and integrated newsrooms — how it works
• How to shoot a video and edit it
• Podcasts
• Journalism on social media
• YouTube
• How to create and run your own what’s app channel/news app/AI
• How to become a social media influencer

Politics & Elections

Duration: 12 hours/6 classes
Faculty: DK Singh, Editor (Politics), Moushumi Das Gupta (Deputy Editor), Manasi Phadke (Deputy Editor)

Course Objective
This course will give an overview of politics in India and how elections are organised. This will be followed up with a broad understanding of how to cover politics and elections. It will also include governance because the three are inextricably linked.

This course will equip you to assess and analyse political parties — how they function as an organisation, how decisions are arrived at, how they have evolved over time, etc. — and how to cover them as a reporter. It will also provide a ready-reckoner on how to report on elections. Although the course is designed to focus on practice, not theory, faculty members may rope in academics, political analysts as also politicians to give students an opportunity to interact.

Part One
A brief introduction to the Indian political system
• How do political parties function — their constitution, organisational structure from national to booth levels, appointment processes, decision-making bodies, poll preparations, funding, etc.? How has Indian politics changed — from single-party domination to the coalition era and their aftermath
• Important national and regional parties — how they have evolved over time and their roles in shaping national politics in the past and now.

Part Two
Prepare yourself to cover politics
In these sessions you will learn to report and analyse politics. Topics included are:
• How to approach politics as a journalist?
• How to build a source network?
• What are the challenges for a political reporter?
• How has reporting changed over decades?
• What are the new tools available and how to use them?

Part Three
Prepare yourself to cover politics: In these sessions you will learn to report and analyse politics
• How to approach politics as a journalist?
• How to build a source network?
• What are the challenges for a political reporter?
• How has reporting changed over decades?
• What are the new tools available and how to use them?

Part Four
This session will focus on how to cover elections and the Election Commission
• What are its powers?
• How does it function?
• How has its role evolved?
• What’s the model code of conduct and its relevance today?
• How is an election held in India — from start to finish?

Part Five
This session will look at if there is a North-South divide in politics
• A brief look at regional political parties
• How they differ in the North vs the South
• How caste, language and cultural differences dictate regional politics

Part Six
This will deal with how to cover government. It will include:
• A curtain-raiser on the different tiers of governance in India at the national, regional and local levels
• How does bureaucracy function at the Centre and in states — the hierarchical order, roles and responsibilities
• How does the political executive function?
• What you need to know as a journalist to cover government

Ground Reportage

Duration: 4 hours/2 classes
Faculty: Rama Lakshmi (Editor, Opinion & Ground Reporting)

Course Objective
The course will equip students with what it takes to be a successful multimedia Ground Reporter and long-form writer. Ground Reports is classical style journalism. It involves deep scrutinizing reporting, capturing trends and conversations that are underway and presenting them to the reader in long-form writing style.

Long-form writing is a challenge: You have to catch readers’ attention and hold it — with strong reporting and compelling writing. It requires skills that take long to develop and hone it — you have to be an engaging storyteller. This course will show you the way.

It covers the essential skills of in-depth ground reporting and helps you go beyond ‘he said-she said’ and ‘this just happened’ journalism: From pitching compelling story ideas, convincing your editor, defending your pitch to how you go about reporting, and writing moving deep-dive narrative journalistic articles.

The course will be the essential a guide on your journey in becoming the chronicler of India. Students will learn how to write, approach stories on cultural, social, political and economic shifts in the nation from the places where the changes are underway.

Course Outline
The training will hand-hold you through the process. The course is in two parts.

Part One
Ground reporting: Find the right idea
In this session, we will explore the following:
• What is ground reporting and how does it differ from other types of reporting?
• Explanation of the different types of ground reporting, with examples from ThePrint
• How to decide on an idea that makes for a good ground report? How is it different from other news stories? Go straight to where the biggest news and developments are taking place.
• Turn an idea into an in-depth report
• Plan your reporting
• Research and background material search
• Identify people to interview
• Advice on obtaining and carrying out interviews; mining for unfiltered, unmediated voices from the ground
• How to blend policy, politics, data, social shifts in your reporting.

Part Two
How to write a ground report
Now that the research and reporting is complete, onto the writing exercise. Here you will be taught the following
• The principles of structure of a ground report
• How to craft the perfect lead, nut graph, how to conceive of thematic sections, how to hold the readers’ attention through the copy
• Muscular writing style
• How to edit, fact-check, package a ground report

Science & Health

Duration: 6 hours/3 classes
Faculty: Sandhya Ramesh (Senior Editor, Science), Sumi Sukanya Dutta (Senior Assistant Editor), Soumya Pillai (Senior Assistant Editor)

Course Objective
This course will explain the basics of science journalism in contemporary times, especially after Covid. It will teach students how to write on science or health issues and how this differs from other kinds of journalism. It will identify good research, scientific misinformation and disinformation and health fad journalism and where to locate science stories buried in scientific research.

Course Outline
The course will be divided into three parts:

Part One
Introduction to science journalism
• Science versus other kinds of journalism, health journalism, environmental journalism
• Necessary background, do you need a STEM degree, using a STEM degree for the right kind of science journalism
• How to start out writing about science, dos and donts, where to access data and experts, dealing with jargon
• Identifying paid-for research, conspiracy theories, most common tropes (aliens, antivaxx, climate denialism, moon landing, etc)
• Basics of studying scientific papers
• Lifestyle and science, celebrity health misinformation (nutrition, vaccines)
• Disciplines of science journalism, mass media: How to write a straightforward science story

Part Two
Sourcing material for science-based stories
• Basics like impact factor, p value
• Understanding when a piece of research is worth reporting
• Peer review, obtaining independent voices, indigenous, inclusive voices
• Tracking subjects, studies, researchers
• Beyond peer review: Watching for research misconduct
• How to stay objective when dealing with reputed scientists/journals

Part Three
Storytelling and data in science
• Why is science and health journalism important?
• Identifying good stories, what kind of stories get readership
• Text vs video vs audio — what kind of stories are better for video journalism

National Security & Defence

Duration: 12 hours/6 classes
Faculty: Praveen Swami (Consulting Editor), Snehesh Alex Philip (Deputy Editor), Ananya Bhardwaj (Senior Associate Editor)

Course Objective and Outcome
In this course, students will gain an overview of current debates and key issues concerning India’s national security management and the strategic interests at play that shape our foreign policy. It will include an analysis of India’s changing foreign policy vis-à-vis Pakistan, China, US, Russia and France besides the larger neighbourhood.

The course will also look at how security implications and foreign policy has greatly aligned over the last decade. It will familiarise participants with India’s security set-up — its defence architecture, its domestic security, and its intelligence networks.

This course aims to broaden the understanding of India’s security issues and explain the seamless connection between internal and external policies or ground developments. What happens in Ukraine impacts Ujjain.

Course Outline
The course will be divided into 4 parts.

Part One
The landscape of conflict — external. This will look at:
• India’s relations with Pakistan, China and Myanmar, which are dictated by shared borders
• Its ties with the US, Russia, and the Arab countries, which are influenced by geo-politics and economic compulsions
• The changing nature of global conflict — examining the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as examples. The coming together of India and the US besides Russia and China and how India is playing out its foreign policy.

Part Two
The landscape of conflict — internal. Here the course will look inwards at domestic challenges.
• Maoist militancy and religious extremism
• The Northeast’s ethnicity issues
• Jammu and Kashmir
• Sikh separatism

Part Three
India’s defense strategy will look at the following:
• A profile of India’s military character
• Modernisation: New tactics, weapons systems modernization, new systems like drones, artificial intelligence, cyber and space
• Why India is focusing on integrated military response, theaterisation, the challenges, the lack of a national security strategy
• The push for indigenous systems and export of defence products

Part Four
Internal security. This will include:
• An overview of India’s police and the status of efforts to reform them
• Criminal justice: Is it improving for the ordinary person?
• Intelligence services: Their respective responsibilities

Also:
A package of useful data
Further reading material
List of non-official institutions and sources

Business & Economy

Duration: 4 hours/2 classes
Faculty: TCA Sharad Raghavan, Deputy Editor (Economy)

Course Objective
This course will explain the key components of the Indian economy and equip students with the basic skills of financial journalism. This will include analysing key economic data, developing an eye for newsworthy trends, and writing data-based stories that interest the average reader. By the end of the course, students will understand why economic reporting is an important part of any newsroom. They will gain a working knowledge of the Indian economy, and learn to write about in a way that engages readers

Course Outline
It will be divided into three parts.

Part One
• An introduction to economics and an overview of the Indian political economy
• Explanation of key economic and financial indicators such as macro-economics, micro-economics, sector and company-specific news and the stock markets
• Other topics will include GDP, inflation, fiscal deficit, company-specific balance sheets, etc.
• Important annual allocations such as the Budget and monthly economic indicess such as CPI, WPI, IIP

Part Two
• The economic administrative structures
• Brief outline of Centre-State financial relations, GST, the Finance Commissions and key ministries involved
• Discuss the role of the regulator such as RBI, SEBI, IRDA, CCI, ED, etc

Part Three
• Core business journalism: Why reporting on the economy is so important and why accuracy matters
• What economic journalism covers
• Difference between economic, financial, and business news
• Data sourcing
• Use of tools such as Flourish and Datawrapper
• How NOT to write about the economy, cherry pick numbers

Legal Journalism

Duration: 6 hours/3 classes
Faculty: Bhadra Sinha (Deputy Editor), Apoorva Mandhani (Assistant Editor)

Course Objective
At a time when people and governments are turning increasingly to the legal system for arbitration of all disputes, legal journalism is more important than it ever was before.

This course offers an opportunity to learn about India’s legal framework, the basic provisions of the Constitution of India as well as the procedures followed in courts. It emphasises the skills that allow journalists the freedom to write on legal issues, court proceedings and legal disputes.

It will acquaint students with the dos and don’ts of legal reporting, decode legal terminology and laws that pertain to freedom of expression. Students will learn to how simplify court procedures and hearings for the general public.

Course Outline
The course will be divided in two parts.

Part One
India’s legal framework: An overview of the important Articles in the Constitution of India that deal with freedom of speech and expression
• Learn about the Articles related to important Fundamental Rights
• Get insight into Articles such as 32 and 226, based on which public interest litigations and writ petitions are filed in courts to enforce fundamental rights
• Study the basics of criminal law such as the registration of FIR, filing of a chargesheet, the framing of charges, the examination of witnesses and the final judgement
• Understand the provisions that regulate free speech, the media that can result in legal prosecution: sedition law, contempt and privilege laws, etc.

Part Two
Writing legal stories
• This section will help train students to write a report of a court order/judgement/proceedings
• There will be practical training that will involve students attending live court proceedings or an already recorded hearing of constitutional bench matter to report on it.