Media Council News | Stay Updated with Edinbox

Dr. Sanjay Dwivedi, the ex-director of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), pointed out that Indian communication is more than just passing on information; it also instills in society ethics, sensitivity, and a spirit of public welfare. In our day, when communication has gone global and is largely digital, it is very pertinent to look into the Indian tradition of communication. The main goals are public welfare and community engagement.

At LNCT University, Bhopal, he spoke on 'Indian Knowledge Tradition and Communication'. Among the institutions that organized the seminar were Indian Knowledge Tradition Cell, Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Professor Dr. Anu Srivastava, head of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at LNCT University, Bhopal, chaired the session. While addressing the session, Professor Dwivedi remarked that India's traditional knowledge system has always been a system of dialogue, public awareness and social responsibility. He indicated the communicative components present in the Vedas, Upanishads, folk traditions, and cultural narratives and explained that Indian communication traditions offer a conceptual base for today's media and mass communication.

After the program, a Q&A session was held with the students and they asked some ques

In our times where everything new is being digitized and people have less and less time to focus on things, Somaiya Vidyavihar University decided to emphasize the power of listening which never fades through Afsana 2026 The Somaiya Storytelling Festival, a multi, disciplinary festival that united the old and new storytelling methods.

Besides over ten workshops, participatory sessions, and student, led installations, the festival had more than 30 storytellers, performers, educators, and artists. As it was a kind of immersive learning environment rather than a usual performance event, Afsana 2026 employed the art of storytelling as a means for education, empathy, and cultural awareness.

The festival this year focused on the storytelling traditions of Central India with special emphasis on Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh through the exhibition of regional folklores, Pandwani performance traditions, Bharthari narratives, satire, and tribal storytelling forms. The University has always been a strong advocate of cultural plurality and experiential learning and the event gave expression to the voices and traditions of the marginalized ones who are generally neglected in the mainstream cultural arena.

One of the biggest attractions at the festival was "Maati, " a hybrid eco, story product of puppetry, Gond painting, folk music, and oral storytelling which explored the connection of earth, society and memory. Besides, audience participation was obtained through some interactive workshops and installments which therefore, students and visitors could directly engage with the concept of storytelling as a joint and reflective practice. The festival was inaugurated with performances from grade 1 students of The Somaiya School, who through their act represented in a very significant manner the storytelling as the first human activity and learning becoming its continual evolution. This very first moment of the festival communicated the main idea of the event which regarded stories not just as use of words, but stories are the constitutive elements that shape imagination and emotional understanding. The Chief Guest at the event was the distinguished filmmaker Nikhil Advani who discussed oral storytelling and its impact on cinema and digital narratives. He put forward the idea that the core of storytelling from the film director's perspective is getting the message clearly, the emotional connection, and the strength of the story idea regardless of the medium.

University leadership restated the commitment of the institution to place storytelling central to the academic and cultural ecosystems. Festival organisers argued that programs like Afsana are intended to stimulate creative imagination, critical thinking, and cultural literacy, as well as to provide a living relationship of the essence of tradition and contemporary artistic expression.

Afsana 2026, uniting artists, students, educators, and audiences in a socially participatory setting, was a celebration of storytelling as a living, constantly, evolving art form. The festival ended on the note that, although the world is now moving at an unprecedented speed mainly due to algorithms and instant content, listening as one of the simplest acts, is still one of the most powerful ways to learn, get in touch and understand the richness of the diversity of human experiences.

Underscoring the precarious state of media, writer and former journalist K.R. Meera said on Saturday that information has been weaponised in an era where truth is increasingly difficult to discern.

Delivering the keynote address on ‘Media at the Crossroads: Independence vs Influence’ at the 20th annual national meeting of the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI), she called for a radical shift in journalistic conscience.

Speaking to a gathering of women media professionals, Ms. Meera noted that democracy was failing in many parts of the world owing to extreme polarisation and a collapse of public trust.

“Journalism is meant for women,” she remarked, praising the courage of women reporters who challenged power without compromise. She urged journalists to evaluate their work through a moral lens, asking whether their reporting served the poor or their predators.

Pointing to the “cancer culture” of social media, she highlighted how PR-driven narratives influenced perspectives.

A panel discussion on ‘After Speaking Up: What Justice Looks Like for Women in Cinema,’ moderated by journalist K.K. Shahina, saw film editor and curator Bina Paul comment that the power structure in the Malayalam film industry was very punitive to women who spoke up. Those who did so had to pay a high price in terms of their work and reputation.

Ms. Paul said it traditionally had been such a “boys’ club” that any questioning of it had been met with an immense amount of stonewalling.

Both Ms. Paul and actor Rima Kallingal who are part of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) shared their immense belief about the support they would get and the change they would be able to bring in the film industry but had seen that enthusiasm dwindle over the years.

Some changes such as internal committees had been realised, but the system was not kind to women who complained, Ms. Kallingal observed. “I really don’t think these systems care if the women get justice,” she said.

However, she did see a change in the way such cases were reported in the media. Women in media had a huge part in the transformation, she said.

Former journalist and film producer Miriam Joseph said the WCC decided to focus not only on sexual harassment but also other issues faced by women in the film industry such as lack of work, lack of payment, lack of credit, the number of working hours since the industry was completely unregulated.

The evening session also saw the release of a docu-fiction ‘Media Woman: Ammu Joseph’s Passionate Journey’ by Shiny Jacob Benjamin. It has been produced by the Kerala Media Academy.

The Goa government is “studying” the possibility of implementing an Australia-like law banning social media for children under the age of 16.

Goa Tourism and Information Technology (IT) Minister Rohan Khaunte said the matter is under consideration. In response to a query on whether such a ban was under consideration, the minister told the media on Sunday: “We have had a lot of complaints from parents. Social media and some of these platforms are becoming a distraction for the children, leading to a lot of social implications.”

He continued: “Australia has brought in a law ensuring a ban on social media for children below the age of 16. It is something they have already done. Our [IT] department, our people have already pulled out those particular papers. We are studying them. We will talk to the chief minister, and if possible, implement a similar ban on children below 16 for usage of social media. The details will follow.”

The team is already studying it “and I think in the days to come… before the [next] Assembly [session], maybe we will come with a statement, after talking to the chief minister”, he said.

The overall thought, according to him, is to have children “more focused on education and technology related to education”.

“In the world of Artificial Intelligence, we need them to be more focused on this, which can make them good citizens and take care of the future of the state and the country. The social impact will be positive,” Khaunte said.

He further said: “Today, the children are always on their mobiles on social media, whether it is at the dining table or while watching television or around family. So, the personal space occupied by social media is so large, which is also putting a sort of complex in the children. Australia has done it and we need to look at the IT laws of the country. But at the same time, whether a state-wide ban is possible [or not], we are studying. And if it is possible, we would want to do it to ensure that things go well for the next generation.”

Earlier last week, Andhra Pradesh’s IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh said the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led government was mulling bringing in an Australia-like law banning social media for children under the age of 16, and that a Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by him has been set up to study the proposal.

The Australian law, called the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, states that age-restricted platforms will be expected to take “reasonable” steps to find existing accounts held by under-16s and deactivate or remove those accounts, prevent them from opening new accounts, including prohibiting any workarounds that may allow under-16s to bypass the restrictions. Platforms also need to have processes to correct errors if someone is mistakenly missed by or included in the restrictions, so no one’s account is removed unfairly.

After six decades, IIMC, the country's top media institute, has introduced a vibrant new PhD programme, which the institute sees as a bright media, studies future and a great way to open up the academic space for media in India.

With the official launch of its first Ph.D program on January 1, 2026, the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), as a deemed-to-be University, has made a significant leap into the upper echelon of research with an official inauguration. For IIMC — an institution which has led the way for Indian journalists and media educators over the past sixty years — and to be seen as making this change is also of significance as it means that it has transitioned from a traditional professional training institution to one which is now an academic research institution.

The new programme comes when media, communication technologies, and public discourse are undergoing very rapid changes.

It is not just an expansion of the academic field that IIMC sees in the launching of a doctoral programme. It is rather an endeavour to have a continuous supply of researchers who will study, analyse, and advise the Indian media that keep on changing.

ADMISSIONS START, SELECTION PROCESS REVEALED

The online application window for the 2025, 26 academic year opened on January 1 and will be available until January 30, 2026.

IIMC has distinguished a clear two, track system for its aspirants: Qualified candidates of UGC, NET will be directly called for interviews. Part, time candidates who do not have NET qualification will have to appear in an entrance exam on February 15, 2026.The list of selected candidates will be posted on February 23. Interview will proceed from March 9. The institute will wrap up the process on March 27 and begin coursework on April 1, 2026, a schedule which definitely shows the seriousness with which the first doctoral cohort at the institute is being treated.

A PROGRAMME CREATED FOR "A DEVELOPING INDIA" 

At the very first moment of PhD admission portal opening, Vice, Chancellor Dr Pragya Paliwal Gaur, in her speech, stressed the main idea behind the programme: The chief objective of this PhD programme is to contribute real research to a developing India. Besides that, she emphasised recruitments of highly original, socially relevant research projects; studies that transcend routine academic works and deal with issues shaping society and nation, building. To inaugurate this new chapter, Dr Paliwal Gaur planted the 'Kovidar' sapling, symbolising the "Tree of Knowledge", at the New Delhi campus, an old academic tradition which now serves as a new milestone in IIMCs journey.

WHAT THE NEW PHD PROGRAMME OFFERS 

The programme is designed to cultivate an environment that supports long, form academic inquiry, particularly, in rapidly expanding fields. Scholars will be able to conduct research in: Journalism and mass communication Digital media Political and strategic communication Media industry management Development communication Film studies Advertising and public relations The institute states that the programme will facilitate transdisciplinary research by integrating media studies with technology, society, governance, and market systems. 

A NEW CHAPTER FOR INDIA'S MEDIA ACADEMIA 

The launch of a PhD programme is, for the IIMC alumni network, a moment that has been anticipated for a very long time. IIMC moves into the league of such institutions that not only train media professionals but also produce researchers capable of decoding the trends that shape news, information flows, public communication, and technology. The IIMC's choice represents an increasingly complex Indian media industry where journalism education no longer simply trains practitioners but must develop analytical and strategic thinkers. IIMC official admissions open soon for a new crop of scholars researching, analysing and guiding the future progression of media over the next several decades.

As the entire media landscape in India is experiencing a major change due to the digital revolution, the changes in the behaviour of the audience, and the demand for multi, skilled, ethically conscious professionals, the necessity of media education that anticipates the future is extremely urgent. Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC), Pune, is very much aware of this and continues to lead the way in journalism and media education with its flagship postgraduate programs. These are not only designed to equip with the necessary professional skills but also to nurture the future leaders of the media.

While it is true that journalism, content creation, and strategic communication are the three areas that are gradually blending into each other, SIMC's academic philosophy is still unchanged: the future of media will be the people who can think critically, tell responsible stories, and use their influence for good, whatever platform they have.

SIMCs programmes are a mix of deep, rooted values and contemporary media, related practices along with the real, world exposure, so students can not only see media as an industry but also as a societal force. The content of the courses concentrates on students' ability to change, their inventiveness, and their integrity, thus they are equipped with the skills necessary not only for certain jobs but also for leadership positions in journalism, media production, and communication management.

Flagship Programmes Shaping the Next Generation The MA in Journalism & Media Industries delves into the changing role of journalism in a digital, first world. The programme focuses on storytelling across formats, media research, narrative depth, and ethical reporting, thereby arming students with the skills necessary to engage audiences in a responsible manner in an era characterised by a non, stop flow of information.

In contrast, the MA in Film, Television & Digital Production instils in students the knowledge and skills required to take advantage of the rapidly growing content economy. Experiential learning equips students with the abilities to innovate, construct, and implement content for the film, television, and digital media sectors, such as OTT channels.

Industry Integration at the Core

SIMCs are deeply connected to the industry and this helps students to have hands, on and real, world experiences through internships, live projects, and being in the company of professionals. Such an approach serves as a bridge between the theory learned and the actual professional work; therefore, graduates become academically strong as well as industry, ready.

Dr. Ruchi Kher Jaggi, Director of SIMC, highlights, Media education today cannot be limited to just skill acquisition. Our MA programmes develop the qualities of clarity of thought, ethical judgment, and creative confidence in students making them professionals who not only are aware of their responsibility of narrating but also understand the media complexity. SIMC goes beyond skills and placements and instils ethical responsibility, critical inquiry, and reflective practice in its students, thus, producing professionals who have the ability to shape public discourse with integrity. By doing this, SIMC is not only Indias redefinition of media education but also the creation of media leaders who are socially aware, ethically grounded, and future, ready.