Media Veterans and Academics Debate the Future of Journalism in Kolkata

A discussion titled “Journalism’s Past, Present and Future”, organised by Bangla World Wide, was held at the Suresh Neotia Centre of Excellence in Salt Lake, Kolkata. The event took place with the presence of distinguished journalists, journalism professors and education experts from Kolkata and its nearby areas.

Among the attendees were: Prof. Dr. Anjan Bera, Head of the Department of Journalism, University of Calcutta; Prof. Dr. Debjyoti Chand, Head of the Department of Journalism, Rabindra Bharati University; Prof. Dr. Biswajit Das, Head of the Department of Journalism, Bagbazar Women's University; Dr. Snehashish Sur, President, Kolkata Press Club; Other members included Prashanta Basu, ex, senior reporter, Amrita Bazar Patrika, and ex, Director, American Information Center; Subrata Nag Chowdhury, a former journalist with The Statesman and The Indian Express; and Sudipta Dasgupta, a former journalist with Anandabazar Patrika and a digital media professional. The session was moderated by Dr. Debdut Ghosh Thakur, Editor of Bangla World Wide.

The speakers in the two, hour debate share their different viewpoints on journalism past, present and future. While discussing with each other, they also made reference to print and digital media, AI, international politics, modernity, tech, education, and the need for hands, on learning. The attendees were students, journalists, and members of the community.

University teachers explored how journalism is being taught at different universities in Kolkata and what changes to the curriculum might be introduced in the future. They also talked about how to establish a lasting career in journalism after finishing education.

Dr Snehashish Sur brought to light the interplay between the political scenario and the media landscape. Seasoned journalists share with the help of live accounts of their work, the problems they have faced and the ways they have found to get out of them that have given them strength and insight into the people who want to become journalists. Furthermore, the change of journalism through newspaper, radio, TV, and the internet, in addition to the potential impacts of communication technology innovations on the journalists' work, also formed the part of the debate.

This conference was the fifth International Bengali Conference of Bangla World Wide, an annual event which started in 2021 and which aims to unite Bengalis around the globe. Along with journalism, there were sessions on medicine, law, health, education, and science that took place under the guidance of the top experts and entrepreneurs. The conference was attended by delegations of intellectuals from the Bengali speaking areas of Bangladesh, Odisha, Assam, and Delhi, along with representatives from Kolkata and West Bengal.

The conference was intended to be a meeting point of Bengalis residing in different parts of the world to have a discussion on their common issues, challenges, and opportunities and to come up with ways to solve them. In order to mark the importance of the conference not only for the local community but also for the diaspora Bengali community, teachers, principals, professors, and students from different government and private schools, colleges, and universities of Kolkata were invited to the conference. Through in, depth dialogues like this one on journalism, the conference allowed the participants to gain a better understanding of current trends and future changes in the field.