#Thread for Young Journalists:

Until 2018, for 7 years, I was visiting faculty at Jai Hind College, Mumbai, where I taught News Reporting to Third Year BMM students of Journalism (I'd started my career as a reporter for HT). As a teacher, here's what I'd tell my students today:

2/ Dear students, for the last few years, we've witnessed the steady, tragic decline of journalism in our country, to a level where news broadcasters today are brazenly peddling fake news and unabashedly selling manufactured opinion as 'BREAKING NEWS'.

What a shame this is.

3/ I remember how the first thing I'd tell you to write in BOLD on the first page of your notebooks was the sentence, 'No one gives a shit about your opinion.' Because as journalists, your only job is to report facts.

Funny how news today has devolved only into (shit) opinions.

4/ There are many versions of news principles but I'd tell you the fundamental ABCs of news are Accuracy, Balance and Clarity.

Today, accuracy is being massacred every night on prime time, balance has been replaced by propaganda and clarity is defined by how loud you can scream.

5/ Let's be real: it's a fucked up time to be in journalism. Many of you have already left for greener (+ more mental health friendly) pastures (I left in 2010 & have never looked back). But some of you are still in the field, perhaps wondering every day if it'll get any better..

6/ I hate to break it to you, but it probably won't. Because we have allowed the bullshit that goes on in the name of news unchallenged.

No one person can bring or BE the news, it takes the commitment of teams working tirelessly to find truth. But the teams are silent today!

7/ It's the herd culture that has always existed in every industry: follow the leader. Listen to the CEO. Agree with the Editor-in-Chief?

But news is not an industry! (If it were, every one of you would have money in the bank - but somehow only the ones at the top do, right?!)

8/ News cannot be the decided by the whims & fancies of the people leading your media houses - it has to be decided by the truth, by facts. By coherent, concise, clear, comprehensible reportage, and not convenient and controversial reality shows!

You NEED TO SPEAK UP ABOUT THIS!

9/ SPEAK UP. SPEAK OUT. SPEAK TRUTH.
Refuse your superiors when they ask you to badger innocents. Put your pen, mics, cameras, gadgets down when they want you to agree to made-up 'facts'.
Resist when they ask you to spread lies!

The old CANNOT lead if the young refuse to follow.

10/ You got into journalism because of your passion (there's no money in it!). So you owe it to yourself, to each other, and to your field, to DO BETTER. Don't let the idea of facts be so twisted that everyone has their own. Don't let journalism die. Keep it alive by CHANGING IT.

11/ If it's your job you are afraid for: you will find wayy better ones that'll give you far more respect, freedom, opportunity and money (some money, any money!).

So please step up and save journalism before it is too late. I'm - and we all are - counting on you.

#Endthread

P.S. Shoutout to some of my students who are fighting the good fight in news media: @aktalkies @SharmeenMIRROR @AakritiThapar @NaimishKeswani @Priya_Lalwani8 @mansi_motwani @venkatesandeepa & obviously @kevinkennethlee @KunzruGarima (+ all others whose twitter IDs I don't have!)

There is hope yet - you are that hope, dear young journalists. Be the change you want to see!