By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 26: A group of Tibetan journalists based in Dharamshala made a three day exposure and educational trip to the Indian capital New Delhi under the initiative of the ATJ (Association of Tibetan Journalists), last week.
The initiative in line with the association’s objective to raise the standard of Tibetan journalistic pursuits saw in-depth and engaging visits to leading global news agencies such as BBC’s (British Broadcasting Corporation) South Asian Headquarter, Times of India Building, CNN IBN tower and other assorted itinerary like visiting the Marvah studios, one of the largest film studios in Northern India.
Upon visiting the top of the line news studios and mainstream news agency spaces, Jigme Gyatso working for a Tibetan newspaper in Dharamshala says, “The visit to these offices reaffirmed my belief that media is indeed a important arm in a democracy, the scale on which these news agencies are operating and assisting the democracy in India is a welcome push to me personally. Although our Tibetan media is much smaller in operational and man power counts, the output is something to be proud of.”
The delegation visited live studio proceedings, interaction with professionals both in front and behind the cameras as well as technical experts in the control room and editors.
Senior editor and Anchor of CNN IBN broadcast Karma Paljor told the Tibetan reporters that although the difference in resources and operations differentiate theirs and the Tibetan journalists, the standards that dictate the quality of news is dependent on primal factors such as personal passion and dedication in delivering the truth out in the open.
Another notable aspect of the trip included interaction with Tibetans working in the mainstream media outlets. Tashi Topgyal, photographer for Indian Express and the winner of the National Award for photo feature opines that a good journalist should be instinctive to a story and able to act and retrieve details in any environment. Dawa Lhamu, the Deputy Editor for National News told the group that in a time when lines dividing print, web and television are increasingly blurred, the objectivity factor while covering a story is of prime importance and at all times be professional and true to one’s work.
The trip by the Tibetan journalist delegation was assisted and coordinated by the Empowering the Vision office, a Tibetan NGO based in New Delhi.
