Kids get a peek into the media world
ROHINI RAMAKRISHNAN
|
Young Beats is the outcome of a 10-day journalism project. Kids learnt reporting, editing, photography and more.
|
Photo: R. Shivaji Rao
YOUNG REPORTERS: With the first copy of Young Beats.
"A drop of ink makes a million think... the power of the pen is mighty." So went the lines from the editorial in "Young Beats", a newsletter that was released recently at Hippocampus. A part of their summer camp, Yakaboo, the ten-day project on journalism and all it enfolds, was the brainchild of Chandani, while Sapna Duga and Rashi Mehra got it rolling.
"It was too good," enthused Gautham, Std. VII from Sishya, who was the chief copy editor. "I did a lot of typing and editing photos and generally placed everything." Rahul, IV, of Chettinad School and Ujwal, II of Vidya Mandir, found it easy to write short stories while Priyanka, VII of Vidya Mandir, was the sub editor. "Actually it was pretty easy as everything was written well," she said. "But it did improve my writing skills."
Aged between seven and 12, the 23 young reporters geared themselves for the experience first by honing their writing skills. This began with the exercise of word building. They were taught to interview celebrities and it was the actor Dhanush whom they met first. Ujwal, in fact it was commented, had the makings of a bold journalist as he had asked Dhanush point-blank, "How much do you earn?"
Learning
They were also trained to observe the world around them and write about it. One simple exercise was to write about a particular colour they saw, whether it was a car or a dress. They also had to meet and interview people whom they met in their daily life, like the auto driver or the vegetable vendor.
The reporters were given an insight into news agencies like Reuters and PTI and into news gathering. From editing a piece of news till it gets printed, the processes were learnt and then put into practice. They also had a peep into the electronic media and learnt to do scripts. Another exciting avenue was the photo department. They learnt to handle a handycam and made their own home videos. Subject, lighting, different angles dealt with. Visits to the AVM Studio, Hello FM, Trinity Mirror News and Dakshina Chitra gave them an enriching experience. Finally, when they put the newsletter together, they learnt the nuances of design.
A few of them learnt a little more — to take disappointment in their stride, when their creation did not get to see the light of day. And so it was a wholesome experience that had many of the youngsters thinking of it as another career opportunity.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Young World
