Kargil :- As part of a series of events, Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), Kargil today organized a Skill Development Workshop for Journalists of Kargil District which was attended by journalists and the Media Team of the Department.
Executive Councillor (Rural Development & Panchayati Raj/Cooperative/ FCS&CA/Forest & Wildlife/Information) LAHDC Kargil, Er. Punchok Tashi was the chief guest on the occasion while Joint Director, Information, Ladakh, Imteeaz Kacho was the guest of honour.
DIPR Kargil had invited Aprajita Sharma, Assistant Editor, Mint Newspaper and Dr. Ahmad Azeem, Public Relation Officer (PRO), Jamia Millia Islamia University (Former Associate Editor-Aaj Tak) as resource persons for the workshop.
Assistant Exhibition-cum-Cultural Officer, DIPR Kargil, Mohammad Mussa; Assistant Information Offier Anwar Ali Tsarpa; Head Assistant, Directorate of Information Ladakh, Mohd. Ali; Translator Mohd. Hussain; Editor, DIPR Kargil, Mansoor Peer; Reporters, Photographers, staff of DIPR-Kargil, Copy Editor RNU, AIR Kargil, Mohd. Abdullah; Vice President and members of Press Club, Kargil, senior journalists working with print, electronic and online media, also attended the workshop besides others.
The chief guest, guest of honor and resource persons were warmly welcomed with traditional khataqs at the onset. Their presence greatly enriched the event, adding a touch of cultural significance and prestige.
In his address, Executive Councillor Er.Phunchok Tashi, acknowledged the significant contribution of the journalist fraternity in Kargil to the socio-economic growth of the district. However, he also highlighted the concerns regarding their financial sustenance which, he said, needs to be addressed.
The Executive Councillor expressed happiness over the fact that DIPR-Kargil has initiated several capacity-building programmes for journalists. He added that LAHDC-Kargil acknowledges the media’s contributions and considers it a vital part of the district’s administrative system. The Executive Councillor advised journalists to maintain their credibility and adhere to the ethical code of conduct in journalism.
Joint Director Information, Imteeaz Kacho, applauded the media fraternity for practicing ethical and responsible journalism despite various limitations. He expressed happiness that Kargil is growing in multiple creative spheres and noted that the DIPR-Ladakh is continually creating platforms for the training and capacity building of journalists.
He threw light on the advertisement policy and empanelment procedure of the Department which helps support journalism in general and the media institutions of Ladakh in particular.
The Joint Director asserted that as the fourth pillar of democracy, the media plays a crucial role in presenting a positive image of Kargil to counteract its stereotypical portrayal as a war zone.
During the first session, Assistant Editor of Mint Newspaper, Aprajita Sharma, presented a detailed presentation on the transition of media from print to digital. She shared her initial learning experiences in understanding digital journalism and discussed the techniques required to tell a story digitally.
Later on, PRO, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Dr. Ahmad Azeem, gave a detailed presentation on the rise of social media platforms, their influence on communication, culture and society and future trends. He talked at length on various aspects and modules related to social media.
In the second session, Aprajita Sharma, spoke on print media in the age of instant news: maintaining relevance and explained its different aspects. She also explained in detail the financial literacy and spoke about its different aspects which are beneficial for journalists.
In the second and afternoon session, Dr Ahmad Azeem, spoke about journalism and digital journalism, impact of news consumption, digital journalism features and advantages, challenges and ethical issues, including fake news, fact checking, ethical guidelines for digital journalism etc.
While sharing his views on the occasion, Mohd.Hussain, Translator, DIPR-Kargil said the workshop was fruitful for the participants. He said whatever the journalists learned during the workshop will guide them in future. He said the Joint Director, Information has taken several measures to groom the local journalists. He said that the revival of the bi-monthly magazine ‘Kargil Samzod’ has been widely appreciated.
Ali Waziri, Editor, Greater Ladakh also spoke on the occasion and thanked DIPR- Kargil for organizing the event. He also shared his experiences in the field. Subsequently, Assistant Information Officer Anwar Ali Tsarpa presented the vote of thanks.
The participating journalists and employees thanked DIPR-Kargil for organizing the workshop and hoped that such workshops should be organized in future as well in order to improve their skills.
