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“It’s not a different form, but just a new platform for Media, hence the name.

The statement made by veteran journalist Mr. Umesh Upadhyay made a long lasting impression on
my mind. On account of the second National Press Day on the 16th of November, he was here at
IIMC to deliver a lecture on the subject- ‘Media in the Digital Age’ a day later when the intitute
hosted the 2nd National Press Day. Celebrated to commemorate the day when the Press Council of
India started functioning as a moral watchdog of press in India in 1966.

Mr. Upadhyay is a reputed and experienced media figure and is also a member of the Executive
Council of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.

The lecture was more of a declaration of the promises that are being brought in front of us as we
have entered the challenging era of news gathering and generation- The digital age. There are no
doubts about the obvious ease of access of Media in almost every household today. But the
flamboyant speaker also brought a broader aspect to it, where he explained how the focus of Media
organizations is now shifting from household televisions to individual pockets. “I do not allow people
to work for my company unless they have a threshold amount of friends on their Facebook
accounts”, Mr. Upadhyay made this declaration to emphasis on the need to be well connected
directly to our audience today in order to give them a better media experience. He told us how the
old mind set doesn’t understand it by quoting the fact that US President Donald Trump is mocked by
some for announcing national policies through Twitter.

Mr. Upadhyay thoughtfully countered the idea of Digital Age being a disruption to the Media
mannerism by enunciating the fact that Disruption according to him is a positive word and it is the
father of change and revolution.

He also emphasized on the fact that with the kind of literacy levels we have, it’s the visual media
that is an inevitable tool in India. Also with different genres of Media and Journalism having their
own prominence, it is only through the digital platform that an integration and convergence of the
print, TV and Radio platforms be achieved in order to give the best media experience to the citizens
and have a wiser society. That is, in Mr. Upadhyay’s words, the best possible way to keep the
traditional forms of Media alive.

The session ended on a very thought provoking note with Mr. Upadhyay answering to the queries of
students and also giving interviews and bites to the students of the Radio and Television department
of IIMC, who were covering this important development in the campus. He helped us understand
the different dimensions that the digital era encompasses of, thus giving us a required boost to
strive for our journalistic endeavours.

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