Department of Communication and Department of Political Science, University of Hyderabad in association with Network for Women in India (NWMI) organized a panel discussion on the topic “The Meaning of Words: The Politics of Journalistic Use of Language” on September 27 at Press Club Hyderabad, Somajiguda.
Prof. Kanchan K. Malik, Head of the Department of Communication introduced the panellists on to the stage. Ms. Kalpana Sharma, Mr. K. Ramachandra Murthy, Prof. Padmaja Shaw, and Mr. T.S. Sudhir, all eminent journalists and academicians, were the panellists in the discussion moderated by Prof. Vinod Pavarala, UNESCO Chair on Community Media at the Department of Communication. The discussion focused on issues like freedom and censorship of media, use of terms like “urban naxals”, and drawbacks of WhatsApp journalism. The panelists discussed how neither the liberals nor the right wing are politically correct while addressing each other, and how women in different walks of life are addressed specifically as “lady judges” or “lady pilots” whereas men in the same professions are not.
The event concluded with a brief Q&A session with the students and teachers in attendance asking questions about usage of controversial words in journalism, and correct approach towards training journalism students. Prof. Manjari Katju, Head of the Department of Political Science, thanked the panellists for their time and acknowledged the role of Press Club Hyderabad in making the event possible.
-By R Sidharth, Department of Communication