Nitin Banerjee, Reporter, Hindustan Times
I always dreamt of being a writer, and in my dreamy stupor; whatever I wrote was laced with jargons, to which even a Dr of Literature would frown. IIJNM program taught me to stop dreaming, write for real, and keep it simple. Now writing is my profession and people love reading my articles.
Anusha Jha Rohom, Independent Writer | Editor | Content Strategist
“The IIJNM programme is one of its kind – rigorous, relevant and rocking! Students get to sharpen their skills in a dynamic environment encouraged by brilliant professors. As a Content Strategist, I can attribute my ability to research, analyze and write fact based content, to my time spent at IIJNM: some of the best days of my life!”
Nikita Malusare, Reporter, Citizen Matters
IIJNM is not a school or a college where you can just loiter around its fields and get lost in the beauty of nature that surrounds it. It is a training institute for all those who want to be a professional journalist. Its, 10 months crash course will change your entire outlook towards life. Primarily because you are asked to engage with the real people on the field and not dummies. You have to show proofs that you interacted with them, therefore you can’t lie to them. The faculty is learned people with on field experience. They not professors, they are your mentors that guide you throughout the semester, whether day or night. If you want to be trained as a journalist, IIJNM is where you need to be.
Itika Sharma Punit, Principal Correspondent, Business Standard
“Reading books and literature might help one become a successful chartered accountant or a software professional, but when it comes to journalism, none of that really helps! This is one profession where no two days are the same, and hence there is no definite drill that will help you score a goal. In my view, the two most important things for becoming a good journalist are perseverance and experience, and that is just what courses at IIJNM train students for. Designed by veteran professions, who well understand these key requirements, the courses transform individuals from students to ‘trainee journalists’ from the first day. Reporting and writing for IIJNM’s newspaper and magazine allowed me to make my early mistakes and learn from them, and also understand my strengths. Through my tenure at IIJNM (and the process of producing the daily newspapers), I experienced the best and worst of how a newsroom can feel. This indeed made it fairly smooth for me to transition into my first ‘official’ newsroom. Additionally, the flexibility to pick specialisations as per interest, makes sure you can focus well on your chosen path.
Rutvick Mehta, Correspondent & Copy Editor (Sports), DNA, Mumbai
IIJNM is as close as it gets to the real world of journalism. Nay, probably a step ahead.
Ten months in the college, and you’re sure to come out as a polished journalist, a person who is ready to handle the big, bad world of journalism. IIJNM teaches you how to report, the nuances of production work, but most importantly, it teaches you the essence of what constitutes a good story, and how to present it in the best possible form.
Besides having a wide variety of streams and electives to chose from, programmes like critical thinking, using the RTI, Masters Thesis (where one goes to a village for two weeks to do a thesis) and Amphi Adda (where students hold a weekly debate session), ensure you get the much-needed value additions as a journalist.
The best thing about the college, by far, is its faculty. Having great faculty is one thing, them treating you as a colleague rather than a student is another. And that, for me, is one important aspect where IIJNM truly stands out. With each of the esteemed professors an expert in their respective fields, they ensure you are trained up to the demands of the real journalism world. And till that happens, they won’t leave you!
Another important aspect that makes IIJNM such a quality institute is its focus on multimedia. That online is the future of journalism is an open secret, and IIJNM is well aware of that. Its emphasis on doing a story in multimedia form stands the students in good stead irrespective of where they land a job – print, online or broadcast.
So to cut a long story short, I am what I am today due to my time at IIJNM, and I’m sure it’s the case with most other journalists who have been part of the institute. It not only teaches you how to become a journalist, it teaches you how to be pretty darn good at it.
Aheli Raychaudhuri, Copyeditor/ Correspondent, DNA, Ahmedabad
IIJNM was one of the turning points of my life and I am so glad that I was associated with this institution. It prepared me for every kind of eventuality that I may have to face as a journalist. It was not easy but the challenges and the hurdles that I faced were absolutely worth it. The institute is the sole reason why I am a journalist today. It gave me an opportunity to show me the life I could have and believe me this is exactly what I have dreamed of doing. Any mention of the institute is incomplete without the excellent faculty we have there. Kanchan Kaur, Surekha Deepak, Girish Bhadri, Charles Lavery and Mark Austin have changed my lives in more ways than they may be aware of. Thank you so much, for everything.
Dilraz Kunnummal, Editor, QF Telegraph, Qatar Foundation
“IIJNM is not just an institution, it is a way of life. One that every graduate from the uni will take with them no matter where they go. Over the past years, I have been blessed to work as the editor of various publications, and I know that I wouldn’t have been able to do it successfully without the training from IIJNM. From handling the constant pressure of deadlines, to asking tough questions; from crisp clear concise writing to producing a full scale documentary, IIJNM teaches you everything you need to succeed as a journalist anywhere in the world.”
Sethu Raman, Correspondent, Commodities & Energy at Reuters News
While many talk about media labs these days, IIJNM was the pioneer in the concept. The first thing I learned in IIJNM was ethics, the greatest skill set every journalist should possess. I learned how to write a clean copy in IIJNM even though I had worked for a couple if years as a journalist. The rigorous course gets the journalist ready for the competitive world. A best place to start your journalism career if you are really serious about the profession.
Rashi Varshney, Correspondent at InformationWeek India
I want to be at IIJNM again, now and then!
Journalism cant be taught, it can only be imbibed. Now, IIJNM is best at it. The institute would really, means really brainstorm a trainee journalist and let one explore and learn the core of Journalism. Everyday at work as a reporter, I remember IIJNM. And I have moments like, ” oh, thats why professors (behave more or less like editors) used to yell on it all the time.”
‘Critical thinking, and multimedia classes were my favorite, guest lectures by experts were eye openers, while law was a bit boring, however, one of the most useful subject.”
After completing 10 months at IIJNM, you will realize, how you have unlearned and learnt a process of thinking, how you now see all sides of a coin, how there is not only black and white, but a lot of grey areas, everywhere. How one story has so many angles. Ultimately, IIJNM will teach you, how Journalism is not a profession, but the way you live. Apart from apt Journalism training, the school gave me a unforgettable time of my life. Absolute golden period! Right from hostel life to Taluk (rural visits) time, to beautiful campus in a pleasant weather of Bangalore.
Sushmita Sen, Reporter, International Business Times
IIJNM has been the first step of my career. The programme is created in such a way that it will give a taste of real journalism world. The professors will take the journalist out of you in a year itself. I am proud to be an alumni of IIJNM.
Shweta Rao, Principal Correspondent for IDG Media
IIJNM gave me the right direction when I came in as a confused engineer. Not only did my PG Diploma degree build upon my academic achievements, the teachers recognized and tweaked the right skills in me to become a better writer. Bottom line, it was a privilege to be a part of IIJNM’s PG diploma program in print journalism with a quality faculty that was dedicated to journalistic excellence.
Aritra Sarkhel, Principal Correspondent at International Data Group
You understand the value of IIJNM once you pass out and then you realize how crucial your training has been by the faculty. If you want to improve your skills as a Journalist, IIJNM is the place to be.
Ashwin Sriram, Content Editor, Hotcourses India, Chennai
IIJNM is a lot different from the conventional colleges because its curriculum and concept of education is nothing similar to the rote-learning techniques employed by most colleges in the country. Since I was never a big fan of the typical college test-taking culture, I found IIJNM’s methodology to be quite interesting, challenging and relevant to the industry’s demands. There were days when the demands of college were stressful and challenging to say the least, but once you get the feel for reporting, writing, editing, page-making and all the rest of it, and improve on your overall pace, you’ll find that the exposure IIJNM offers you is second to none. Being a part of the 2008-09 batch, we were sent off for field reporting on day 1 of the course, and I am not exaggerating here. During your course, you can experience anything from spotting a friendly Russell’s Viper near the campus to meeting someone famous as part of your reporting experience. That’s just how rigorous and intriguing IIJNM can be. The faculty at the college are all experienced journalists who know the ends of the industry and are quite helpful when you approach them. There’s a lot you could learn from some of them. I enjoyed my year there and I would certainly rate IIJNM as a place worth studying if you are quite serious about learning the art of journalism.
Deepa Balasubramanian, Correspondent- South India, Exchange4media
If you are a keen individual who is looking for pursuing hard core journalism and aspiring to get a hands-on-experience on how the media industry works, then you are on the right track to join IIJNM. It is one of the most preferred institute to learn journalism in a practical way, which helps enables one to develop themselves at the learning stage and equip with full-fledged knowledge and writing skills. IIJNM is the best institute where you could find all these combined in one place- inspiration, education, competition, risk and reward.It is a one-stop shop for all young aspiring journalists.
Antara Sengupta, Features Writer, Hindustan Times, Mumbai.
“In the midst of all the reporting and production that we had to do at IIJNM, I gave little importance to the Convergence classes. However, today when I am working as a print journalist, I realise that the little I knew about print on my first day of work was from those sessions. The art of pitching a story idea, putting it in the required format with all the five Ws, gathering news and approaching the sources couldn’t have been more easy at work, had I not learnt these during my IIJNM days. Although I studied broadcast journalism at IIJNM, I found it very easy to fit into the print industry as well. That’s how well the IIJNM curriculum has been crafted. I could never imagine that we can learn an entire profession without any textbooks and examinations. Hail, IIJNM!”
Anirban Ghoshal, Senior Sub, The Financial Express
Comments: IIJNM is a different kind of a college. Rather it is not an orthodox college. It turns you into a workaholic as it teaches you to enjoy your job. Meaningful insights into Journalism and to make a story better in every way possible is what IIJNM offers. With trained faculty and all of them senior or ex-journalists, learning is extensive and fun at the same time. Though the college takes away a lot of your energy it hardwires into your brain a progressive, self-learning algorithm that makes one and his/her journalism better through practice.
Janani Sampath, Senior Sub Editor/ Reporter, The New Indian Express, Chennai
IIJNM ‘programme taught me to unrelenting when I pursue a story idea
Shreya Pareek, Staff writer at TheBetterIndia
“IIJNM programme made me question what I read, watch and hear. It enabled me to look at an issue from a neutral point of view, helping me to become a better writer and a journalist.”
Dilraz Kunnummal, Editor – QF Telegraph at Qatar Foundation
IIJNM course is tough — no two ways about it –, but it prepares you to take on any media job, and helps you fit right in with any organization from the start.”
Swati Varma, Associate Producer, NDTV.
“I was placed through campus recruitment and I still can’t thank IIJNM enough for what it has taught me and made me learn. It was a great, memorable and truly valuable year of my life”
Itika Sharma, Principal Correspondent, Business Standard.
“What is taught in most classrooms in the country is far different from what is to be done at the office. That gap was filled at IIJNM.”
Harsimran Shergill, Assistant Editor, Travel Plus, India Today.
“Don’t be worried about placements unnecessarily, because with the faculty you have, all of you will get placed a 100 percent (except those with attitude problems)”.