A perspective on journalism in India and the United States, from the lens of an international student

by Varsha Kadamandla

The rules, ethics and practice of journalism may be similar everywhere. However, even with such resemblances, my experiences learning journalism in India and in the United States of America have been starkly different.

When I decided to get my master’s degree in journalism in America, I did not know what to expect. I knew I was enrolling myself in a program that would ultimately make me a better journalist. But frankly, it was more than that. It was a transforming experience, both personally and professionally.

One of my first classes at DePaul was with Professor Chris Bury, and my first assignment was to write an article on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. I didn’t know how to approach people or the subject itself. It was all new to me.

As an undergraduate journalism student in India, learning was never this practical.  I did not have enough opportunities to step out of the classroom to conduct interviews, research, script and produce stories on my own.

All three years as an undergraduate, I was reading plenty of books on journalism but didn’t have the chance to practice my skills in the field. The assignments were based in theory. While that helped me become an analytical thinker, a practical approach was lacking.

Turning to books for answers was so ingrained in Indian schools’ approach toward education, that it took me a long time to realize there was more to journalism than writing academic papers and preparing for tests.

Until I started school at DePaul, I never realised the role I would play as a journalist in society and the preparation I would need to live up to my title.

Recently, I attended DePaul’s Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence (CJIE) annual awards. CJIE honored Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The New York Times with the Distinguished Journalist award. The center recognized Lourdes Duarte, WGN TV news anchor and DePaul alumna, with the Distinguished Alumna award. Both of these distinguished journalists addressed the state of journalism in the United States.

Duarte said, “You just keep telling the stories the best you can. Have your facts, do your research. Because when you do your best, people will notice it.”

Talking about the state of journalism in today’s world with practicing journalists paints a bigger picture. The conversation made me think about the need to be fearless, accurate and responsible in reporting stories.

It also made me realize how important it is to have such discussions in classrooms. If opportunities to have those discussions are scarce, as they are for Indian students, it is difficult to tell stories in the best possible way.

That is why the first two quarters here at DePaul were fascinating. AP style was new to me. I was excited about coming up with new story ideas and intimidated at the same time when it came to interviewing subjects.

Coming to America to become a better journalist was definitely a game changer. From my first class to my most recent class at DePaul, every professor I’ve had has seen me as a journalist and not just a student.

“Go forth and be journalists.” This is what Carol Marin, director of DePaul’s Center for Journalism Integrity and Excellence (CJIE) tells her students at the end of each class. It may sound normal to many, but to me it’s a constant reminder of my purpose and passion for journalism.

The importance of an ethics discussion in each class here at DePaul was brand new for me too. This level of rigor and engagement in ethics was missing or pursued dispassionately in my undergraduate classes.
Another big takeaway from my experience as a student at DePaul is the need to be fearless and report accurately without bias.

Be it reporting for the student media or any general assignment, to be persistent, fearless and “do the best journalism you can,” is the advice given by every professor I’ve had at DePaul.

Newsroom ethics and the way journalism is evolving might be similar in the two countries, but the curriculum and the methods used to teach journalism in India needs to be revaluated.

If I’m given an opportunity to teach journalism in India, I would incorporate so many of the methods used by my professors here at DePaul. I’d encourage students to find stories to report, go out on the streets and conduct interviews, stay abreast with current events and bring ethics back into classroom discussions.

Just as Carol Marin does, I would end every class by telling my students to make journalism happen. In order to make students into journalists, we must treat them as journalists. When my professors saw me as a journalist, I learned to see myself as one too.

-30-