Dharamshala: A delegation of 11 editors and reporters from the Association of Tibetan Journalists (ATJ) this week made a tour of Indian and foreign media organizations in the Indian capital, Delhi.The tour, which ran from April 13-15, included eight meetings with media professionals working in print, broadcasting and for news agencies - amongst them several Tibetan sub-editors, correspondents and photographers.
The delegation, led by ATJ president Mr Tashi Wangchuk, first met Ms Tenzin Nangsyal, sub-editor of the Hindustan Times, to discuss the future development of Tibetan journalism. Later in the tour, the group received advice from the newspaper’s senior editors on design and layout, headline-writing and article prioritization and distribution.
Also on the first day, the delegates met Mr Gaupam Siddharth, a journalist for the Associated Press, and Ms Shivani Rawat of Associated Press TV – a vocal supporter of the Tibetan cause - who shared their experiences and gave practical journalistic advice and recommendations.
Later, Mr Sanjay Jha of the Guardian, Ms Shivani Rawat, a producer at Associate Press TV, and Tashi Tobgyal, senior photo-journalist with the Indian Express, shared their experiences of and perspectives on combining multi-media work and photo-journalism.
Mr Sonam Tsetan next introduced the group to New Delhi Television Limited (NDTV) - a large professional broadcaster – where a lecture was delivered on the basics of broadcast journalism and the principles and logistics of large-scale broadcasting.
On the second day, the delegation visited international media group CNN-IBN, where Karma Paljor, a national award-winning reporter from Sikkim, described the organisation’s structure and operations and addressed the areas in which the Tibetan media could improve its professionalism and quality.
The afternoon included a visit to News-X, during which Mr Karun Sawhney, controller of operations and logistics, detailed the main objectives of news programming.
On the final day, the group talked to the BBC’s South Asia Bureau editor, Mr Milton Nkosi, and concluded by meeting senior editors at the Indian Express, who hosted a discussion panel on topics including Chinese censorship and the difficulties of reporting from inside Tibet.
The tour was coordinated by Mr Lhakpa Tsering of the New Delhi-based Empowering the Vision Project (ENVISION), and ENVISION’s director, Ms Yudon, addressed the delegates at the beginning of the event, explaining how her organisations' daily programs benefits the younger generation of Tibetans living in exile.
Its main objective was to empower the delegates to strengthen and improve their own media organizations, in the fields of broadcasting, print journalism, web-media and multi-media, and so be better placed to train new journalists and serve Tibetan communities living in exile.
The delegates, from Association of Tibetan Journalists, were: Tashi Wangchuk, senior reporter for Voice of Tibet (VOT); Phurbu Trinley editor of The Phayul website; Dekyi Methok, editor of VOT’s Mandarin section; Yeshe Choesang, editor of the Tibet Post; Dhondup Tashi, assistant editor for Tibet Times and Arig Jurmed reporter of the Tibet Times; Pasang Dhonden, reporter for VOT; Gangsang of Social Mirror magazine; Tenzin Wangyal and Tenzin Dhonyon of Radio Free Asia (RFA); and Lhuboom Tashi, Nepal reporter for RFA.
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