Sree Murali
When we talk about a journey, we imagine covering a few, if not many, milestones. However, my journalism journey is more about the future than it is about the past. The path that I have travelled has not been without obstacles, just the way it is for almost everyone.
As cliched as it may sound, I hadn’t always planned to be a journalist. At least not when I was in my early and mid-teens. And no, I didn’t really have a dream profession; I was just trying to find my way and navigate the academic maze, which I’m afraid was more of an academic mess to me. However, things changed rather drastically after high school, when the education system granted me the much-needed freedom to study the subject that I wanted to and not what I had to.
“My academic path has been anything but linear”
This newfound freedom filled me with a strong desire to explore. It was as if I woke up to a sudden realisation of something glaringly obvious that I had been oblivious to: I wanted to be a journalist. The next thing I knew, I was applying to various journalism schools in my home country, India.
My academic path has been anything but linear. After a couple of years in an undergraduate journalism programme, I dropped out only to resume my studies two years later. Finally, I had my degree in visual communication, but a career in journalism still eluded me. I found myself dabbling in copywriting, with my mind still set on being a journalist. Getting admitted to the Master’s programme in Journalism at the University of Derby ultimately set the ball rolling. I began to see my aspirations gaining momentum!
Propulsion towards my journalism journey
Growing up, long before the ta-da moment of realisation that I wanted to be a journalist, I loved reading the newspaper. Grabbing a copy of the daily news was the first thing I’d do when I came back from school. As a curious 11-year-old, the news was mainly about knowing what was happening out there.
“I knew a lot had to change in the world around me”
However, once I entered my teens, I found myself questioning a lot of things that one is conditioned to believe through the news. The biggest example would be the coverage of Pakistan or anything related to Pakistan in the Indian news. Yes, there have always been tensions between India and Pakistan, but the hostility between the countries shouldn’t affect the way the news is reported. I realised I wanted to change that. I refused to hate a country or its people just because I’d been told to do so. It also made me wonder about the freedom of speech and the press in India. Were journalists choosing stories and angles based on the truth, or were they compelled by the government to make certain choices?
Reading columns by Moni Mohsin, a British-Pakistani writer, made me realise the striking similarities between the two countries. This acted as the confirmation I needed for the disheartening fact that one of the key functions of the press in India was to be a government sycophant. I knew a lot had to change in the world around me and I was keen on playing a major role in this transformation.
Becoming a Journalist
By the time I realised I wanted to be a journalist, I found myself devouring magazines, from hard-hitting political ones to the ladies’ must-reads like Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Elle. Ever ordered a glass of Coke, only for it to taste more like a few drops of Coke added to a glass of water? That’s what the Indian editions of these popular women’s magazines seemed like while talking about sex and relationships—highly watered down. This is the case for a lot of countries that consider sex, especially premarital, taboo. This furthered my determination to stir the pot and smash regressive ideologies that usually curtail women’s freedom.
I also loved the way that features connect people. Not many might be interested in some niche topics, however, a feature on these rarely-talked-about subjects not only informs people but also gives those interested in these topics a sense of connection with the knowledge that there are, even if not many, other people who share their interests.
Journalism As a Degree and As a Job
The part of journalism that I’ve always enjoyed the most is interviewing people. It’s not always the “what” that fascinates me as much as the “how” and “why.” A key requirement for me from my job would be connecting with people. As a journalist, most of my assignments fill me with a sense of purpose, enriching the bonds I form.
“We don’t need to be experts in everything but rather just pass on answers from experts to everyone”
At university, almost my entire class is made up of international students, which makes the classroom experience invaluable. If I had to choose between being marked present for a class without attending it or attending a class without being marked present, I’d choose the latter without a doubt! That’s how interesting the classes are.
Lessons and Challenges
99 percent of the time, journalists don’t know 100 percent of the topic they’re covering. But that’s the beauty of what we do; we don’t need to be experts in everything but rather just pass on answers from experts to everyone. My biggest challenge, of course, was shedding my inhibitions. But now, I can gladly say that working on assignments has slayed my demons of scepticism.
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Featured image courtesy of Markus Winkler on Pexels. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.
