Kashmir's Future Journalists Step Into The Story

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
IUST's Media Students Visit Kashmir Observer

In a small but telling moment on a spring afternoon, a group of journalism students stepped into the buzzing newsroom of Kashmir Observer. The air inside felt different from their campus at the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST). It was less theoretical, more immediate.

This wasn't just another academic field trip. It was a glimpse into the living, breathing heart of the media industry they are preparing to enter.

The visit, part of IUST's“Industry Connect” initiative, took the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication students into two influential newsrooms: Kashmir Observer, one of the region's most-read English dailies, and The Hindu, a national paper with a strong presence in Kashmir.

The experience was designed to show students what their future might look like, and how to get there.

Inside Kashmir Observer's office, students didn't just tour the premises. They sat across from senior editors, online journalists, and visual designers who broke down the real-world mechanics of modern journalism.

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The conversations were plain but full of perspective. Each editor, in their own way, highlighted how fast the industry is moving and how important it is for students to move with it.

There was talk of story pitching, editorial judgment, and the fine line between breaking news and misinformation. The students saw how social media has become both a newsroom tool and a challenge.

They learned that while AI may change the way headlines are generated or layouts are designed, the core of journalism-curiosity, accuracy, and empathy-remains human.

At The Hindu bureau, the tone was reflective. The students heard about the importance of critical reading and why the best reporters aren't just skilled writers, they're sharp observers of society. They explored how a newspaper's job is no longer just to report an event but to explain why it matters and what happens next.

These lessons can't be learned from textbooks alone.

In Kashmir, where news often unfolds at the edge of conflict and complexity, the stakes of good journalism are high.

And yet, many young reporters are still launched into the field without ever having stepped into a working newsroom.

This gap, between campus and newsroom, is where talent can get lost, and potential can go unshaped.

The IUST tour hinted at a solution. What if this kind of real-world exposure wasn't the exception but the norm? What if every journalism student, before writing their first official story, had already watched editors debate a headline, seen designers shape a front page, and heard journalists discuss the ethics of a difficult scoop?

There is a clear argument here for deepening ties between media institutions and journalism departments in Kashmir. It's not just about creating job-ready graduates. It's about nurturing thoughtful, capable journalists who understand the ecosystem they're entering.

Students don't just need skills, they need perspective, access, and mentorship.

For Kashmir's evolving media landscape, this connection could be transformative. With the region's complex realities, and changing reader habits, journalism is not only a profession but a public service.

Young journalists must be prepared not just to report but to understand, challenge, and contextualize.

Tours like the one IUST organized are a start. But what Kashmir needs now is a sustained model: newsroom internships, guest lectures, field mentorships, collaborative projects.

It's time to institutionalise the connection, not just celebrate it once a semester.

Back in their classrooms, the students may return to theory. But now they have stories from inside the newsroom. Stories that might shape their choices, their ethics, and their voice.

In the end, that's what journalism needs more than anything: people who know where they stand, and how to tell the truth from there.

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