(Disclaimer: This content has been compiled by the students of the Department of Journalism, LSR. These notes are to be used purely for academic purposes. No copyright infringement intended. The blogger will not be responsible in any manner whatsoever, regarding the authenticity of the information/ opinions of students expressed in this piece.)
REPORT: MAKING OF NEWSLETTERS
Course: B.A. Hons. Journalism
Name of the Paper: Introduction to Journalism
Duration for the assignment: One month
Batch: 2023-2025
Class Strength: 34
College: Lady Shri Ram College for Women
University: Delhi University
An assignment of making newsletters on different topics was assigned to first year students of the department of journalism in the second week of December 2022.
Students worked on this assignment for nearly two weeks. This assignment was aimed at making students learn how to perform well in a team setting and also helped them to hone their researching and creative skills.
This assignment was conceived and supervised by Dr. Vartika Nanda, Head, Department of Journalism, LSR. It was also a part of the Media Research Cell, established in 2020. This is the account of experience of students working in groups on varying topics of newsletter.
Group 1: Lipika, Rhythm Chandel, Shrishti Mishra, Fida Fathima
Topic: Social Media (Digital Newsletter)
Number of pages:10
Rhythm: “Since I have a bit of difficulty in talking to people and I take some time to get comfortable with them, I thought that this team project would be a very challenging task for me. Nevertheless, I went forward and put my ideas forth. To my surprise I worked well with my team members and even though there were some small obstacles and disagreements we all were able to find a common ground each time without any arguments and conflicts.When we got serious about the project , the deadline was 3 days away. I came in with an idea which all the group members agreed with which made me blissful and made me think that I can do it and that I can contribute more to it. Towards the end of the whole process I thought that working with people might not be as hard as I previously thought it would be. It sure has helped me get more comfortable with team projects that I used to dislike up until quite recently. Our work had been divided fairly and we all gave it our best. Each member came up with great ideas and contributed well. In the end there was an amazing newsletter project before us that we gave our all for and worked hard for.”
Lipika: “Keeping in mind the advancement of technology and above all our topic “social media”, we decided to make a digital newsletter. The entire process was wholesome and full of learning. Each of my teammates was cooperative and at the same time did not hang back from contributing their unique style to the project.”
Group 2: Mahi Ladhaka, Aruchi Arya,Vaishnavi Pandey, Diya Bhatiya
Topic: Television News
Number of pages: 10
Mahi Ladhaka : “If I had to put my experience of working on this newsletter in a word right here – I would have to say, I can’t. As my experience was enlightening, fun, satisfying and above all bonding with my teammates and learning together. There were times when we all were as clueless as a goldfish, at that moment we would just look at each other’s faces, laugh and find a way. I don’t like projects where other teammates are not respectful or don’t take notice of one member’s efforts or challenges or obstacles, so I would just like to say that I was lucky to be in a team which was from that. As for the topic, ours was “television news.” Again, a topic that was not only interesting but also meant something to me. Through this I could research, compile and write about stuff which actually appeals to me. I look forward to working on topics like this and more, with teams like this and more, and giving my best more and more.”
Group 3: Shreya Kela, Shambhavi Sharma, Vidhi Kanojia, Mudita Meghwal
Topic: Print Media in India
Number of pages: 10
Shreya: “I had a great time while putting the newsletter together. As a four-person team, we each brought something unique to the project. Everyone got the opportunity to do all the tasks, from research to creativity. Everyone in my group worked according to deadlines and in synchronization with each other, we didn't have to nag anyone to complete the work. I also worked on the creative part from choosing newsletter color, to its name and alignment of it. We were trying to be in constant touch with each & include everyone in the decision process. As a group, we were able to brainstorm and formulate themes together so everyone knew what the other member was doing in order to avoid last minute confusion. Working in the group made this assignment more interesting as we got to know each other better.”
Vidhi: “First things first, I loved working on this project. I had never made a newsletter in my life, so this assignment was something that made me nervous and excited at the same time. My team was super amazing, and I had a lot of fun making the newsletter. I got to know about their work ethic too. Particularly, I loved the ideation part because we were not at all rigid and welcomed all the inputs from each one of us. Our topic was ‘Print Media in India’. While researching on this topic I learned a lot about how this whole print revolution started in India. This topic was really interesting. It was a very fruitful assignment.”
Mudita: “Working in a group has never really been my strong suit but luckily the people that I partnered up with for this assignment brought out my best productive self. As a group I believe we connected well on an interpersonal level and learnt a lot about what each brings to the table. The work was done smoothly and efficiently because it was well divided and organized among the teammates. The decisions made were always unanimous while also respecting each other’s creative freedom. Most importantly it taught me how to communicate well with a group and how to bend time to meet deadlines.”
Group 4: Gahana Thorat, Angel Noah Aruva, Riya Katiyar, Kavya Vashishtha
Topic: Over the Top (OTT)
Number of pages: 10
Gahana Thorat: “My experience of working as a team with my group was better than how I thought it would be. I’m more of a person who would like to do her work alone but this time I enjoyed working with my team. We worked on the topic of OTT for making a newsletter, which is in the trend as many people nowadays prefer using OTT for watching the content of their choice. It was a thrilling experience since many changes were made at the very last minute but the support from each and every member made it possible to complete the task on time. Each group member was ready to give the best they could for making it a success especially when the changes were to be made in the newsletter and that was the best part of working with this team.”
Riya Katiyar: “I had a great time working with my team. We all divided our work and worked on it. My teammates are so creative as well as helping. They also guide me in some way. I feel teamwork makes me understand my teammates better. I also come to know about many things while working on the newsletter. Newsletter assignment was so informative. I got experience of how to plan a task and then execute it. These types of assignments help students in developing their creative skills. I would like to thank Vartika ma'am for giving us such a great assignment.”
Group 5: Bina Kumari, Samriddhi Garg, Surbhi Suman, Harshita Bisht
Topic: All India Radio
Number of pages: 11
Bina Kumari: “My teammates were so helpful that it didn't feel like working or making any assignments. Our Topic was All India Radio. While working on the project, I learned a lot of new things about All India Radio which I didn't know before. All the work, like research, photos, writing etc. was distributed among us equally so the newsletter is a collective effort. After working in a team, I came to know about my strengths and weaknesses. Had a great experience working with them.”
Surbhi Suman: “It's been a great experience to work with my learned friends. It was a group project and everyone contributed equally and our contribution was fair and no one was lacking behind. None of us have ever made a newsletter before but we tried, everyone in the group worked according to the deadline and in a synchronized manner. We tried to make our newsletter as simple as possible and that was the toughest part because we had to make it attractive at the same time. We discussed and chose the topic ‘ALL INDIA RADIO’, after that we collected the content and we invented the name of the newsletter.”
Harshita Bisht: “All my group mates were quite industrious and were equally excited for this project. I never felt like overburdened or excluded from the work. I came to realize that Surbhi is an excellent designer, Samriddhi is a calligraphist and Beena is an internet expert.”
Group 6: Isha Yadav, Anushka Mehta, Tanzida Pervez Oishee, Muskan Mahi Giri
Topic: Soap Operas
Number of pages: 15
Tanzida Pervez Oishee : “Working together with other people for a newsletter can be a challenging task in some cases but luckily, I worked well with my wonderful group members. As a group, I believe that we connected well on an interpersonal level as all four of us were able to make alterations to any problem together. There was an equal divide in the amount of work that we all did; our contributions were fair and no one was lacking behind. Though our subject was “Soap- Opera”, my part was about Indian soap operas. As a foreign student, I had no idea about the history of Indian soap operas. I learnt a lot of things from this assignment. Also, my group members helped me do this properly. Before setting out to create a newsletter, we defined our objectives, we made plans, we collected pictures and enjoyed our works. To conclude, it was my best experience to work with my team members and I learnt so many new things. Lastly, the most important thing that I would take with me to work experience is motivation and encouragement; I will constantly encourage any of my team members when they require it and give them good constructive feedback that they can later implement into their work.”
Isha Yadav: “None of our group members had ever tried our hands on making a newsletter. So, when our HOD, Vartika ma'am, who was taking our IOJ (Introduction to Journalism) paper, we were confused but a lot excited. Our first assignment and that too, a group one was more than enough to initiate us to this wonderful world of journalism. Our group members Anushka, Tanzida, Muskan and I, Isha had chosen 'Soap Operas' as our topic. Soap operas have been an integral part of our upbringing. We started with the discussion and the planning of the project, and one of our group mates Tanzida is a Bangladeshi native, which made us feel personally responsible for introducing her to famous TV serials. Our group discussions have always been enthused with a heavy dose of laughter and even a greater dose of knowledge. Through our discussions we came to know about the world and how the serials represented society. Moving on, the execution of the project, that is designing and formulating the project was quite easy and clear since we divided the work amongst us. Everyone did their best for the project, and that too promptly, which made us complete the newsletter on time. We had a beautiful and enriching experience.”
Group 7: Nanki Singh, Rivka Vasudeva, Bhumika Tyagi, Nyonika Katiyar
Topic: Cinema
Number of pages: 20
Nanki Singh: “It was a marvelous experience to work as a team for my first college assignment. I was overwhelmed at first when the task of the newsletter was given. We chose our team members and each member wore responsibility and determination towards the task. We had an exciting topic - Cinema to work on and we titled it ‘Karwaan’ which means “journey through the ages”. It was admirable to see how each group member had put in so much time and effort to bring out such a successful task. We had discussions regarding the topic, the title, the gathering of information, our creative work through pictures, the cover page and finally we presented ma’am with an outstanding team effort. The assignment taught me how unity in a team always bears a sweet fruit. In the end, I was deeply satisfied when I saw my professor smiling at our work.”
Group 8: Afza Khan, Gourvi Joshi, Vishakha Kumari, Ananyashree Rathore
Topic: Media Literacy: Media and the Mind
Number of pages: 8
Gourvi Joshi: “Our experience of making the newsletter titled, "Media and the Mind", was an inseparable blend of "pragmatic learning with fun". Since this activity was for the group of quads, we did clear demarcation of work in the first meeting itself. While Gourvi, Ananyashree and Afza did the research of their respective sub-topics, Vishaka was in-charge of putting it all together in the decided format. Once the personal research neared completion, we all sat down to review the content, necessary changes being made, the content was sent forward to Vishaka to calligraph and adorn the newsletter with caricatures.Working on the newsletter, as a group, surely gave us a simulation of work life and how to balance both professional and personal aspects of our relationships with each other while caving in on personal preferences for greater good of the outcome.”
Afza Khan: “After the pandemic, working on a group project and that too in-person was a fantastic experience along with a pinch of novelty in it. Our brainstorming sessions were the most unusual type one can imagine: skimming through the library shelves while mentally coming up with the titles and ideas. Although being anxious about the deadline, we managed to complete the tasks with a constant stream of contribution and feedback from each other. Working on this project was definitely a memorable experience and has given me many valuable insights to take forward.”
