Newsreaders need to be knowledgeable

Veteran Doordarshan newsreader Shanti Swaroop gives valuable tips at the inauguration of a 30-day intensive training in newsreading, being organized by HMTV in collaboration with Kaushalya School of Life Skills. He said they should have clarity and purity in their speech

Hyderabad: News reading has lost its journalistic value due to a scarcity of knowledgeable newsreaders who continuously commit mistakes on camera, which was rarely seen in the first generation newsreaders, felt the speakers at a programme organised by HMTV on Monday.

To fill this gap and to provide the media industry with qualified newsreaders, programme anchors, dubbing artistes and voice-over artistes, HMTV, in collaboration with Kaushalya School of Life Skills, has started a course to train ordinary people to become excellent newsreaders.

In the inaugural training session, which was held on HMTV's premises on Monday, veteran Doordarshan newsreader Shanti Swaroop stressed the importance of having extensive knowledge and awareness about the happenings in the society. He said that newsreaders needed to have clarity and purity in their speech. He expressed his displeasure over the way present day newsreaders make mistakes and don’t express any kind of remorse while making mistakes on camera. He felt that rectification of mistakes and making sure they were not repeated was very important in news reading. He said that the students who come to attend the training are like diamonds, which need polishing.

K Ramachandra Murthy, CEO, HMTV/ The Hans India, suggested the students to note down whatever they learnt and guided them to take a disciplined approach towards learning the skill. He added that the program was intended to inculcate the values of journalism in the students and to provide excellent newsreaders to the industry.

HMTV anchor Kiran stressed the need for newsreaders to turn knowledgeable journalists. According to him, a newsreader is the ‘face of the channel’, on whom the entire team depends for its survival. He claimed that HMTV’s endeavour was a rare opportunity where the students would not only learn news reading, but would also get great exposure in journalism, reporting and dubbing, which were incorporated in the training curriculum to offer maximum practical exposure to them.

He introduced Prithvi, Pratibha, Preeti and Harish, anchors and newsreaders of HMTV, who would also train the students.

Bal Reddy, Director of Training, Kaushalya School of Life Skills, said that the training was the first of its kind and assured that the students would emerge as promising newsreaders after the completion of 30-day training program. Hanumantha Rao, Executive Director, HMTV/ The Hans India, and others also took part in the programme.