Tough Way of Learning Journalism in the UK
Suspecting Journalism students filming the London City the Metropolitan Police searches them as potential terrorists
by Cynthia Chandran*
London: Panic, nervousness, stress, late coming, plagiarism; get rid of all this, if you ever want to be a successful journalist.” These were the first few words from my online media journalism tutor, David Gyimah just after enrolling at University of Westminster’s Masters Course in Journalism. His words reverberated in my mind for several days, whether I had made the right decision to pursue higher studies after having almost a decade’s journalistic experience in India and Dubai.
The first few weeks in London were a huge cultural shock for me in all aspects like home sickness, food, being away from your dear one’s, climate etc. From day one, I was able to learn many new things and most importantly got an opportunity to understand and explore the practical side of things in the world of journalism. Right from the first lecture, there was a proper idea and a sense of direction on how to plan things and on how things could be dealt with. I was able to understand the different aspects of news writing and the way each story needs to be reported and critically analysed. The various segments of writing copies were discussed in detail and much emphasis was given on writing in simple and basic English, which was really unheard in the news desks of Indian television channels.
There are a total of thirty eight students in my class from five continents except Antarctica and Australia. It’s an amazingly diverse course which gives strong emphasis on the practical aspects of journalism. The course itself gives a global perspective not only in diversity of the students, but it also gave an opportunity to listen to their experiences as a journalist. One of my classmates is a top journalist from Russia who is a close associate of Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister of Russia. Another classmate from USA is a very famous photo journalist. There is a VIP from India as well who is a Union Minister’s daughter having high security in the university.
As part of the course, the college authorities took us to Old Bailey Court (It is the main criminal court for England and Wales where all the big criminal trials are hosted) and Houses of Parliament was an enriching experience. When Australian students (Indian students in Australia) are experiencing racial discrimination there, Indian students here don’t face such severe setbacks. But I would like to share the lone bitter experience I had faced here. When I and some of my Asian friends happened to be in the same group on our visit to Houses of Parliament, one of the policemen asked us whether we had come from some of the British Colonies. I was clearly offended and showed the courage to speak up and correct his wrong notions. However, the tour guide, Mr. Andrew Wiggins wittiness and his expertise on the history of the Parliament calmed us down.
The MA Journalism (International) course has equipped me with multi skills like how to report and write for television, radio, online, radio and print media. All through my career, I have done innumerable television stories and have observed closely how reporters and senior editors perform their tasks. The experience of working in Indian television news channels has certainly helped me work on my priorities and come to conclusions without a lot of fuss. The tips given by my tutor about simplicity in writing scripts for television stories helped me realise the importance of writing for the viewers than making it self-satisfactory. Though late, I realised that ‘simplicity is indeed the greatest form of sophistication’. (Cynthia, Manpreet, Ghizem, Baya and Karunya, journalism students)
However, the most challenging experience I faced here was the encounter with the Metropolitan Police, where I and my Spanish friend was searched while we were filming Houses of Parliament. Both of us were given receipts by the Metropolitan Police saying we have been searched for suspicion fearing that we are terrorists. It took us almost two months to make the police delete our names from their database. I later realised that in UK one can’t film anything outdoors on a tripod. Because, they have two theories. One is that if you are shooting any prominent tourist destinations with a big video camera, they just jump to the conclusion that you belong to some terrorist organisation. Secondly, if you are shooting on a tripod, the chances of passers by tripping over and falling are high. If so, that particular person can sue you. Other than BBC and other top television networks, the police belittle the student journalists since the infamous 2005 7/7 attacks. It takes a minimum of one week to get the requisite permission to shoot a particular location or to take an interview. Since coming over to London am having all the more respect to our Kerala politicians because they give you interviews without creating any fuss.
Initially I was sceptical about getting acclimatised to the cold climate. I was taken aback to notice that from October onwards it gets pitch dark by 2 pm and then several times I used to wonder that what am I doing at night in the class! And now during the summer, the sun sets only at 10:15 pm and unfortunately the sun is up at 4 am. My stay at the University Halls of Residence is noisy as both the girls and the boys resort to partying all through the night. But I still can’t come to terms with the fact that how they can turn up at the class next day morning without getting enough sleep and a hang over. It is the first time am staying in a hostel and this is the only fact which I have not yet adjusted due to the pandemonium.
Challenges are what you would face all the time and it is the grit and determination to face, which matters the most. And, that is exactly the kind of mentoring I am being offered during my studies here. In retrospect, I can see myself evolving to be a better listener, thinker, writer, team member and above all, a better journalist. My studies have demanded wide travelling, creativeness in writing, careful editing, deep thinking, and much more.
I was chosen to work as Student Associate by UoW (University of Westminster) which gave me an opportunity to work with young people in British schools. The placement was for 15 days with a stipend of 650 pounds after clearing the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) test, two tier interviews and group activities. I was thanking my lucky stars when I was asked to join a British government girl’s only school nearby. But I was in for a surprise in the first hour of the class itself. I thought I would have a black out when I saw 11th graders swearing at the teacher. The next surprise was when few of the girls resorted to fights which reminded me of WWF (World Wrestling Federation). All this was happening when the teacher was trying to take mathematics class. These experiences gave me an insight of how kids here value the education and the helplessness of the teachers in controlling their unruly behaviour.
The maximum punishment they get is detention for half an hour and with repeated offences, the parents will be informed, which they try to belittle. I have realised that the majority of the teenagers are interested about sex, films, fashion and studies comes last on their list. The student organisations, KSU and SFI should thank the Kerala model of education with all fervour. I did not have to teach the girls, but I was asked to help the weak girls from 7th to 11th graders. Though it was an exhilarating experience, I did let out a sigh of relief when I completed my placement. The Student Associate role enabled me to act as an ambassador for the University and from my experiences; I encouraged and inspired young girls to consider Higher Education, especially those from under represented groups like pupils from a particular cultural and socio-economic background.
I would like to end this on positive note thinking about the good things I came across and the new trades I am learning instead of getting nervous about the biggest mistakes I could have made. The learning process has not been as easy as I had expected it to be. In a way, I am quite happy that the journey has been tough from the very beginning itself, or else, I would have taken things for granted. I will be completing my Master’s degree by the end of this year.
