Listening circle:
Journalists sharing their work, issues & challenges in water journalism across different region
Bahar Dutt and Mayank Aggarwal, Aditi Tandon, Jyotibindra Lahiri, Arvind Shukla, K Shaji, Madhav Sharma, Pushya Mitra, Rishika, Sejal Mehta, Shalini Singh, Tapasya, Parth, Kannan, Preti David, Gerad
Session 2:
Plenary I: Storytelling issues and strategies for impactful water stories
Suhas Sardeshmukh (Loksatta), Pushya Mitra (India Today), Manish Mishra (Amar Ujala), Subagunam Kanan (BBC), and Shailesh Malode (AIR) on a panel moderated by Hridayesh Joshi (Newslaundry; ex-NDTV)
Plenary II: Print/Broadcasting Media
-
Print media excels in in-depth political and environmental reporting.
-
Marathwada faces droughts, hailstorms, water scarcity, and conflicting sugarcane cropping.
-
AIR uses imaginative programs for public interest and environmental awareness.
-
Bihar flood coverage highlighting response delays and embankment issues.
-
Journalists focus on immediate and investigative environmental reporting.
-
Getting trapped in institutional rules
Plenary II- Digital/Multimedia
-
Jeff combines print, video, and photojournalism for impactful storytelling, focusing on ground reportage and investigative stories.
-
Binaifer emphasizes empathy, collaboration, and informed consent in photojournalism, where images complement text and evoke emotions.
-
Arvind highlights challenges in publishing, ensuring quality video/audio, and crediting ground reporters.
-
Ethics, practice, and sensitivity are crucial for addressing consent, outreach, and content integrity.
Group work:
Need-gap mapping
Journalists were divided into three groups along with one artist each.
-
-
Key Issues and Gaps in Water Reporting:
-
Water scarcity, misuse, and contamination in regions like Sundarbans, Jammu Kashmir, and North Bihar.
-
Discrepancies in urban water access, including Mumbai and Pune, affected by real estate growth.
-
Lack of political will and centralized water management systems.
-
Challenges in reporting due to inadequate data, reliance on local knowledge, and difficulty in obtaining government data.
-
Need for greater collaboration among journalists, experts, and local communities for data validation and impact.
-
Strategies and Support Needed:
-
Collaborations with retired officials, scientists, and organizations like Earth Journalism Network.
-
Development of platforms for data sharing, collective reporting, and cross-theme collaboration.
-
Editors should be sensitized to environmental reporting and recognize the need for long-term process coverage.
-
Building networks for shared resources, and platforms for interaction between journalists, experts, and activists.
Session 3: Water Science- Current Research & Unreported areas
-
Glaciers in India – Dr Argha Banerjee
-
Upper Bhima Basin & Cauvery Basin – Dr Bejoy Thomas
-
Water Contamination & remediation – Prof Sujit Ghosh (TBC)