pro-poor, pro-nature & pro-women.
| The two words 'information' and 'communication'
are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different
things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through. The Hindu Media Resource Centre (THMRC) was established in 1998, with the generous financial support from The Hindu group of publications, to act as an interface between experts from diversified field and media professionals with a prime objective to outreach general public using media as a tool. Though there has been a steep increase in newspaper circulation, there is falling number in reporting developmental stories. To address this difficulty and to create space for developmental feature articles, THMRC consistently organizes Media Workshops, Millennium Lectures, Public Forum and Media Tours in addition to the dissemination tools like production of documentary films and website. (www.mssrf.org). Media Workshop provides scope for brainstorming important ethical, social, cultural and scientific issues in a wholistic manner. The workshop provides platform for the media to acquire credible and multifaceted information from experts. So far THMRC has organised nearly thirty such media workshops on various issues like mangrove restoration, conservation and management, organic farming, its marketing linkages, farmer’s distress, reason for suicides and identifying cures and so on. As the mandate of THMRC is to provide training and capacity building for the young and budding journalists, we encourage postgraduate students as Rapporteur, reporter, and transcript developers in the events organised in MSSRF. In addition the postgraduate students of social sciences, research scholars and academicians are encouraged to participate in the workshops to gain the wisdom of the scientists. The students participate, interact and write feature articles on the day’s event. The best stories are identified for placement in the foundation website with their bi-line. This gives an opportunity to enhance their writing skills and widen budding journalists. Millennium/Public lecture are viewpoints of experts who have an excellent understanding of issues at the global and national level. The millennium lecture began with Nobel Laureate Dr. James Watson, followed by Sir John Maddox, Emeritus Scientist in Nature and H. E. Dr. Jacques Diouf, Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nation. The Centre continued to have organised more than thirty-six millennium lectures. MSSRF takes advantage of the presence of leading scientists and development thinkers at the foundation and organize public forum. They are organised at different venues in Chennai city. This is one among the different strategies very well received by both media and public, and had a major impact among the student’s community and their understanding towards the social and scientific issues in molding the public policy. To encourage and create a habit of active participation, arts and engineering colleges are networked. Certificates are issued to the students for their active participation While the Centre tries to disseminate information on Eco-technology and sustainable development by utilising the mainstream media, public forum panel scientists and development thinkers interact with the general public on a topic of socio-political relevance. So far twenty one public forums have been organised. “Seeing is believing”-The national and regional media professionals from Chennai are taken on tour to the site offices of our Foundation. Interaction between the media and the community would bring out new insights, in-depth understanding of the issues, and their life style. This sharing experience, when published as feature story in newspapers, would motivate the other media journalists to take up for their readers. Kakinada in Andra Pradesh, Kudankulam, Pichavaram, Kalpakkam and Kolli Hills in Tamil Nadu have been covered under media tour. The Media Resource Centre has the capacity to produce in-house documentary films. All the research and developmental activities of the scientists done in participation with the community are professionally visually documented. These films are used mainly for dissemination targeting national and international guests, experts of diversified field, college students, public, donor agencies and the media. Several documentary films serve as motivational, instructional and training modules for the community and knowledge workers connected with the National Virtual Academy (NVA). The traditional wisdom several National Virtual Academy fellows living across the country has been documented as the video resource material for Jamsetji Tata Training School for Leadership in Rural Knowledge Connectivity (JTS). Another fast growing new media is the Village Knowledge Centers. The Knowledge workers of Jamshetji Tata National Virtual Academy are given periodical training by THMRC in developmental communication on the following areas: a) Events organised by THMRC since 2005 to till date- audio tape/ Audiocassette disk format ( Audio CD) b) Video clippings of scientific and research activities- beta format c) Collection of films on sustainable agriculture- VHS format Mannin Manam – Audio CD in the archives: As an outcome of a media workshop targeting the All India Radio officials in the area of sustainable agriculture and development, a programme titled “Mannin Manam” meaning “Flavour of the soil” was broadcast weekly for half an hour in the state network of All India Radio in 2005. As this 52 weeks programme discusses the important issues in the agriculture, they are preserved in the audio archives, made available in audio CD format at free of cost. VHS Collections in the Archives: Collection of nearly two hundred films, in VHS format on various subject matter of sustainable agriculture is available for viewing. The shots describing the activities of MSSRF are preserved in the beta format would be useful for the professional usage of media. A Concept Bank is made available which has the write ups on the possible feature stories based on the activities of the foundation. This is for the ready reference of the media. The stories are classified on various disciplines like agriculture, biodiversity, coastal system research and biotechnology, Eco-technology, Gender, Community participated micro-enterprises, research on biotechnology, biodiversity, ICT and community empowerment and so on. The media/researchers are encouraged to glimpse this information for making in-depth research further. Website www.mssrf.org is another media used for dissemination and building networks. The important tools used in the website for immediate interaction and networking are: MSSRF Info Ticker, subscribers list, audio corner, video corner, photo gallery and Discussion forum. The instructions to use these tools are explained in the website. All the clarifications and queries are accommodated under the column “Ask the expert”. Among the documentaries produced, three films mentioned below are recently directed by THMRC are placed in the website. They are: “15 years …15 steps…. “ This documentary encompasses the achievements and highlight activities of the programme areas undertaken by the foundation. It would be useful for a person to know the overall activities. The two films titled “We Shall Over Come… and “Science and Tsunami-Two years later” were documented in the post tsunami period. While the film “We Shall Overcome” portrays the positive impact of the existence of bio-shields in Pichavaram, Tamil Nadu and Village Knowledge Cenre in Puducherry in docu drama format, the later indicates the impact of the post tsunami activities taken up by the foundation in participation with the communities living in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu. These two films would be very useful for donor agencies/individuals/research scholars, researchers and students for viewing and hence made available online in our website in the video corner division To know more about the documentary films Click here To know more details about Concept Bank Click here For queries: hmrc@mssrf.res.in |