The independent mass media representing diverse views are vital to the functioning of democracy, to the pursuit of public welfare, and to the protection of the people’s entitlements.
In India the tradition of a pluralistic, relatively independent press dates back more than two hundred years. Enriched by its active involvement in the freedom struggle, the press has developed impressively since Independence. The other mass media — radio, television, and online or “new” media — have made significant progress in recent decades.
Nevertheless, in India as in other developing countries in Asia, there is a vital need to consolidate media strengths, overcome weaknesses, and raise the professional, intellectual, and ethical standards of journalism, so as to bring the performance of the media up to advanced international levels.
The media can be no better than their practitioners. It follows that the growing demand for trained staff from news organisations must be met with a crop of educated young people, not only with the necessary professional skills but also with the broad knowledge, integrity, and social commitment that will make them outstanding journalists.
The Asian College of Journalism is dedicated to the task of producing such journalists. It is a postgraduate college designed to provide students with world-class journalism education adapted to the specific needs of India and other developing countries in Asia. It seeks to prepare its graduates to achieve the highest standards in all branches of the profession, keeping in focus the trend and thrust of convergence and digitisation in the media, and the consequent demands for multiple skills made on the contemporary journalist.
Members of the previous ACJ classes have proved to be in high demand and are already at work in all areas of journalism. Their success is a tribute both to their talent and to the institution that educated and trained them.