In the Spotlight: Dr. Monisa Qadiri on the future of media education and leveraging the role of media in preserving cultural heritage in Kashmir

JAMMU: As a highly regarded educator, researcher, and industry expert, Dr. Monisa Qadiri, a Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) shares her insightful vision for the future of media education and her perspectives for preserving the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir.

During an exclusive online interview conducted by Ajmer Alam Wani, Editor-in-Chief of JK Monitor (www.jkmonitor.org), Dr. Qadiri foresees a steep growth in the demand for media education in the coming years. However, she emphasizes that media schools must meet industry requirements and bridge the skill gap while also fostering collaboration between academia and the industry. To adapt to the digital transformation of the media industry, journalism and mass communication education must increasingly focus on essential digital media skills, multimedia storytelling, data journalism, and social media management.

But there's a more significant challenge to tackle – the rise of fake news and misinformation. Dr. Qadiri believes that emphasizing media and information literacy and critical thinking is the key to combating this issue. Furthermore, she advocates adopting a global perspective, recognizing the interconnectedness of media across borders, and promoting cross-cultural communication skills to create responsible media professionals.

Ethical reporting, media responsibility, and journalistic integrity also top the list of priorities. According to Dr. Qadiri, instilling these values in students is crucial to ensuring they become socially responsible citizens of tomorrow. As educators, she encourages active participation in curriculum development, promoting innovation and research, collaboration with industry professionals, advocating for media literacy, and promoting diversity and inclusion. Dr. Qadiri firmly believes that these efforts will prepare future media professionals to navigate the ever-changing media landscape successfully.

Dr. Qadiri's impressive background includes contributions to notable projects like the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), the largest and longest-running research on gender in the world's news media. Her experiences as a Commonwealth fellow in the UK and a Kopenhaver Fellow with Florida International University, US, have broadened her perspective on recalibrating models for local issues and media education.

She has also been actively involved in joint research with the Columbia Law Clinic and the Socio-Economic Survey on the impact of mobile disruptions conducted by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Dr. Qadiri's connection with her students extends beyond the classroom. Many of her former students are excelling in various media genres worldwide, making her immensely proud of their accomplishments. Their success reflects not only their talent but also the mentorship and guidance they received from Dr. Qadiri. 

Moreover, on Kashmir's unique cultural tapestry, she believes that journalism, social media content, and documentaries can contribute significantly to preserving and celebrating the region's cultural heritage. Dr. Qadiri advocates for 'Art and Culture' to be recognized as a separate beat in newspapers, enabling culture reporters to share compelling narratives that foster a sense of pride and ownership among local communities.

Through news media, she envisions raising awareness about preservation efforts and the status of digital archiving. By advocating sustainable practices in tourism, handicrafts, and architectural marvels, journalism can play a vital role in safeguarding Kashmir's heritage for future generations.

This extraordinary interview with Dr. Monisa Qadiri offers a glimpse into the dynamic future of media education and the invaluable role of journalism in preserving cultural heritage. Join us as we delve into the exciting developments and inspiring insights shared by this remarkable academic and media expert.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in journalism and mass communication?

Ans: I am a media educator teaching in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the Islamic University of Science and Technology and look after a few other assignments at the university. I have done my Masters and Doctoral studies at the Media Education Research Centre at the University of Kashmir. I work with youth in areas of soft skills particularly leadership and communication skills at the regional and national levels as a facilitator and have been blessed to have had multiple opportunities in different areas of media, whether that is corporate communications and PR, advertising, broadcast media or writing, and a lifetime of learning which this field allows us. I am associated with different programmes and bodies like the Public Relations Society of India, the Commonwealth Mentorship programme, UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy, Global Media Education Council, etc. and carrying on with my interest in teaching, I am a guest faculty with different national and regional institutions of repute. I have also been awarded a few fellowships as well.

2. What motivated you to pursue a career in academia and become an Assistant Professor at IUST?

Ans: Communication has always fascinated me and when you can implement that for a long-term impact, what can be better than that? I often say this, ‘teaching is therapeutic’.

It was my mother, an educationist herself — who transformed the schools she worked at, that inspired me to look at this field when most of my peers would not consider a career in academics. I am glad that there was a trend towards academics immediately afterwards. If done properly, this profession will allow you to change lives for good. When one sees a student or scholar excel in any field, it fills your heart with the greatest contentment.

3. What do you hope to achieve in your role as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, both personally and for your students?

Ans: I always feel that this is the field that helps you create those life-long valuable relations where you are valued and respected, and that gives greater fulfillment than any other material gains. One has to keep giving more, thus, as I strongly believe that at the university level, the role of a faculty is to provide the students with the hand-holding, skills and training that enable them to become effective communicators who are industry-ready, employable and self-reliant to a large extent. That is what I emphasise while teaching Public Relations, Advertising, media writing, communication Skills, or research. The idea is to go beyond the curricular requirements and help them with different aspects of the disciplines and industry like business communication, professional networking, public speaking, etc. My goal has always been that an under-exposed, under-skilled student coming from a remote part of J&K should be empowered to compete with professionals from cities and metros as that is where the industry is centred. They should not be disadvantaged because of their background and nor should a non-professional be given a prference over a professionally trained media-person.

4. Could you briefly explain your research interests and any ongoing projects or publications?

Ans: Media studies are an exciting canvas that has so much to work on and currently, I am exploring inter-disciplinary areas like social media, AI and Health Communication, PR trends, besides being interested in film studies. I am a review editor with Frontiers in Digital Health and on the editorial boards of a few journals

5. How do you incorporate practical skills and real-world experiences into your teaching methods?

Ans: As a teacher in current times, when students can access and explore so much using the internet and other resources, I strongly believe that one has to bring something more to the class, which gives students a reason to attend the class with interest and make sense of the information they may have and what to do with that. Using my own experiences and learnings, I implement practice-based and experiential teaching pedagogy as my focus for the benefit of students that includes evaluative and practical application of concepts, hands-on sessions and exposure activities. I facilitate interactive and participative classes so that their personalities are groomed and there have been many success stories on this front for example while setting up the IUST’s PR centre as the university's first Media Advisor to HVC in 2021, I involved my PR students with university’s PR and social media assignments which gave them exceptional hands-on experience. I also bring in my diverse network with national and international professionals from the news industry, PR, advertising, media education and other fields which complements the teaching.

6. As an assistant professor, what are some of the key topics or concepts you focus on when teaching journalism and mass communication to your students?

Ans: Journalism and Mass Communication is possibly the only field that entails unimaginable opportunities in diverse fields. So students need to be trained accordingly as storytellers, researchers, communicators, or multimedia specialists who are ethically grounded having a comprehensive understanding of the media landscape. I tend to focus on economics, social and other consequences of communication, trends in communication like the use of artificial intelligence currently, cross-cultural communication perspectives while engaging with students

7. How do you balance your teaching responsibilities with your research and other academic commitments?

Ans: Managing time for multiple responsibilities is always a challenge and often I would prioritise my teaching assignment more than the others. Personal vertical mobility often takes a back-seat in a multi-tasking world.

8. What advice would you give to aspiring journalists and mass communication professionals who are considering a career in the field?

Ans: As someone who has a cumulative experience of over 15 years, I would say there are numerous career opportunities in journalism, advertising and PR, film and entertainment, social media management and content creation, publishing, media research and analysis, and so on either by associating with an organisation full-time or as a freelancer with multiple houses or a media-entrepreneur. However, there are no hacks to growth in life but hard work and commitment. You will survive any odds in this dynamic and ever-changing field of media if you prepare yourself well, develop and chisel all the skills you can— like interpersonal, research, writing, digital media, and storytelling and try to gain broader perspectives of the world even beyond your immediate interests and being socially conscious. It would be useful to join the field early on for internships and building contacts while gaining professional excellence but maintaining integrity wherever you are would gain you credibility for a lifetime, which is a staple in this industry.

9. How do you envision the future of journalism and mass communication education, and what role do you hope to play in shaping it?

Ans: I feel, in coming years, there will be a steep growth in the demand for media education but media schools have to meet the industry requirements and bridge the skill gap as well as the academia-industry divide. Being a Board of Studies member with a few universities including my own and undergraduate programmes in Kashmir, I am aware that we are working on developing the media schools’ curriculum in response to the digital transformation of the industry. Journalism and mass communication education will increasingly focus on digital media skills, multimedia storytelling, data journalism, and social media management.

Further, to combat the rise of fake news and misinformation, we need to emphasize media and information literacy and critical thinking. Additionally, a more global perspective has to be adopted, recognizing the interconnectedness of media across frontiers and promoting cross-cultural communication skills. The convergence of different media platforms is to be reflected in education, preparing students to work in multi-platform environments and enabling them to adapt to emerging technologies. We have to stress ethical reporting, media responsibility, and journalistic integrity to ensure transforming students into socially responsible citizens of tomorrow.

As educators, we can actively participate in developing curricula, promoting innovation and research, collaborating with industry professionals, advocating for media literacy, and promoting diversity and inclusion to prepare future professionals to navigate the ever-changing media landscape. This is the bare minimum we can do for our future generations of media professionals.

10. In your opinion, what are the current challenges and opportunities for journalism and mass communication in today's digital age?

Ans: As I listed multiple opportunities and skills above, I feel there is a serious need for consolidation on the part of youngsters when it comes to core concepts and broad-based understanding. Opportunities are inevitable for someone we often call ‘industry-ready’ but limiting it to just skills only is not the right way. It has to go deeper and beyond hard skills, the additional traits in a professional via soft skills would take her/ him to newer horizons of content success and audience engagement in this area. The challenges of disinformation, digital disruption and advancement of AI, cutbacks, data security and even data colonization are to be handled and can only be done through expertise and experience. Our traditional systems have to embrace the transformation and create a synergistic model.

11. How do you keep up with the evolving media landscape and incorporate emerging trends and technologies into your teaching and research?

Ans: This is so crucial as one would be rendered irrelevant soon if one doesn't keep up with the shifts and I believe in learning, unlearning and relearning all through. For example, as a practitioner and student of PR, I am working with social media analytics, algorithms and digital landscape now. The research too is advancing each moment and it has to reflect in every new class and one’s research interests.

12. Can you discuss the role of ethics in journalism and mass communication and how you address it in your teachings?

Ans: A conscious engagement with ethics in journalism and media education is integral to cultivating a new generation of media professionals who focus on accuracy, eliminating biases, upholding facts and public trust, and delivering responsible communication in their reporting, and all media content. In a plural society, a media professional must be aware of the diversity and be inclusive while contributing towards shaping a more informed media literate and ethical society. It is basic to the credibility of any genre of media. As a media educator, ethics form an intrinsic component in curriculum integration of any course, and practice-based activities or simulations and case studies from the field help students make sense of the applicability of ethical codes and guidelines they study. We train them to make responsible and credible choices.

13. What strategies do you use to foster critical thinking and media literacy among your students?

Ans: Both of these are essential for media persons from any field and the training must be provided in media schools. I try to incorporate as much media appreciation in my courses as possible so that students are well aware of how to access, engage with, analyse, process and produce content for any media format like advertisements, PR material, news packages, documentaries, social media content etc. It is important to create classrooms as spaces which let them think and evaluate critically about whatever we consume as audiences so that while they are on the other side they are informed and aware of how to produce engaging and responsible content in their media production projects. I believe we must encourage them to verify and fact-check details and use diverse sources for any information they produce. I tend to encourage students to go beyond the culture of a single narrative, particularly in journalism. As stated above different pedagogical interventions and activities are extremely useful in training them.

14. How do you encourage students to engage in interdisciplinary approaches and explore the intersection of journalism and other fields?

Ans: As I shared above I am for inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches and connections and I think media and mass communication are perfect manifestations of these so we have to embrace these intersections. So whether it is my work, my PG or UG students’ projects or my doctoral students, I always encourage them to take up issues and problems which have converging disciplines for multi-dimensional perspectives and approaches. Such areas are the order of the day as we no longer live in those water-tight compartments in education, research or industry. Our current studies are based on digital media and governance, public health and media, education and communication, tribal communities and health communication.

15.  Could you share some examples of collaborative projects or initiatives you have undertaken with students or other faculty members?

Ans: Collaboration is the way to go in contemporary times. I have teamed up with my students and scholars on different projects and ideas and it is a fulfilling experience to work with a young lot, who are ever-so energetic and full of ideas. These include writing projects and research works.

16.  What role do you believe journalism and mass communication play in promoting social justice and addressing societal issues?

Ans: No words are enough to state this and so media does have a critical and unforgiving role vis-a-viz society and promoting social justice. In areas of gender, poverty, and health in particular mass communication tools like journalism, cinema and advertising can not only disrupt stereotypes and biases but also promote awareness, inclusivity, and resolution however that side is yet to be explored properly by them. A more just world is possibly at the end of the difficult road that is laden with fake news, disinformation, stereotyping, negative social profiling, biased content, marginalisation and so on.

A fair and comprehensive report on developmental issues can go a long way in resolving those issues of concern and promoting social change. Today, we have a genre of journalism called solution journalism in developed contexts, which is a leap that our media needs to take now. It has to facilitate a dialogue in that direction.

17.  Can you discuss any international collaborations or experiences you have had in the field of journalism and mass communication?

Ans: I have been humbled by the opportunities I have been blessed with and a few of them include Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), the largest and longest-running research on gender in the world's news media, in 2020 where I contributed as a monitoring team member, or my fellowship experiences like the Commonwealth fellowship which I undertook in the UK and looked at various contexts and how one could recalibrate those models for local issues.

I have also been awarded the Kopenhaver Fellowship in 2021 by the Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver Center for the Advancement of Women in Comm at Florida International University, US. There are other such cohorts where I have contributed like a joint research work on education with the Columbia law clinic, Socio-Economic Survey on impact of mobile disruptions conducted by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2017. Besides being a member of few global bodies and I have been an invited speaker on different forums like the first Asia Communication Summit 2022 organised by World Communications Forum Association, WCFA. I was also selected for Young Scholars Forum by the Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2014.

18. What steps do you take to ensure inclusivity and diversity in your teaching methods and course content?

Ans: I am a big proponent of inclusiveness, cross-sectional linkages, and pluralism whether that is about people, gender, ideas and faiths, or choices. A teacher has to be open to diversity to encourage a culture of inclusiveness and diverse learning environment. So whether it is about references one uses for cultures or people, or literature and resource persons it is inclusive. Language is the conveyor belt for delivering these ideas and an inclusive language is a must for media as well as media education. I also encourage transformational listening, which is the highest level of listening where one goes beyond empathy and understanding and so inclusivity is just one of the outcomes.

I begin my courses with a talk on sensitization regarding regional, demographic, linguistic, gender and cultural divides and believe in creating an accepting culture and safe space for my students.

19. Can you share any success stories of your former students who have pursued careers in journalism and mass communication after graduating from Islamic University of Science and Technology?

Ans: Our University alumni are doing great everywhere and my former students are excelling in different media genres in international, national and regional organisations. Their success seems like your own and especially because many are in touch and few keep seeking your advice, which gives you the best high in life that they value your words. One of my first students, whom I supervised on his research project is the Coordinator of a Department in Jamia Millia Islamia.

Few are Bureau heads with International media and Wire organisations. Some are handling major assignments with regional media houses. Some are doing great in the entertainment industry like one acts in major film projects, one girl is a recognised celebrity and event manager in Mumbai, and another is an Assistant Director in Mumbai. Few are based in different countries. Few are freelancers with top media organisations from around the world. Some are exploring alternative career paths and are working really hard. One really gets emotional speaking about these priceless emotional dividends.

20. What kind of support or resources do you provide to students who are interested in pursuing research or independent projects?

Ans: A teacher is often the first point of contact for students with the professional world or conducting research so trying to be available to them as a mentor throughout the project, from brainstorming for ideas to facilitating solutions is expected. I try to extend any possible support in terms of relevant resources and literature, contacts from my network including my former students, and any other intervention as may be expected throughout this journey. Many former students do get in touch in case they require any support and feel I am in a position to offer that.

21. In your opinion, how can journalism contribute to the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage, particularly in the context of Kashmir?

Ans: The unique cultural tapestry of Kashmir is rich in many ways and that needs to be well documented, disseminated and thus celebrated. Journalism as well as other media formats like social media content, and documentaries are trying their bit through reports on art, music, festivals, and traditions, but there is significant scope for contributing towards the preservation and promotion of our cultural heritage. ‘Art and Culture’ need to be identified and recognised as a well-meaning and regular beat in our newspapers providing culture reporters a separate identity for telling compelling storytelling and narratives which should be appreciated with the response from the government sector as well.

Further, such content will foster a sense of pride and ownership among local communities particularly the young generation, who may find themselves a bit disconnected from the roots at times. News media can raise awareness about preservation efforts and the status of digital archiving as well, which we lack collectively and most of our heritage is in shambles due to civic inaction or malpractices. Thus, journalism can frequently engage with cultural practitioners and community representatives and advocate sustainable practices in tourism, handicrafts, and architectural marvels. This rich content is a valuable cultural record for educational and research purposes. Further, because of the interconnectedness of the world, Journalism and media act as effective forums for cross-cultural exchanges and take our cultural heritage beyond the physical barriers.

22. Finally, what are your future goals and aspirations as a researcher and educator in the field of journalism and mass communication?

Ans: Miles to go before I sleep!