'DNA ya!' to train cub reporters

It’s never too early to start working on your career goals. DNA YA! is helping 70 students start young — some as young as nine —  in the world of journalism.

Editor-in-chief Aditya Sinha kick-started YA’s Junior Journo programme which will give students a sneak-peak into the world of a media professional through several workshops, projects and field-trips.

“The idea is to create awareness on a local level where the children understand the issues, ethnicities and the culture of their city and their locality,” said Lubaina Bandukwala, Editor, DNA YA!

After their induction into the programme, the students were given their very own press-cards. “Your generation and the generations after you, I don’t know what they will think about printed newspapers. We are going through a transition but what will remain constant, is the way you do the job,” explained Sinha.

Identifying the factors that make a good journalist, Sinha said, “A lot of news is made of information that people usually don’t want others to know. You have to be a good listener. There will be a lot of noise, and you have to train yourself to find what is newsworthy,” he said.

Srishti Mandal, 12, JB Petit School was all charged up for her stint as a Junior Journo. She said, “Even though I love talking and am curious about journalism, I am very shy. I hope that through these workshops I can get over that shyness.”

Over the next four months, the students will attend writing, news reporting, photography and page design workshops. “Through field trips, we want the children to find out more about their local representatives,” said Bandukwala.