Patkai, April 26 (MExN): A webinar, ‘The Climate Lens in Journalism’ under Media Talk 2.0 was organised by the Department of Mass Communication, Mizoram University (DMC, MU) in collaboration with Department of Multimedia and Mass Communication (DMMC), Patkai Christian College (Autonomous) on April 26.
‘Climate change is not a science fiction, it is real, a story of our generation,’ asserted the award-winning journalist and resource person, Teresa Rehman stressing on the need to tell stories about climate change.
Taking cue from the climate condition of Cherrapunji, Meghalaya, Rehman noted that although the overall annual total rainfall have not shown drastic change, continuous predictable rain of the past has vanished in favour of intense episodic rainfall.
‘There is hardly any rain in the months of November and December in Cherrapunji unlike earlier days,’ she maintained.
Rehman also highlighted a connection between climate change and human trafficking referring to one of her stories.
She narrated how a female daily wage labourer from Madhupur village near Indo-Bhutan border working in the rice field, had to migrate due to low water level affecting the harvest to a different place for work, but was later rescued from a brothel.
‘Vulnerability, women, migration and climate change are intertwined,’ she added.
Rehman also informed about the role of radio in coming up with awareness programme on climate change and maintained that community involvement has been a key factor in responding to climate change and adapting sustainable behaviour and methods of redress.
As a journalist, it is important to tell stories about issues that concern the humankind, she added, further encouraging the students to inculcate habits that aid in reducing individual carbon prints.
Faculty, research scholars and students from both the institutes participated in 2nd edition of ‘Media Talk,’ a lecture series jointly initiated by the DDMC PCC and DMC, MU.
Earlier, MU’s Associate Professor Dr V Ratnamala welcomed attendees while it ended with vote of thanks proposed by Dr Dakter Esse, Head of Department, DMMC PCC.
