11-day residential programme at RRU Gandhinagar to focus on conflict reporting and verification skills
Ahmedabad, July 27(GNS): Five journalists from Jammu and Kashmir are participating in an 11-day capacity-building programme on National Security Journalism that began on Monday at Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The residential workshop, organized under the Ministry of Home Affairs, will run till August 6 and has brought together a select group of reporters from across the country.
The Kashmiri participants include Sheikh Saleem, Muneeb ul Haq, Syed Rizwan Geelani, Suhail Khan and Waris Fayaz.
According to organizers, the inaugural day featured three sessions where experts discussed the fundamentals of national security reporting and its importance for journalists working in conflict-prone and sensitive regions.
Discussions on day one largely focused on the media’s role in tackling contemporary security challenges, with special attention to issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the opening session, RRU Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Kalpesh H. Wandra said the programme is designed to build a cadre of journalists who can report on India’s national security matters with accuracy, responsibility and strategic clarity.
He said the curriculum includes expert lectures, interactions with practitioners, case studies, practical reporting tools and field visits to strengthen understanding of security-related subjects.
The training will cover areas such as defence, internal security, terrorism, border and coastal management, cyber incidents, public order, disasters and protection of critical infrastructure, he added.
Dr. Jasbir Kaur Thadhani, Dean Academics at RRU, welcomed the participants. She said the journalists will also visit key national security institutions to gain first-hand operational exposure.
Highlighting the challenges of the digital era, Dr. Thadhani said responsible reporting has become critical amid the rapid spread of misinformation and hostile narratives on online platforms.
She added that the workshop aims to equip reporters with domain knowledge, contextual understanding and fact-checking skills needed to cover security issues in a way that upholds democratic discourse.(GNS)
