Department: NEWS DESK

Supervisors name: Allah-ud-din Khanzada Designation:Senior assignment desk editor Duration of Internship: six weeks

Function of the Department

In the last six weeks I was associated with Dawn news as an internee. I was a part of the news desk. Dawn news is an English channel which provides news from different parts of the world. The main focus of the news is on Pakistan. This news channel doesnt specialize in one kind of news for example CNBC specializes in business news. Dawn news on the other hand broadcasts versatile news which includes Prime time news, business news, international news etc. The news desk has two main divisions the first division designs the news and the seconds deliver the news as anchors, news casters and hosts. The news desk is basically designed to monitor the upcoming situations in Karachi. They monitor activities like the protests, press conferences etc which is used to build up the back bone of the news telecast. The members of the new desk elaborate on the news by constructing news packages. These news packages contain the details from the site, opinion from the experts, reporters investigation and journalist opinions attached to it. Fusing the main news backbone with news packages the broadcast takes place in the form on Prime time news. Moreover, these packages made by the reporter are sometimes used by talk shows like New Eye etc.

Corporate objectives and the News Desk

Understand the difference is the motto of Dawn news. Dawn is a big name in the news industry and follows a philosophy. Their philosophy is to provide verified and balanced news. Dawn unlike other news channels doesnt appreciate aggressive new broadcasting. The news desk is like the back bone of the channel. It is responsible for the core objective of the Dawn news which is to broadcast news. The news desk builds up the backbone of the news during the news hours and facilitates talk shows with new packages. Not only that the department develops the news they are the main opinion driver of the news analysis. The manner in which news is broadcast it is all structured by the news desk. It is this department that keeps the philosophy alive. Moreover, it is this department which keeps the channel in business by brining breaking news, event coverage and daily news. In addition, the members of the news desk build up relation with the press relation officer (PROs) and other information sources which help the channel gather news on time.

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My responsibility at HBL asset management (Research)

I was an internee at the News desk for the duration of six weeks. This department was divided into assignment desk, duty editing, non-linear editors, copy writers, anchors and panel producers, bulletin producers. This department is headed by a news editor. I was a part of the assignment desk. The assignment desk is responsible to cover all the news around the city and to make sure that Dawn reporters and camera men are available at all events. Being a part of News desk gave me a chance to do work that would contribute my learning towards news analysis. It gave me a chance to learn what the information sources are and how information available is made useful to be used later for referencing. I also got a close up on how helpful personal relations are and how sources are used to break the news into the market. The nature of my job was both desk work and field work. It is safe to say that the nature of my job depends on the assignment I am given to work on. So the working-style of my internship was based on assignment work. According to the happenings in Karachi I was given assignments which were related to the current affairs. Assignment is like a chunk of news given to each reporter. This assignment is the topic to be covered and reported by each reporter. Following will be the detailed description of my six weeks at research and the work done by me. During my internship each day was structured in a different manner. My main responsibility was to cover press conferences. These conferences were held by various ministers who spoke about the concerned topic which can be related to business, politics, education, law etc. After attending these conferences as a reporter I had two jobs. Firstly, I was reporting the event which was a contribution to the Prime time news. Secondly, I was a journalist who could analyze the conference, its topic and its implications on Pakistan. My work was basically divided into three categories: research, analysis and package development. Research is the key to be a good reporter. It is only through extensive research one can find interesting and presentable topics to make packages on. A news package is the art of storytelling in a news channel. It is a kind of a mini-documentary which explains the issue. It is supposed to have an issue analyzed in the most balanced manner. The duration of each package ranges from 3-4 minute and it is positioned in between the news pipeline. Sometimes these packages acts as an evidence to
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the news while other times they are news within themselves. Each topic must be approved by the head; it is only with his approval we can carry on the research. Once the topic is decided further research is done to build on the report. This research is topic specific. Once all the relevant information is collected then comes the analysis phase. This research has to back by enough evidence as the philosophy of Dawn news is to broadcast verified news. For that reason we have to incorporate expert opinion and relevant information sources. After the research and analysis is complete my entire work must now be structured in a report form so that the package is ready to be produce. I have been given a range of software which helps me give the package a finished look.

OPTION 2: THEORIES LEARNED AND THEIR

APPLICATION

Departments: NEW DESK.

Theories applied for analyzing my work

Micro Economics and Macro Economics
Economics is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. We can observe the application of economics in our daily life. Being in news gave me chance to see the practical application of economics. As my nature of job is very closely related to the current events I see that a lot can be explained just through economics. Demand and supply, monetary and fiscal policy etc helped me to analyze situations. For example I got the opportunity to report was fraud which was adversely affecting the Government Treasury. Government treasury is built up taxes, remittances and proceeds from state-owned industries. This fraud pulled out Rs. 4 billion from the government treasury. As the money was of illegal nature it was not recorded as a part of the GDP. Still it circulated into the economy which resulted into an increment in the inflation. This is a practical example of the application of quantity theory of money, inflation which was taught to us the courses of micro and macro economics.

Pakistan Studies
The geographical jurisdiction given to me was Pakistan. This was also due to the fact that channel focused on News in Pakistan. Due to this it became very
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essential for me to understand a few very essential matters of Pakistan. Firstly, I was supposed to understand the government structure of Pakistan and the way it operated in. This helped to understand the power of each position in the government structure. Secondly, it was very significant for me to understand the geographical importance of Pakistan. Pakistan has a very technical geographical position. The world eyes are on Pakistan with topics relating to terrorism, Taliban etc. Understanding geography in relation to level of corporation between Pakistan and other countries assisted me in analyzing in a better way. Thirdly, I was to focus on the Pakistans relations with other country. As my main focus was on criminal investigating reporting all these three aspect were very important to make conclusion regarding topics I was working upon.

International Relations
International relation is the study of foreign affairs and global issues between states. It is considered a branch of political science. International relation as a study is very important to understand in order to comment on the current political, economical and social situation of Pakistan. Pakistan and its relations with countries like America and its allies, Iraq, India and china has to be understood to its depth in the context of international relation. The theories that we learnt in this course helps us understand how the states are interacting with each other. Theories like realism which talks about state security and power above all explains a lot about Pakistan-America relations. Using subjects like these gives a reporter a greater spectrum to look at which makes it much easier for us to comment on events for example bomb blast. History of Ideas Business Ethics If you want to add corporate law and business law sure do

MBR The vital part of my internship revolved around research. There are thousands of event taking place in Karachi all the time that must be reported. Most the event comes into the news department through information sources. Rest of the news is a result of intensive research done my reporter at all times. For

Theories applied for Research of my work

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example criminal reporting needs a lot of research which includes collecting information of the event in detail and finding the loop holds. News research is very different from the business research. It is done in the world of reporting is inclined towards investigation. There are some key methods to investigate. These methods are the same as we have learned in MBR. The research that a reporter needs to do about a topic is empirical which means in order to report an event he must verify the date and collect enough evidence to prove report presented. I conduct both primary and secondary research for developing the reporting packages. Secondary research is done with the help of archives. Archives are basically a collection of historical record. In the News media these archives are in the form of video. Moreover secondary research is facilitated by information sources. Government releases, legal documents, official statistics and statement given by political are all used as evidences collected from secondary research. On the other hand primary research is done when there is no source of evidence that can be presented in the report. In situations like these reporters use experimental techniques like use of hidden cameras to collect evidence. Moreover, primary research consisted of the field work using observation and expert opinion. As the nature of the research was of investigation kind it was essential for me to keep the integrity and the credibility of the news intact. Once all the pieces of information were collected this information was screened for relevance. Using the most relevant information a set of information was made. This was later structured into a report form. Statistical Inferences Criminal reporting and reporting relating to events like bomb blast requires studying statistics. Commenting on the number of crimes, number of policemen per citizen etc required studying statistics. The government of Pakistan and other international organizations provide statistics publically. A reporter has to keep his research up-to-date so that he can include such statistics when required.

Theories applied for developing a Package

Business Communication During the course of my BBA there were courses like business communication 1 and business communication 2 which helped me develop my writing skills. Being a reporter all the reports or packages that I have are solely scripted by me. Report writing learnt in these courses helps me develop a well constructed report. These reports were used as scripts which I delivered during my packages. These packages contain a complete explanation of the
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events I cover and analysis that I have done. Once the script was written during my sot in the package I had to follow the script that I wrote. Interpersonal skills In the field of reporting there are situations where we to give live beepers. For example: if a bomb blast took place and I was given the assignment to cover it. In such a situation I have to give live beepers to the new room. This requires extempore speaking skills. We have to very professional while we are on-air as we have to be particular about our explanation of the event gives a true picture of the scene. Moreover we have to make sure that the comments we make are not controversial. In situations like these is where speech as a course aided me to give professional live beepers. The techniques taught in this course helped me structure my dialogue in a more systematic manner. Organizational behavior Organization Behavior in my opinion was a very vital course to develop professionalism in a student. There are some concepts learnt that do not directly come into play but are very essential while working. Concepts of team work were the most useful element embedded into the course, during my field work I was accompanied with a camera man. This camera man was entitled to shoot the event and the sots that were required for my packages. Not only that I had to work in collaboration with various people. The strength of the team is the key to success of news channels because in situations like riots, rallies, bomb blast it is the whole team of reporters who work together to cover the event. Organization Behaviors also assisted me during some assignments with exceptional nature of field work. During the course of my internship I was given a chance to cover a bomb blast. Reporting in such a stressful situation was a very difficult task. On assignments like these not only reporters are required to investigate the scene they are also required to keep themselves calm. This is where organizational behavior came into play. During the course we learned topics like stress management and conflict management which taught us mind tools that aid in dealing with situations. Computer Application In the world today knowing how to use computer is extremely essential. The professional use of computer is way more elaborated then daily use. During my course to time I used Ms. Word very frequently. Ms. Word was taught to us in the course of computer applications. My reports were monitored by my head it was essential for me to document them in hard copy. The course helped my write reports and scripts in a more professional manner.

Personal Management

GENERAL THEORIES APPLIED

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Going into the corporate world requires a lot of grooming but all that comes with time. Coming to corporate world the essence of professional dressing was well understood. Concept like networking and communicational skills learnt in personal management came in very handy. Networking is the process of building contacts and personal relations. In the world of reporting networking is the key to success. It is only through a good personal relation with the information sources and networking techniques like follow-up a reporter becomes well informed. Using these networking activities through reporters the news channels are able to break news. In addition to this communicational skills are very important. All the long reporting is done by communicating with the public. This communication is done through television. The skill to construct the speech in a well descriptive manner is the skill to communicate.

Social Science While I was doing some reporting, I registered that social sciences was playing a great part in constructing a presentable story. In general social sciences talk about society. As my reports were on the event taking place in Karachi it was important for me to understand this subject to a certain extend. Social science consists of a variety of subjects including psychology, anthropology, political sciences and economics. A substantial overlap of the subject matter makes difficult to distinguish between all these. My reporting covered different parts of the society, in different settings and was of natures, the assignments
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New theories

included covering press conferences, full coverage of bomb blast situations, and coverage of fraud discovered by FIA etc. These report subject matters explained under social sciences guided me to analyze these topics from different viewpoints. It is clear that these subject matters have made my reports comprehendible and yet have played a great role in the understanding of the report. Social sciences have helped me look things from the perspective of the citizens of Pakistan For example: Political science as a subject matter is interested in analyzing power authority and legitimacy. AS a reporter needs to research a lot in order to make verified news I came to through concepts of political sciences which helped me question ministers and bureaucrats in their press conferences. My questions questioned how their power was brining what sort of changes in the society that had chosen them, my questions also a how their use of power were creating a huge gap between social classes. Economics Journalism Journalism is very broadly defined as reporting news. Sounds very simple; but its a very difficult job. Journalism is not only reporting everyday news but it also covers issues and trends. As journalism caters a wide range, a journalist or a reporter has to conduct extensive research. My internship at Dawn news taught me a lot about reporters and their role in the society. I also got to know that each reporter has the right to choose their field of interest. Some reporters cater business while other gathers news about government activities. My interest was mainly towards business and criminal reporting. Due to the change in the programming structure of Dawn news I was not able to focus on business as much as I did on criminal reporting. I also realized that for a reporter the core ingredient of success is his personal relation. It is through personal relation and networking a reporter can gain access to breaking news for the channel. Ethical Journalism. A reporter has a lot of responsibility when broadcasting news. This is due to the fact that a reporter is provides forum for public opinion. The field of ethics also applies to the reporting. There are some codes of ethics which a reporter must understand and follow. The first obligation of a reporter is to report the truth and to be loyal to the citizens. By loyalty it means that the reporter must not be biased towards powerful elements in a society to gain personal benefits. The practitioner of reporting must be given a fully independent environment to work in so that he can perform his job with complete efficiency. He is responsible for providing verified news which has the elements integrity, credibility and balance. A reporter must not try to add spice to the news in order to attract more viewers. Ethics is a very vast field; just with small example of ethics described above we can say that alike all
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other applications of ethics there are even reporting ethics which must be followed by each reporter. Role of reporters in Pakistan (as a democracy).read and make it sound better Reporters are like middlemen between the public and the government who are the policy makers. Member of the government hold press conferences in order to convey messages to the public. It is the reporter who becomes the voice of the people by raising questions and pointing out mistake. Media and the role of reporters facilitate democracy in a country this is the reason why a freepress is a sign of democracy in the country. The concept of democracy that I learned in History of ideas was it is a form of government from the people, by the people and for the people. If the reporter/press is free to do their job they bring awareness to the people. A well informed nation Understanding the operations of a News channel Elements in building a package: add explanation to the process 1. Research a topic 2. Collect information about the chosen topic 3. Structure your information into a stance/ point-of-view 4. Write a good script 5. Create a shot-by-shot outline of the script 6. Contact all the people you want to interview, and conduct interviews with the camera man 7. Shoot the sots required according to the outline 8. Edit and complete the footage. Understanding the links between economics and social sciences. I have given a pointer with the name of economics under social sciences. You can write about how your reporting included economics. Either fir in here or above. Learning about Law:use the FIA fraud as a law learning experience and expalin Secp

New terminologies
Beats Beepers
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The carthe one that can send signals. Sits Links Voice overs (OCVO , OCPKG) Packages

Introduction to Institutions
Institution that regulates the news media. Press info department Fire info department Edhi info department Police info department PTC PROs

New software
Final Cut Neuron Life type

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