Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], September 15: Journalism and mass communication students from Parul University, Vadodara, have completed a six-day Delhi media leadership tour, going behind the scenes at the Press Trust of India, Hindustan Times, India TV, News18, TV9, Republic and the India Today Network, and meeting several of the country’s most influential editors and anchors.
What the Delhi Media Leadership Tour Covered
The tour was built as a working education rather than a set of guided visits. Over six days, Parul University students moved through the full length of the news industry, from a national wire agency and a newspaper printing press to television production floors and one of the country’s largest integrated broadcast newsrooms. The full itinerary is documented in Parul University’s report on the Delhi media leadership tour.
How News Is Verified at India’s National News Agency
At the Press Trust of India, students learned the agency’s three-source rule: any story affecting public interest is confirmed by three independent sources before it is released. Editor Shuja ul Haq set out the agency’s scale, roughly 90 percent of the country’s newspaper market, more than 1,000 text stories and close to 400 live feeds a day, and stressed that accuracy matters more than being first. “You will be a good journalist if you make sure your stories are accurate,” he told the group.
How a Newspaper Is Printed, From Page to Press
At Hindustan Times, students traced a finished page through pre-press, press and mailroom. They learned how a colour page is separated into cyan, magenta, yellow and black plates and printed at up to 90,000 copies an hour. On the first day, at India Gate, each group had ten minutes to prepare and then delivered a live 60-second piece to camera, a compressed version of the calls a reporter makes on deadline.
How a Television Newsroom Puts a Bulletin on Air
Across News18, TV9 and Republic, students followed a story from the assignment desk through the production and master control rooms to broadcast, and saw how graphic designers, sound engineers and directors work in parallel with reporters. At Republic’s Noida campus, described by the network as Asia’s largest integrated newsroom, students were shown anchors placed inside three-dimensional environments in a chroma studio.
What India’s Leading Journalists Advised the Students
India TV Chairman Rajat Sharma spent two hours with the group and told them journalism must remain free, fair and fearless, and that credibility is earned over time rather than through instant fame. NDTV Managing Editor Padmaja Joshi advised students to begin their careers in reporting, and the India Today Network’s Rajdeep Sardesai urged them to look beyond a Delhi-centric view of news. The advice converged across very different journalists: specialise before generalising, read newspapers cover to cover, and become a strong reporter before an anchor.
Dhruvil Shah, Chief Executive Officer at Parul University, said: “Exposure like this turns classroom theory into instinct. Our students did not just visit newsrooms, they saw how verification, ethics and live reporting actually work under pressure, and that is what prepares them for the field.”
Why Newsroom Exposure Matters for Journalism Students
Employers in media hire for verification discipline, on-camera composure and news judgement, each of which the tour put students in front of directly. By practising a live piece to camera, learning a national agency’s verification standard and watching bulletins go to air, students build the practical instincts that classroom study alone cannot provide, and enter the field prepared rather than only credentialed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which newsrooms did Parul University students visit on the Delhi media leadership tour?
Parul University journalism students visited the Press Trust of India, Hindustan Times, India TV, News18, TV9, Republic Media Network and the India Today Network over six days in August 2026, and also met NDTV Managing Editor Padmaja Joshi.
What is the three-source rule the students learned at PTI?
The three-source rule, explained by PTI Editor Shuja ul Haq, requires any story affecting public interest to be confirmed by three independent sources before it is released, with accuracy prioritised over speed.
What is a piece to camera, and what did students do at India Gate?
A piece to camera is a reporter’s live on-location stand-up. At India Gate, each group of Parul University students had ten minutes to prepare and then delivered a live 60-second piece to camera, most with no second take.
What journalism programmes does Parul University offer?
Parul University offers a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, pairing academic study with studios, media labs and continuous industry exposure of the kind seen on the Delhi tour.
