Mysore/Mysuru: Alpha Lead Academy, a prestigious Defence Department Training Centre in the district, had organised a Defence Journalism workshop recently.

In this event, Group Captain Abhinav Chaturvedi (Retd.), a former Air Force Officer and Founder of Alpha Lead Academy, spoke about the problems faced by reporters while reporting news for defence sector, the important role played by the journalists in reporting defence-related news and disseminating information to the public.

Speaking further, he explained that post-operation briefing, official statements, defence sector awareness and career and training values and leadership are safe while reporting.

Going on air live while operations are going, revealing guard posts, surveillance equipment, showing hangars and runways to public on visual media, showing control rooms and vehicle number plates and broadcasting to the public on TV media and social media should be avoided.

Questions during the interview should be about leadership, training, life lessons, motivation and values of the services and not about operations, intelligence, future deployment and weapon system.

Information about the Indian Armed Forces can be obtained from official sources like Army ADGPI, Indian Air Force Public Relations Director, Indian Navy Public Relations Officer, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs.

Moreover, he told all the journalists who participated in the workshop that columns and news can be made by getting information from ex-servicemen unofficially, with the help of official thinkers. He announced that the best article or a column will be awarded twice yearly with a cash prize and an award in the name of “Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Best Defence Journalist.”

Dr. Mamata Vishwanath, Swati M. Shet, Nisha and Manikanta were present in this workshop.