Department of Mass Communication of the St. Xavier's University, Kolkata (SXUK) conducted a guest lecture on Sports Journalism and its different avenues on August 8, 2024 at the university campus.

The resource person was Mr. Amitabha Das Sharma, an eminent journalist and Senior Assistant Editor at The Hindu, a noted English daily.

Mr. Das Sharma introduced the students to the concept of sports journalism and explained the roles of a sports reporter. He also discussed different media available for sports journalism e.g. print, digital platforms, websites, blogs, and e-papers.

Mr. Das Sharma spoke about the structure and role of sport department in a print media organisation and helped students understand the industrial scenario.

He said, "I have spent 26 years in The Hindu and I am learning every day." He further elaborated, "At the earlier days, there was a separate section of proofreading. Nowadays, reporters write stories and complete the proofreading from their end.”

He also gave light on various international news agencies like Press Trust of India, Reuters, Associated Press, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and Agence France-Presse and their role in promoting sports journalism. He shared a lot of future opportunities in sports journalism.

An interactive session also took place at the end. Dr. Somak Sen coordinated the entire event.

Anushka Chatterjee
MA Sem 3, Dept of Mass Communication