The Department of Media Studies, CHRIST ( Deemed to be University) in association with the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru organised a 21-day online talk series titled ‘Twilight Talks’ between May 6, 2020, and May 30, 2020. For the event, the department hosted eminent media practitioners from various media organisations as well as academicians from other institutions. The topics of the deliberations ranged from the future of journalism and script writing to the future of television among others.
The event started with Dr.Fr. Biju K.C.Director, CHRIST Bannerghatta Road Campus, addressing the audience that included over 130 participants from various parts of the country. He talked about the idea of the event highlighting the importance of preparing for the changes that the pandemic has imposed on all spheres of our lives.
The inaugural talk was delivered by advisor and influencer Dominic Dsouza on the topic ‘Role of Media in the time of crisis’. He began by talking about the two broad media classifications: traditional media and new media platforms. From there, he spoke of the media’s purpose in general; disseminating information, educating citizens, bringing about social change, and most importantly, generating revenue.
One of the pertinent areas that received considerable attention from several of the speakers during the 21-day event was fake news. On May 7, the talk centered around the topic of ‘Fact-checking and data verification’ was delivered by Prof. Umesh Arya, a professor at Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology.  The talk on May 8, 2020, featured Prof. K.G.Suresh, Director General at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication who bestowed the audience with his expertise on the topic, “Countering fake content during Corona” . He started his address by quoting the United Nations Secretary - General,   “As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, it has also given rise to a second pandemic, from harmful health advice to wild

conspiracy theories.” Through this, the speaker explained how there is a growth in ‘Infodemic’ amidst the pandemic situation. Infodemic in his terms means an overabundance of information about Corona which makes it hard to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance.
On May 13 Mr. Vasuki Belavadi, an author and professor of Media Studies at the Hyderabad University, shared his thoughts on the topic of ‘Fake News’.
After a successful pilot week of hosting Twilight Talks, participants connected once again on 11 May 2020 to attend an engaging session by Mr. Arun PR, a screenplay writer, dialogue writer, and a director associated with the Malayalam film industry. The theme for this particular talk revolved around screenplay writing, discussing the development of a story to a plot, how to structure it, and an insight into the industry and its practices. Moderated by Ms. Archana Vasudev, the talk had over 70 participants.
On 15th May 2020, Ms. Shreya Krishnan, VP Marketing and Communication at Anviti Insurance, had an engaging session on the topic “Scope of Digital Advertising”.
The event concluded on May 30 with an address by Edison Thomas, Editor, Indulge (New Indian Express Supplement), Chennai, who spoke about ‘The changing world and face of Journalism’. Director Father Biju thanked the attendees for their active participation.
The event was coordinated by Ajay Kumar, head of the department, Media Studies Bannerghatta Road Campus. Head of the department Media Studies, CHRIST Central Campus, Padmakumar, other faculties of the department including Ashwini Falniker, Embassy Lawbei, Pradeep Thomas, Joel Joseph, Archana Vasudev, Kailash, and Suparna Naresh along with Dr Juby Thomas from the partnering institution Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kristu Jayanti College moderated the sessions on different days.