DU Beat, Delhi University’s independent students’ newspaper has come a long way since its inception in October 2007. Boasting of being the largest media platform for and by the students in the University, it started off as a fun activity reaching out to only a few colleges. As it started getting more attention, it expanded its circulation and is currently reaching out to more than 40,000 students across 20 colleges by print and recently celebrated crossing 10,000 followers on Facebook.
“Delhi University is one of the largest universities in the country and produces some very brilliant students, who had no mouthpiece or medium to express themselves. Hence, DU Beat came out as a platform for students from different backgrounds to interact with each other, be creative, express themselves and make an impact on thousands of other students,” says Dhaval Gupta , co-founder and director of DU Beat.
Over the years, as DU Beat expanded, both in terms of its reach and its popularity, the team size has also increased. Currently DU Beat has more than 50 students working in its various departments like Editorial, Marketing, Human Resource and Tech.
In order to maintain and improve a certain level of quality of the newspaper, it follows a stringent process to recruit members on the lines of a real newspaper office.
“The HR department seeks to recruit people who have the essential basic knowledge about the particular department to which a candidate applies. Apart from the CV of the candidate, their performance during the interview, their commitment towards their work and their enthusiasm and motivation (during the probation period) are essential factors that affect a candidate’s selection as a permanent member of DU Beat,” says Akshita Luthra, HR Head.
Cheshtha Gupta, Web Editorial Head adds, “We make sure that there is a balance in the number of students we recruit from North and South Campus colleges, and that all major colleges are well represented.”
Apart from giving students exposure to a professional environment, it also teaches them how to deal with deadlines and improves their work quality to a great extent.
“Students who read DU Beat online and offline have come to love it over the years. Those with a flair for writing, photography enthusiasts, and designers and so on like to be associated with DUB. Additionally, seeing your name in print fills you with pride! That’s what keeps us all going,” says Priyanka Banerjee, a correspondent.
There is an emphasis on constant communication between various departments, especially Design, Editorial and Marketing for it is they who are majorly responsible for producing the paper on all four Wednesdays of the month.
It has given students the much required power and freedom to be able to express themselves and write on issues which have prompted teachers as well as principals to bring about change in their colleges.
“DU Beat has been the only one its kind in DU for around six years now. It has managed to create a foothold for itself. Over the years the personnel might have changed but an organizational framework has been developed which still endures,” says Harshvardhan, copy editor.
Going by its tagline ‘Freedom of Expression’ and its mission to provide a platform for students to speak their minds freely, Urvi Gupta, editor concludes, “DU Beat has always kept up with the times. Five years from now, I see DU Beat playing an instrumental role in highlighting issues from DU in the public domain.”
