It was a shot in the arm for Gallop News, the news channel launched by Government Model Upper Primary School, Konchiravila, and its young ‘journalists’ when academic and journalist Marie Elisabeth Mueller from Germany visited the school on Thursday.
The students responsible for packaging the news interacted with Ms. Mueller, who is a professor in Online Media Management at Stuttgart Media University. Ms. Mueller said she wanted to know about Gallop News. She had come to know about it through mobile journalists with whom she had been working closely. Though she could not follow the newscast as it was in Malayalam, she was impressed by the concept and told the students that. “The idea that a primary school without any support has done a mobile newscast is nice.”
However, she felt that to reach across to an international audience, it should also be done with English subtitles.
She told them that once their skills in producing news on mobile phones improved, they would realise that they do not have to leave their room. “Editing and the rest can be done here using free apps.” A student asked if she knew of primary students in Germany starting a news channel, to which her reply was in the negative. Another student asked if she would like to promote such a news channel in Germany, to which she said she would be interested in that.
Ms. Mueller was all praise for the quality of the newscast.
Ms. Mueller also screened two short videos made by her students on the occasion. Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust promised all help for Gallop News through their upcoming digital media lab venture.
School Principal B. Sheela and other teachers were also present.
