‘Research plays a pivotal role in giving authenticity to development journalism’

Omkar Kakade, Head of Media Studies Department in the Akkamahadevi Women’s University, Vijayapura, addressing a gathering at an international conference at Sharnbasva University in Kalaburagi on Thursday. | Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI

Stressing on the importance of research in professional life of a successful journalist, Head of the Department of Media Studies in the Akkamahadevi Women’s University, Vijayapura, Omkar Kakade has said that research plays a significant role in giving authority and authenticity to investigative and development reports.

He was speaking during the last session of the three-day International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research and Journalism, organised jointly by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and Faculty of Business Studies in Sharnbasva University, here on Thursday.

Sharing his experience as a field journalist working in districts such as Belagavi and Bidar and in Bengaluru and how his reliance on research helped him in filing effective and impact-making reports that changed the lives of the people, Dr Kakade said that his research instinct helped him in producing good and effective reports that have had some impact on society and the government of the day. A research bent of mind is most essential for every journalist to file effective and impact-making reports, he reiterated.

Quoting from a special report that he filed, he said that 138 villages and nine cities on the banks of the Krishna are facing a severe drinking water shortage due to the drying up of the river.

Dr Kakade said that one of his reports exposed the fact that the drying up of the Krishna was man-made. The river dried up due to non-release of water by Maharashtra from its dam due to non-payment of ₹2 crore water charges for releasing 2 tmcft of water every summer as agreed upon by the State government.

The true picture was revealed only after a report appeared in the press about this fact. Till then, everybody was under the impression that the river bed dried up due to the fewer number of rainy days. The State government then opened its eyes and paid the dues to get water released from Maharashtra to resolve drinking water shortage in the affected villages and cities on the banks of the river, he added.