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pointers on creativity and most importantly, the requirement to think correctly.? However, says Istikhar Ahmed, ?I don?t fully agree with the view that journalism can?t be taught. There?s a grammar, a technique that can be acquired. You can?t teach creativity, of course, but you can polish it and groom it.?

Prominent journalist and political editor of NDTV 24X7, Rajdeep Sardesai never attended any journalism institute. He learnt at the ?school of hard knocks? ? on the job. ?I still believe journalism cannot be taught. But at the same time, if you look at television journalism today, it?s more technical than ever before. Thus it doesn?t harm to be familiar with the technical aspects of television reporting or deskwork. These skills are something that media courses do provide, which saves time in teaching newcomers the basics,? he says. ?Of course, I think the actual content has to be learnt on the job.?

But whatever the big guns may say, the fact remains that most media houses today prefer to recruit aspirants with some sort of degree. The trend is especially true for broadcast journalism, which helps management save time and technical help. But some still subscribe to the traditional process where the newcomer is expected to start at the bottom of the ladder and work his/her way up.

?I believe most journalism courses offered in the country aren?t sufficiently comprehensive,? says a producer with a leading news channel. ?Most of the courses have syllabi that are over a decade old. Television is a dynamic medium and the training these institutes provide often becomes obsolete by the time students start working.?

Unnecessary and obsolete or useful and enlightening? Whatever your opinion on the media courses on offer throughout the country, there?s no denying that right now media is one of the most sought-after disciplines. Eager students are queuing up at media schools, all hoping for a chance to be the next Barkha Dutt, Prahlad Kakkar or Karan Johar. As Sakshi Gill, a media student, puts it, ?I want to be just like Barkha Dutt. I?ve spent hours copying her style of reporting. I hope the course I?m taking opens doors for me.?

Like Sakshi, there are thousands more out there who dream of becoming media bigshots. While there are now plenty of schools to help them on their way, they may get disappointed when they realise that it?s crowded at the top and not everyone gets to be a household name.