A three-day short-term course on journalism was inaugurated on Friday at the Sikkim Cooperative Union (SICUN) premises in Assam Lingzey, Pakyong District. The event was attended by prominent figures, including Rural Development Department Minister Arun Upreti, Information and Public Relations Department Advisor legislator Lal Bahadur Das, and resource persons Dr. Pooja Basnet and Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee.

In his address, Minister Upreti spoke about the rise of journalists in the past decade, emphasizing the need to distinguish between genuine and non-genuine journalists. He stressed on the decrease in the value of journalism degrees and the prevalence of “copy-paste journalism.”

IPR Advisor LB Das highlighted the importance of balanced reporting, sharing his experience as a District Information Officer.

The Minister and IPR Advisor Das distributed certificates to trainee journalists who attended a similar workshop organized by IIMC Aizwal in Mizoram.

The workshop will continue on September 14 with sessions on “Rules of Court Reporting” and “New Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.” The event will conclude on September 15 with certificate distribution for participating journalists.