Upping authenticity through journalism podcasts
I grew up listening to audio, and felt the voices- connected to them. Audio took me to a different place, a different time. When I met Darshana, my Sri Lankan journalist friend at the UN journalism workshop in Tokyo, he talked so much about the medium- the power of audio documentaries. I had not really heard of audio documentaries. Darshana was working with the Sri Lankan broadcasting and many a times we tried discussing doing audio stories.
When I visited the Sri Lankan broadcasting office in Colombo, and saw Darshana doing a live interview, it was another experience. He had a science paper in his hand, and was interviewing the author inside the recording studio. He seldom spoke, asked open ended questions. And he always tells, and I have always believed in this too- journalists should speak less and let others speak more.
Some three years back, my Nepali journalist friend Bhrikuti took my phone and downloaded all the episodes of Serial- the podcast that made waves globally. That is probably when I first heard podcast. I listened to that. And I was blown away. Between, Bhrikuti is an active podcaster in Nepal. She runs Boju Bojai, a podcast in Nepali, which talks about everything from what people think- feminism, politics and wide range of things.
I heard Naveen, my friend who did this wonderful Curry Podcasts on Tamil history. He also did an election special for Suno India.
Usually, for all my stories, I make it mandatory to record my stories. It is just something that I usually tell other journalists to do as well. Saves many hassles of “I didn’t say that” line. Saying this here, because audio uses these original sounds.
I have done five podcasts for Suno India now, and it has been a truly wonderful experience.
And for me, the entire experience from one episode to another, was refreshing. In every episode, I saw myself re-scripting the narration, being more aware of the sounds, description of the journey, recording ambient sounds- learning the nuances, and yes, listening to podcasts-just to understand what I liked in a podcast, and what I did not- and why. Editors who work with me know how much time I take to do stories. And for scripting the podcast, there was more mandated effort, thinking. Scripting was far more than writing a normal story.
While recording a podcast, no matter how pressing the question is, and how important the intervention is, you wait and not talk in the midst. Since I usually don’t intervene in a conversation, I did not find it difficult to patiently listen. But I was conscious of not letting out my voice in the midst. I rather nodded my head in approval of listening to the person next to me.
When I was commissioned to do a series on climate change and coasts, I was more than excited- because here was a medium I was falling in love with, and here were more opportunities given to me to explore these stories.
My friend Naveen told me not to buy a new recorder, and instead handed me a Zoom H1, supposed to be good for capturing minute sounds. Since he was into radio, what he said was very important to me before I started. I experimented with the device while I was home. In the midst of the travel, I was a little lost- in using the device- and he troubleshooted it all over the phone. Like the beach sounds had more winds than wave sounds. In my last travel, I used a filter to muffle the wind sounds. This experience- making mistakes, and then learning one more point, all helped me grow. No, I am not an expert. Still learning.
When I went for recording in the studio, my friend Vinitha, a former RJ with Mirchi was there beside me- telling me if I was going wrong anywhere. We always talked about doing podcasts together, in Tamil, and I hope we will. Her amazing podcast for gaana,- Puranaanootru Porkadhaigal- was really a blast from the past, short stories with values from Tamil history. I fell in love with that podcast.
And for me, the feedback of such experienced people was key to improvise and do better at what I do. And I am still attempting to incorporate all that into my stories. Thankfully, the wonderfully professional, friendly, and super cool team at Suno India, Rakesh and Priya gave me so much of freedom to script my story. No fuss. No meddling. To have such editors is a blessing- truly.
I realised the power of this medium- when we hear fake stories, people being misquoted, and all that- through original voices, and original reporting from the ground- when you make people listen to the voices who truly say that, it is pure. And not to forget that your journalism reaches a different audience.
Where written content is now exploding- with so much of digital journalism, and journalists jostling for space, the general public is spoilt for choices. And as a reader, I am tired of the content explosion in the same format. If I want to read, I read books. Or newspapers. Or magazines. And I have been reducing my screen time.
Over the last three years- I have minimised consumption of journalism content on the web- beyond 200 words I feel tired. Reading on the mobile phone is tough. And that’s where most people reach out to for everything- so its obvious the attention span of people would shrink.
Radio puts no pressure on the tired eyes.
Podcasts offer a lot, and also most importantly, without forgoing a colossal amount of setting apart an exclusive time. I listen to BBC, NPR or other news updates in the morning while I cook or I am engaged in some art work. Or when I am taking a break, go for a walk, or sit idle, I listen to them. And its so much more comforting. Like someone is actually talking to you. I am sure, it is here to stay, and grow in the years to come.
