By Ameerah Angelina
GOMBAK, 19 July 2020: œIf you have something to say, theres no reason why you should self-censor where you say it, how you say it, and what to say. This is a quote mentioned by Brian Wong in the podcast posted today that seems to apply to all current and future journalists.
However, he reminded listeners that while speaking up is important, there are times when doing so may only cause more problems, thus, it is crucial that the young journalists today be mindful of the things they say.
“Beyond 7 Minutes”, a platform created by IIUM Debates, has premiered its very first podcast at 8.00 p.m. last night titled, œEpisode 1: Power of Student Journalism with Irtza Ali, an IIUM debater, as the host, and Brian Wong, a journalist, debater, student and founder of the Oxford Political Review, as the invited speaker.
This episode covers student journalism and how it engages with real-world politics while discussing the power that student journalism has.
Wong defined student journalism as a platform that offers aspiring undergraduate students to write and share the things that are important and relevant in an instantaneous, accurate, and high-quality reporting.
He also talked about the importance of the community to be student-driven in order for it to be called student journalism.
In addition, Wong explained, student journalism is important due to the fact that the youth play a pivotal role to counterbalance the narratives of the forces that govern our social structure today.
Asked about the immediate impact of student journalism, Wong elaborated on how new publications always have value in the sense that it can encourage other publications to improve their modes of reporting and diversify their range of topics and writing. In short, student journalism is able to generate competition and can act as a catalyst for other universities, he said.
Wong encouraged all journalists to be creative in order to overcome censorship. œHow? Transform your language and capture gender in particular ways that satisfy the audience you need to get to.
This podcast is now available on three different platforms which are Youtube, Instagram, and Spotify, under the account “Beyond 7 Minutes”. ***