Event reports
The ceremony addresses were delivered by Professor Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta and Ravindra Kumar, Editor of the renowned daily The Statesman, and Trustee of the C.R. Irani Foundation. The graduation diplomas were handed over by Dr Swapan Mullick, director of SPJS. Mark Alexander Friedrich gave an introductory address on behalf of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, while the German Consulate General in Kolkata was represented by Deputy Counsel General Rosemarie E. Hille. In his welcome remarks Ravindra Kumar pointed out that the calibre of a journalist gets assessed in times of greatest difficulty, when they need to live up to their values, and that the current batch might possibly be the strongest one in the SPJS history. This is why all graduates receive the opportunity to begin their careers at The Statesman. Mark Alexander Friedrich, in his introductory remarks, pointed out the challenges the entire media sector is facing right now, and asked the graduates to remain true to their values.
After the graduates were handed over their diplomas by Dr Swapan Mullik, Professor Das delivered his convocation address. He also emphasized on the importance of journalist ethics and referred to the controversy around the actions of Indian journalists in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Nepal in April. Economic interests and ethical requirements often are not easy to combine. In this context Professor Das praised the reporting of the Statesman and emphasized that the importance of SPJS to carry forward the heritage of high-quality reporting. After the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates, parents, representatives of media, and speakers took the opportunity to discuss the issues brought during the event.