Saima Saeed, Screening the Public Sphere: Media and Democracy in India

Saima Saeed Professor Centre for Culture Media and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia Hony. Deputy Media Coordinator, Jamia Millia Islamia Email: ssaeed1@jmi.ac.in saima.saeed26@gmail.com Dr. Saima Saeed has a diverse work experience spanning across media industry, media teaching and research. An alumnus of AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia and Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, she completed her doctoral studies from the Department of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia on the role of television in ushering in, catalyzing and sustaining social development. Dr Saeed joined the Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi as part of its founding team and has been with it ever since. Prior to this, she has worked as a media professional and has been associated with some leading news channels in India like NDTV 24X7 and Headlines Today, TV Today Group. She has also taught as Lecturer at the Amity School of Communication, Noida and New Delhi for over two years. Her research interests include news and television studies, media and democracy, political communication, media and minorities and election studies. Academic Qualifications: S.No. Degree Ph. D. Grade Name of Institutes Awarded Dept. of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi 2 UGC NET in Mass Comm. and Journalism Awarded University Grants Commission 3 M.A.( Mass Communication) 1st Div, 3rd position (68%) AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia 4 B.A. English (Hons) 1st Div. Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR), Delhi University 1 (60%) 1 Books Published Title: Screening the Public Sphere: Media and Democracy in India Author: Saima Saeed Publisher: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group Year: 2013 ISBN: 978-0-415-81244-3 Link: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415812443/ Short Description: Screening the Public Sphere: Media and Democracy in India expounds an original social theory of media by positing four concepts — citizenship, public knowledge, criticality and power — as central to an understanding and evaluation of contemporary journalistic practice, ownership patterns and content, while framing the role and relationship of television news with regard to democracy and development. It conceptualizes the media, especially news and information, as fundamental to the debates surrounding its wider implications on the changing nature of democracy, citizenship, political participation, civic engagement and development. Drawing upon comprehensive empirical data, the democracy–media–development relationship is demonstrated through critical analyses of the media’s coverage of recent news events. This includes exhaustive content examination of news programmes on all major news channels of India, surveys with media experts and news professionals by way of questionnaires, and interviews with the audience to gauge the impact of media content on their understanding of social, political and economic issues. Publications: Journal Articles and Book Chapters  Saeed, Saima (2016) ‘Safeguarding Educational Rights of Minorities’ Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. LI No. 29 http://www.epw.in/system/files/pdf/2016_51/29/Safeguarding_Edu cational_Rights_of_Minorities_0.pdf  Saeed, Saima (2015) ‘Phantom Journalism: Governing India’s Proxy Media Owners’, Journalism Studies, pp: 663- 669, DOI:10.1080/1461670X.2015.1054174  Saeed, Saima (2014) ‘Consent or Coercion: 2014 Election in India as a Media Conquest’ in Einar Thorsen and Chindu Sreedharan edited India Election 2014: First Reflections, Centre for the Study 2 of Journalism, Culture and Community, Bournemouth University: Poole, England, pp. 31-52, ISBN: 978-1-910042-04-5 [paperback]  Saeed, Saima (2014) ‘Children Participation in India: Framing Law, Policy and the Media’, in E Kay M Tisdall, Andressa Gadda and Udi Butler (eds.) Children and Young People's Participation: Challenging Cross-Country Perspectives, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 91-112, ISBN 978-0-230-34867-7  Saeed, Saima (2013) ‘Media Coverage of Islam: Goodbye Honest Journalism’ Vol XXXVII No. 10 The Book Review, ISSN: 0970-4175.  Saeed, Saima (May 2012) ‘Neoliberal Media and Rural India’s Communication Divide’, Media Development, 2/2012. ISSN/ISBN: 01435558.  Saeed, Saima (Feb. 2010) ‘News Media, Public Diplomacy and the War on Terror’ in M. Zweiri and Emma C. Murphy (eds.) The New Arab Media: Technology, Image and Perception, Ithaca Press, Berkshire, U.K. ISBN: 13: 978-0-86372-347-6, 2010  Saeed, Saima (2009) ‘Negotiating Power: Community Media, Democracy and the Public Sphere’, Development in Practice, Vol. 19, No. 4/5, Taylor & Francis, Routledge, U.K. DOI: 10.1080/09614520902866314, . ISSN: 09614524  Saeed, Saima (2008) ‘The Theatre of 9/11: News Media, Public Diplomacy and the ‘War on Terror’, Third Frame: Literature, Culture and Society, Vol. 1, No. 3, September 2008, Foundation Books, Cambridge University Press, New Delhi. ISSN: 0974-1542 Book Reviews published:  Saeed, Saima (2015)’ Indian News Media: From Observer to Participation by Usha Rodrigues, Vol. XXXIX No. 7.  Saeed, Saima (2014) ‘When Media Goes to War: Hegemonic Discourse, Public Opinion, and the Limits of Dissent by Anthony DiMagggio, Vol XXXVIII No. 10  Saeed, Saima (2013) Media Gender and Popular Culture in India by Dasgupta, Sinha and Chakravarti, Vol XXXVII, No.2-3, South Asia Special  Saeed, Saima (2012) ‘Why Panic if ‘The Moslems are Coming?’, The Book Review, Vol XXXVI, No. 8, August 2012  Saeed, Saima (2012) ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly?’, The Book Review, Vol XXXVI, , No.9, South Asia XX-1, September 2012  Saeed, Saima (2011) Book Review of Woman as Spectator and Spectacle: Essays on Women and Media edited by K. Durga Bhavani and C. Vijayasree for The Book Review, Vol. XXXV, No. 6, June 2011 3 Research Projects: Ongoing and Submitted 1) Co-Coordinator, CPEPA (UGC – Centre with Potential for Excellence in Particular Areas) Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia. 2) Project Investigator (PI), UGC-MRP titled, ‘Media, Democracy and the 2014 General Election in India, Duration: 2015-18. 3) UGC DRS-I , Co-editor Vol. 1, Centre for Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia 4) Project Director –ICCSR Sponsored Research Project titled: ‘Minorities and the Indian Press: Marginalization and Exclusion in the News Media’, 2013; Status: Submitted. 5) Part of the research team formed to undertake a ‘Baseline Survey in Minority Concentration Districts of India’ jointly undertaken by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, ICSSR, New Delhi and Jamia Millia Islamia in 2007-08 under Prof. Mushirul Hasan, the then Vice Chancellor, JMI. The Reports are a major policy document to design and undertake future developmental activities in the two districts. About the project: The Ministry of Minority Affairs (MMA), GOI, along with the ICSSR had sponsored a baseline survey of relative backwardness in 90 districts in the country having substantial number of minorities (at least 25%) in order to initiate relevant programmes for the socio-economic and infra-structural development of these communities and districts. Under the overall coordination of the ICSSR, four research institutes and two Universities were involved in this Baseline Survey of the Minority Concentration Districts (MCDs). The work began in 2007 and was completed in 2008. The Report of North East Delhi is available at: http://www.icssr.org/Baseline%20Survey%20of%20North%20East%20Delhi.pdf The Report of the Bhopal District is available at: http://www.icssr.org/Baseline%20Survey%20of%20Bhopal%20District.pdf Consultancy Part of a high level six-member committee appointed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Govt. of India through Edcil India Limited, to conceptualize, design and prepare the course curriculum for the upcoming university of mass communication affiliated with IIMC, New Delhi. Worked as a Consultant to provide ‘academic inputs’ on this project on ‘Converting IIMC into an International Media University’ from 2008-09 4 Papers Presented at International and National Conferences  ‘Minorities and the Indian Media: Mapping Marginalisation, Interrogating Representation’, and Inequality:An India-Canada Comparison, York University, Canada, Toronto, 8-9 June, 2015.  Cataclysmic events, Muslim Representation and the Indian Media’, National Seminar, Media and Minorities: Text, Context and Discourse, , Jamia Millia Islamia 13-14 October, 2015  ‘Globalization and the News: Media ownership in India and Why it Matters’, International Seminar, Jamia Millia Islamia and York University, Canada, Understanding Globalization in a Cross-Cultural Setting, 18-19 February, 2014  ‘Media’s Romance of the ‘Red’ : Myth-Making, the Maoist Insurgency and the news ‘text’’, National Seminar on Insurgency and Development, Jamia Millia Islamia, 28-29 January, 2014  ‘Contours of Public Service Broadcasting—A Comparative Analysis of India and Europe’, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, 15th March, 2013.  ‘Television News and the Deficit in Development Reportage’, International Conference on Media Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 27th February, 2013.  ‘Media Reportage and Child Labour’, V V Giri National Institute of Labour, NOIDA, February 8, 2013.  ‘Reporting the Muslim: Decolonizing the Stereotypes of Mediated Islam’, at the Institut International de Sociologie (IIS) 40th World Congress, Delhi, February 18, 2012.  ‘Towards a Political Economy of Television News in India: The Corporatization of News Content’ at the Indo- Swiss Seminar, February 16, 2010  ‘Broadcast democracy, breaking news and the big rating game: Serving the public with news as entertainment?’, at the XXXIInd Indian Social Science Congress, Delhi, December 19, 2008  ‘Community radio: A cross-national perspective’ on 25th June, 2008 at the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary  ‘The theatre of 9/11: Media technology and the ‘war on terror’- at an International Conference at the University of Durham, Durham, United Kingdom, 20-21 September, 2007  ‘Media Ecology, Globalization and Development Communication’- at a symposia on Communication for Social Development at the University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India, 1st-3rd November, 2007.  'Community Radio: Policies, Power and Possibilities’ at an International conference - eINDIA2007, 31 July to 03 August 2007, New Delhi, India. Public Lecture ‘Media Ownership, Corporate Control and the Changing Nature of Journalism’, Centre for Media Studies,,JNU, March 29, 2016. 5 Invited Lectures and Talks delivered:             ‘Studying Texts’, Refresher Course in Research Methodology, Centre for Professional Development in Higher Education, University of Delhi, June 23, 2015. ‘Visual Research Methods’, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, JNU, October 20, 2015 ‘Discourse Analysis, Refresher Course in Research Methodology, Centre for Professional Development in Higher Education, University of Delhi, June 23, 2015 ‘Media and Human Rights: Unpacking the Politics of Representation and Exclusion’ Workshop on Human Rights, Centre for Professional Development in Higher Education, University of Delhi, July 8, 2015 ‘Political Rhetoric’, Dept of Political Science, Invited talk, Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi, April 8, 2015 ‘Communicating Skill Development Programmes Effectively through Media’, Resource person Training programme, V.V.Giri National Labour Institute, NOIDA, August 19, 2015 ‘Instruments of Transformation: Transparency, Accountability & Indian Democracy’, International Summer School, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, July 5, 2013 ‘Media, Democracy and Violence’ Kalindi College, Delhi University, Seminar talk, 7 March, 2014 Chaired a session ‘Media and Gender’ at the National Seminar at Guru Govind Singh I P University on 28 February, 2014 Lecture titled, ‘News Media and Democracy: Framing Conflict from a Human Rights Perspective', UNDP-CCMG training programme for journalists, 1 October, 2013. ‘Media Landscape in India’, Training programme for a delegation of journalists from Bhutan, 18th November, 2013, CCMG, JMI ‘Youth in dealing with Child Labour: Enabling Role of Media’, Resource person Training programme, V.V.Giri National Labour Institute, NOIDA, 48 February, 2013 Lectures delivered at OP and RC, Academic Staff College, Jamia Millia Islamia       ‘Media, Democracy and the 2014 General Election, 13th 3-weekRefresher Course in Political Science, November 28, 2014. ‘News Media and Democracy in India’, 110th 4-week Orientation Programme, November 18, 2014 ‘Media and Contemporary Coverage of Maoism’, 3rd 3-week Special Summer School, May 26, 2014 News Media and Democracy (2 sessions), 109th 4-week Orientation Programme, August 13, 2014 ‘Political Economy of Communication in India’, 22 February, 2013 ‘Contemporary Newscape in India’, 104th 4-week Orientation Programme, April 22, 2013 ‘Media and Democracy in India’, 1 February 2013 6 ‘Media and Politics’, 22 April, 2013 “News, Media and Democracy” on 31 May 2013 “New Media & Democracy” on 29 Oct’13 ‘Content Analysis in Social Science Research’ 7 January, 2014 “News, Media and Democracy”, OP, 07 Jan’14 ‘Television News and Elections in India’, RC on Media Studies and Governance, 21 Jan’14 ‘Media and the contemporary coverage of Maoism’, May 26, 2014        Teaching Profile  Ph. D. Supervision and Ph. D. Course Coordinator, CCMG  Ph. D. course papers taught:  i. Theoretical Orientation in Communication (2013- 2014) ii. Communication Research Methods (2011, 2012) iii. Post graduate teaching- M.A. (Media Governance)-Papers taughti. Social Construction of News ii. Media and Margins iii. Communication Research Methods iv. Global and Comparative Media Policy in India (2008-2010) v.  Transnational Communication (2008-2010) Bachelor’s programme taught (2008-10)- Media and Society and News and Society Curriculum Design and Development     Designed two new papers to be offered as optionals at CCMG in the future 1) News and citizenship and 2) Media and Margins with Dr Athikho Kaisii Part of the core team of CCMG to design the two year post graduate programme, M.A. (Media Governance) programme at the Centre for Culture, Media and Governance. Wrote a module on ‘News Sources’ for the Communication course of IGNOU. Contributed in designing the course curricula of Dept. of Journalism, School of Media, Communication and Information Sciences, Sikkim University, Gangtok. Courses Attended   Attended the 102nd Orientation Programme, Academic Staff College, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi 10th October 2012- 10th November 2011. Selected for the competitive full SUN scholarship to study the course ‘Media, Democratization and Civil Society’ from June 16th 2008 to 28th 7    June 2008 at Budapest, Hungary. The course directed by Prof. Monroe Price and Prof. Miklos Sukosd was jointly organized by the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, the Center for Media and Communication (CMCS) at the Central European University, Budapest and the COST A30 Action Research Agenda. Attended a training programme on ‘Basic and Advanced Analysis using SPSS’ from 15th – 18th July, 2008, at Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi. A week long training in journalism and in Social Reporting by the BBC World Service Trust from the 9th June, 2008 to 13th June 2008 in New Delhi. Participated at ‘Global Voices Citizens Media Summit 2008, June27-28, 2008, at the Novotel Budapest Centrum, Rakoczi ut 43-45, Budapest. Conferences, short courses and Workshops organized      Course Coordinator, 1st Refresher Course offered by the Centre for Culture, Media and Governance, 15th Feb. 2013- 08th March, 2013 Coordinator and Member organizing committee of international conference, Understanding Globalization in a Cross-Cultural Setting, 18-19 February, 2014, sponsored by ICSSR. This conference was a result of an MoU between Jamia Millia Islamia and York University, Canada. Part of organizing committee of training workshop for journalists from Afghanistan, UNDP-CCMG training programme for journalists, 1 October, 2013. Conceptualised, designed and successfully executed a training workshop on Community radio –Theory and practice in collaboration with OneWorld South Asia in October 2007 for the students at Jamia and others interested in New Delhi. The students were provided with hands-on-skills to enable them make their own community radio programs so as to better utilize their own Radio station at Jamia- Radio Jamia. Organised a Symposium- ‘Media and the Indian State’ in Jamia Millia Islamia on the 3rd August, 2007 Organised a talk and group discussion with Tsunami victims from S E Asia followed by a photo-exhibition on ‘Violence against women post natural disaster’ in collaboration with South Asian Women’s Group on the 30th March, 2007 Additional Responsibilities and Corporate Life of the University:       Hony. Deputy Media Coordinator and Spokesperson, Jamia Millia Islamia (Feb. 2016 onwards) Member, Vision Document Committee, JMI Member, Committee of Studies, Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, 2014 Member, Human Rights Forum, Jamia Millia Islamia, 2013 Assistant Superintendent of Examination, JMI, June 2011, 2012. Coordinator, Social Service Society, Jamia Millia Islamia in 2010-11. _________________ 8