PCC students engage in talks on fake news, identity theft

DIMAPUR — In a bid to engage and encourage the students to learn beyond the classroom setting, the departments of English and Mass Communication, Patkai Chrisitan College (Autonomous) jointly organised a one-day inter-departmental talk on Friday at the college’s Bundrock Hall.

According to a press release, the talk was a student-oriented programme organised by students from the respective departments, with two speakers from each department deliberating on subjects that are contemporary as well as relevant.

Rahul Deuri, a 5th semester BA Mass Communication student, spoke on 'fake news: sorting fact from fiction' and guided the students on various ways to debunk fake news. He referred to various sites, such as AltNews, Snopes, FactCheck.org, and others, where one can verify the accuracy of the information they receive.

He emphasised the importance of being a responsible sharer, reporting fake news, and supporting reputable journalism, and he emphasised the importance of being vigilant and combating the rise of fake news by being informed and verifying content before sharing.

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Lydia Ezung, a student of MA 3rd semester, department of English, presented on the occasion a paper titled ‘text to screen: adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice.’’ She stated that accessibility and emotional impact are prominent in films with a larger audience. She did, however, point out that adaptation from text to screen may have an impact on the depth of the story and result in the loss of the original language.

Khakhuli Chishi, a BA 5th semester student at the department of Mass Communication, discussed ‘social media and identity construction: possible self vs. the here-and-now self’ and posed the question of whether one’s identity is a constructed self or the real self on digital platforms.

Referring to the case studies of Seema Ghulam Haider and Sachin Meena, and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Chishi said that over the years, fake identity creation and catfishing have taken a toll on privacy, leading to rising cases of identity theft.

Yashikila Imchen, a BA 5th semester student from the English department, spoke about 'creative writing: words that weave' and cited various types of creative writing as well as important elements of a story in creative writing.