Family:

• In what ways have families in your country changed in recent years?

Well, you know change is the word of the day. Everything is changing around us and
families are not an exception to the trend. Nuclear families have been flourished across
European countries and the number of such families in Greece is notable. The changes have
taken place in the recent years, immediately after the year 2000. Most of the large families
have broken down into smaller units and a few members live in such families. Such families
consist a father, a mother and their kids. If they do not have any kids, the family turns
smaller. It has happened for several reasons and to me, it appears that the rising of the daily
expenses is a primary cause of the separation. Sometimes the other family members do not
want to bear the skyrocketing expenses of the members and thus they split from the family
and make their own family. Besides, with the modernisation, people want to live in modern
and smaller houses filled with the modern amenities. But they do not get so in the large
houses where the extended families usually live in. Moreover, mental complexity among the
extended family members is also a potential cause for the separation.

• Should husbands and wives have different roles within the family? Why / why not?
Umm, yes, I think that the husbands and wives have different things do in a family. Humans
cannot live alone, they need companions and I think a husband or a wife is the best company
ever found for each other on the planet. So, to run the family, both of them should share the
responsibilities. Without sharing the roles, a family cannot run well and consequently the
relationship turns bitter. For instance, a family is like a vehicle where the husband and the
wife are like the wheels of that vehicle. If one of the wheels does not fit with the body or
becomes larger than the other wheel, it becomes impossible to run that vehicle. All the
wheels need to be equal. Thus, the husband of a family should share roles and
responsibilities with his wife. Wage earning was the key responsibility of a man, but that
idea fitted in the primitive age. The current day situations are different. We are moving fast
and a wide number of needs have emerged which is not possible for a woman to meet for her
family. She needs a hand to share the responsibilities and this is the husband who needs to
extend the helping hand to her wife and the family.

• Which is more important to you - your family or your friends?

Ahh! This is a sensitive question for me as I prefer both in my life. But if you want me to be
strict, then I should favour my family. The family is the place where a man begins his life. It
is the first institution to teach and socialise. It is more than an institution. The members of a
family play the roles of teacher and guide the other members till they get matured. But the
scenarios are not similar with friends. You may need friends but you may not get them when
you need them most in your ‘situations’. But if you ask for help to your family members,
they will be there always to help you. So, they are playing the role of protector as well in life.
Besides, the family is taking care of yourself after your birth and been providing with all the
necessary services and supports without any conditions or benefits. But sometimes, in my
personal experiences, I have seen that many of my friends were with me for their benefits
and when I could not serve them well, they left me. So, in a deep sense, I prefer my family
than my friends but I want to be all of my friends as well.

• What conflicts can arise between a person's family and a person's friends?
Umm, this is a thought-provoking issue for me. Yes, there are some situations that when a
man has to experience a conflict between family and friends. I think the most prominent
conflict might be the issue of being with family or friends. Let’s make it clear. You are with
your friends and your mum told you to be at home by evening. But you could not make it go
home within the prescribed time and had to experience some bitter words from your mum. It
may also happen that she starts banning your movement with your friends. Again, you are
with your family and passing a quality time. Your friends are continuously calling you to be
with them. You failed to go there. It will also create a sense of misunderstanding among you
and your friends. These are the potential and usual conflicts that may arise between friends
and family.

• What responsibilities do parents have towards their children?

Well, parents are the best teachers in the world for their kids. So, they should play their roles
properly and the roles are not limited only rearing the children. The parents’ first and
foremost role is to socialise their kids. Socialising helps the kids to be familiar with the social
environment and behave accordingly in different changed situations. Secondly, the children
should be taught to be patients over any of the issues and exercise the other human qualities
in their real life. By this process, the parents will build a sense of perseverance among the
kids and children that will help them to go ahead in their future without having any trouble or
compromising with the situations. Besides, the parents should also take necessary measures
to educate their children, the other important factor for the kids. Education is the most
important thing that a human can gain in life and if the kids remain uneducated, they surely
cannot survive in the absence of the parents. Moreover, the issue of morality should also be
considered and the parents should inject the moral issues among their sons and daughters
from the early childhood. When they will be older, it will be impossible to bring them into
track if they get morally derailed from the early stage of their lives.

• What responsibilities do children have towards their parents?

Hmm, the children also have some sort of responsibilities to their parents. The most
important issue is that they should abide by all the orders and suggestions without
questioning. They have to keep in mind that the parents never want their kids to be harmed in
any way. Their love and affection towards the kids are priceless and unique. So, they should
also respect parents properly. In the current days, the kids are tending to disobey their parents
which are entirely unwanted and the events should be changed. If the kids follow the orders
of their parents, they should be able to shine in future. The blessings they will receive from
the parents will help them moving ahead easily in the coming days.
Letter:
• What is the difference between letter and e-mail?
Well, letters and e-mails are different in several ways. Though both of them are used for
communication, they different in their nature. The first one is manual while the later one is
electrical. To write a letter, you’ll need a pen and a paper, then you are to go for the post
office to post the letter yet sometimes it remains unknown whether the letter will be
delivered or not in some cases. But to compose an e-mail, you need a computer with an
active internet connection. You also need to have an e-mail account to send the mail while
the recipient also needs the same – an e-mail address to receive the e-mail. But sending
emails have some benefits which are not found in posting letters. The important issue about
e-mail is that it is much safer than sending letters. Only the intended recipient is able to read
the e-mail while the letters could be read by anyone as those are sent using envelopes which
are insecure. You can send e-mails to any parts of the world where there is an internet
connection, but on the other side, postal service is not enriched around the world and
sometimes letters go missing for several reasons. Earlier, people used to send letters and wait
for months for the reply but those days are over now for the dint of e-mail. An e-mail can
reach its recipient within a couple of second after it is sent.

• Do you often keep diaries?

Umm! No. I do not keep diaries at all now. But when I was a teen, I used to keep a dairy and
penned all the events of the day on that. Sometimes I used to read the diary in my leisure
hours and remembered all the events through my imagination. I gave up keeping a diary after
I got promoted in my high school; I had to be very busy with my studies and extracurricular
activities and sports events. My engagement on different events increased that made me
highly occupied and I hardly could manage time for keeping the diary. Earlier, when I kept
the diary, I spent around one hour in a day to remember all the happened events and then
wrote them in the diary. And it was night time when I wrote. But I tried to reduce the time
and someday I found that I’m unwilling to keep it. The writing appeared troublesome and
with a tired body I could not write well. Since then, I gave up the habit of keeping my diary.

• What is the difference between diary and letter?

There are huge differences between a diary and letter. First, the difference is about purposes.
A letter is written for someone to inform over any specific issues who is living far away from
the letter writer, and a diary is basically the combination of all the events that someone has
experienced throughout the day. There are a few similarities are found as well like the letter
is sent with information while the diary is also filled with information but the uses are
different. Moreover, a diary is always private while the letter may not be private always.
Diaries provide pleasure to the diary-keeper while the letter could carry either good or
shocking news. Diary keeping is a habit for many of the people who want to save the past
events of the day on the pages while a letter is not used unless it turns necessary. A letter is
written on a sheet of paper while diary is written on a small-sized book with empty pages.
The letter needs to be sent using envelopes and stamps while the diaries could be kept at any
place at home as those are not need to send for others. Additionally, a diary contains the
thoughts and emotions and many necessary or unnecessary facts and information of an
individual while the letter contains only the essential information.

• What is the difference in the past and at the present as regards communications?
Thanks for your question. Communication has experienced the greatest change and there are
wide ranges of communication systems. The humankind started to progress with the
invention of the wheel and since then communication has gained many ups and downs. We
can see a good number of communication modes now like telephone, telex, e-mail, letter
social networking websites etc. but those underwent different upgrades from time to time and
they were not in the situation as we are experiencing them now. I also have heard that a long
ago people used pigeon to send messages from one place to another though a bit risky
communication mode. After the initiation of postal service, it was a kind of relief for the
people and communication became easy for them in the then context. But when the modern
communication modes got invented, it becomes easier for them. The modern communication
modes spread rapidly within a few decades and now people rely more on the modern modes
instead of the traditional communication modes.

• What is the role of letter 20 years ago and at the present?

Umm, if I want to say the importance of letter about 20 years ago, I have to recall the
memories and stories that I heard from my parents. My father once told me that letter was the
only mode of communication and it worked well for the international communication. He
said that people living abroad used to send letters to their near and dear ones and a letter
usually took about one month to reach the destination from the country it was sent. The
recipients became highly happy after receiving the letters. But the scenario is different in the
current days. Letters have lost their importance almost across the globe. It has happened for
the advancement of technology and the invention of modern communication modes. Letters
are still being used in some parts of the world but they are being replaced with e-mail,
telephones and social networks. The internet and computers are available around the world
and people are tending more to communicate electronically than writing a letter and wait for
that being sent to the recipients. But there is none to blame for the letters to be replaced by
the modern modes. This is quite natural and if something more interesting and important is
discovered, people will turn to use those as they are currently using the modern modes.

• What do you think of the role 20 years later?

Well, letters are is unable to play important roles in the current days as they did 20 years
back. In those days, letters were written for numerous purposes and even people composed
letter to let their near and dear ones know about the slightest issue of their life. But now the
scenario is different. People are using modern communication modes telephones, cellular
phones, e-mails, social networking websites etc. to communicate and share their issues.
Moreover, the modern modes are speedy and can send the messages within the shortest
possible time while the letters took longer times to be delivered. But letters are still important
to some of the people, especially the senior citizens who have experienced the golden age of
letters. They like to get and send letters to their near and dear ones even in the modern days.

• What do you think of creative writing?

Umm, to me the meaning of creative writing is something different. I think this is beyond the
usual writing genre like academic or professional writing. In fact, the definition of creative
writing is not well defined. It is basically different from the academic writing and become
creative when a writer comes up with the ideas and issues which are nonconventional in type
and never been used before. Sometimes it is used to earn living for the writer as well. Script
writing could be a notable example in this case. The writing style is different and does not
follow any rules. It could be connected and compared with literature. Usually, in literature,
the literary pieces are few and in some cases, only a single piece is composed. So, they
remain unique always. Similarly, creative writing does not produce the same thing twice. It is
also different from the other types of writings for the theme of such pieces is unusual and
difficult to comprehend for the people except for the targeted group.

• Would post office disappear 20 years later?

No, I don’t think that post offices will disappear after 20 years. If there were even tiniest
chances of the post office being disappeared, they would have been disappeared right after
the invention of e-mail or the telephone. Post offices are maintained by the government and it
is up to the government’s consideration to close the post offices. But I think the governments
will not do so. Letters are sent through the post offices and thus the post offices are the
traditional sources of communication. It has played a very important role earlier and now it is
also important in some cases. The governmental documents are transferred from place to
places through the postal departments. Besides, it cannot be said that the postal department is
entirely inactive. Further, there are always some underprivileged people found in every
society and they do not have access to the modern communication modes, and so use the
services offered by postal departments. So, for all such causes, I think post offices will
survive even after next 20 years.

• What role does computer play in our society?

The computer is the greatest invention of modern science and it plays numerous roles in the
society. In the current times, you cannot think of a house without a piece of computer
regardless of size and shape. It has occupied the entire world randomly. The use of
computers is not limited to counting or word processing only; the uses are limitless and
cannot be listed as well for its vast applications. Computers are used for everything including
designing needles to sketching a rocket or aeroplane. It is of great use to everyone in the
society. The educative value of the computer is also great and helps spread education easily
using its multimedia features. The people of the modern world cannot do without a computer
for a single moment as they are habituated to rely on the computer for everything. Despite
being a machine, it has occupied us like an ever present companion. So, in a word the
benefits and importance of computer is countless in the society.
• What changes have been brought by the computer? What is professors’ attitude?
Well, computers have brought revolutionary changes in the present world than ever before.
This is a machine and no other machines turned as popular as the computer on the planet.
Earlier, people used to analyse data or count them manually but with the invention of
computers, data processing or analysis has become easier than ever. It has changed the world
like a storm and almost all the changes are positive for humans. Now there are not single
sectors where computers are not used for. The professors are also positive over using
computers. They use the machine to spread knowledge among the students and use it as a
medium to store their knowledge as well as gathered resources. So, it is also a blessing for
them, I think.

Environmental Problems:
• What causes environmental problems?
Well, the environment consists of a wide number of elements including man-made and
natural. But most of the cases, the environment is troubled with the activities undertaken by
the humans. Besides, there are some other natural disasters that also cause the problems. To
make it clearer let’s take some real life examples. Generally, the environment is made of air,
water, soil, rocks, fire, animals, plants, humans, climate and other available elements. The
natural environment is also known as the ecosystem and when there is some imbalance on
the entire environment, it gets degraded. The imbalances have serious impacts on the
environment. The non-environment friendly activities like rapid changes in the technological
sectors, engineering, transportation, shipping industries, mills and factories, increased use of
metals and plastic in home and offices, changes in the manufacturing sectors, wide use of
chemicals and pesticides on food crops, indiscriminate deforestation, mining etc. are
responsible for the degradation. As a direct result of the environmental problem, each of its
elements is getting affected directly. The climate has started changing while the natural
disasters are appearing more frequently than the past days. You know, earlier there were six
seasons on the planet earth but now the seasons have been reduced. Besides, the many of the
wildlife species have been extinct as they lost their space owing deforestation. Moreover, due
to global warming for the increased use of chemicals and gases, the sea level is on the rise
which is also a great environmental disorder and may bring a disastrous impact on the low-
lying countries of the world.

• What should the government do to protect the environment?

A government is the sole and legal body of the country that owns the right to take decisions
about any issues and thus the government can do lots of things to protect the environment
inside its legal boundary. It just needs to formulate the necessary rules and regulations and
implement them in the right manner. Besides, a mass awareness against the environmental
degradations should be formed so that people could abide by the law. Moreover, some
practical actions should also be taken like polluter pay the fine. In this way, the one who
pollutes the environment should pay taxes to reduce the damages caused towards the
environment. It should be kept in consideration that once the damage is done to the
environment, it cannot be undone anymore but we can reduce the extent of the damage. So,
the government may formulate principles and rules which comply with the situations and
inspire all in protecting the environment. Raising public awareness is one of the most
important factors in the protection of the environment and it should be emphasised more and
more. It is not possible for the government alone to solve all the problems rather it needs
assistive hands to support the initiatives. Additionally, the government could also arrange for
regular monitoring of the activities if they are functioning well or needs improvement.

• What should we do to protect the environment?

It’s a very good question. There are a large number of steps which we could adopt to protect
the environment. Usually, goods and products are produced for consumption. So, we should
check before consuming if those goods or services are produced in an environment-friendly
manner. If the goods are non-friendly to the environment, we should start rejecting the
products. Secondly, we need to be aware of the negative consequences of environmental
degradation. We are to keep in mind that if the environment is degraded or polluted, in the
long run, we are to suffer the consequences. With the name of development, we are cutting
down forests and marching towards a new era of modernization. But we never think that the
deforestation is damaging the environment and gradually warming the planet which will raise
the sea levels and after a certain time the earth will be uninhabitable for all. We are polluting
the air, water and the soils. We throw our wastes here and there which pollute the soil. Oil
spinning, the mixture of chemicals from industrial wastes, throwing wastes into water etc. are
causing water pollution. So, we have to check the things and never act like foolish by
throwing such materials in open space or in places that could damage the environment.
Besides, if there is any state regulation about the environmental protection, we should abide
by the directives.

• What other measures can you think of to protect the environment?

Environmental protection is a large issue and it is impossible for the government’s
monitoring agencies to check all the places at a time if there is the violation of environmental
protection rules. So, the responsibilities are on the shoulder of the commoners. Only raising
public awareness is not enough to prevent the environmental problems. I think the issue of
environmental protection should be injected to the young generation and it could be done by
adding the issue to their curriculum and textbooks. Besides, massive consciousness-raising
campaigns should also be initiated. Sometimes there are some conferences and meetings held
over the environment protection but there are not traces found about the outcomes of those
events. If the decisions of those events are implemented and outcomes are regularly
monitored in respective regions where the events took place, then it would be nicer. Long-
term social campaigns could also be initiated on mass media so that the commoners become
aware of the environmental issues. Sometimes, the campaigns should be undertaken with an
interval and thus it will be effective to remind people of the environmental problems.
• How should we educate children to protect the environment?
Well, as I said before that environmental issues should be included in the texts of the kids, it
will be helpful for them to know about the environment and the types of disorders it
experiences. The texts will be illustrated with simple descriptions of the types of pollution,
natural and man-made hazards, causes of pollution and other necessary things to make the
children aware of environmental degradation. The texts should be made clear to the students
by some well-trained teachers as they could entirely comprehend the meaning and velocity of
the environmental issues. Gradually, when they will be aware of the issues, they will be start
taking responsibilities by them to prevent the environment pollution and other associated
problems.

• What’s the difference between the old and the young as regards environmental
protection?
Yes, there are some basic differences here. The young people are inexperienced with the
issue of environmental protection. They did not meet with such issues before while the old or
senior people have seen numerous environmental degradation issues and some of them also
can testify few of the major disaster that they have experienced in their early days. Since the
young generation is not familiar with the disastrous impacts of the environmental
degradation, they cannot imagine the real situation while the older people can comprehend it
completely. As a result, the old people are always aware of the issue and always try to
protect the environment by all possible means for them. On the other side, the young people
are almost reluctant over the protection issue and keep spoiling the environment in all
possible means. They perform the acts frequently which cause damage the environment.
They are in fact not serious over the issue as they needed to be like the experienced people.

Holidays & Celebration:

• What is the concept of a holiday in your country?
Well, generally the concept of Holiday in Vietnam is similar to the other countries. People on
this day get an off from their professional activities. Currently, there are 10 public holidays
available in the country.

I think you are aware that before 2007, there were eight days in a year and following the
government’s directives two days have been increased and the number of days off has turned
into 10. People of all class, especially who are engaged in occupational activities, get the day
off. They usually spend the day with their family and friends. Sometimes, they enjoy the day
by celebrating different events and festivals. But sometimes the festivals are celebrated for
about a month. The aim of the festivals and events is to entertain the common people. When
the Vietnamese people work, they work at a stretch for longer hours and accordingly they get
tired. So, they are in great need of relaxation while the festivals and events are organised on
the holidays so that they could enjoy the events completely. The festivals in my Vietnam are
colourful and attract people of all ages. Mostly the holiday festivals and events are organised
marking the memories of countrymen and patriots who have contributed much to the
country. Those are better known as ceremonial rites. Besides, the other holiday activities are
known as entertaining activities for the citizens and also the people travelling inside the
country participate. The holidays in the country includes the International New Year Day,
Lunar Year Festival, Tet etc.

• Why are holidays so important to modern people?

Great question to answer. In fact, this is a fast-paced age. Everything is moving ahead of
time and we need to keep pace. At times we are to race against time to serve our purposes.
Consequently, getting affected by stress, anxiety and other mental disorders has turned into a
common matter for all. So, the modern people need holidays. You know, working for around
8-10 hours a day has some negative impacts on body and mind of the employees. And if they
work round the week, certainly they are to suffer from the disorders and it is seen that when
they are going through the situations, productivity level reduces to a great extent. They
cannot provide the desired output which results in a loss for the companies or corporations
they are working for. Thus, the necessity of the holiday cannot be described in words. It
helps them to regain vitality. After passing one or two days without any work, they regain the
energy which boosts their production level. Besides, when they are at the office, it becomes
impossible to maintain the societal responsibilities and rules. Sometimes the busy people
even cannot afford time for their family. When they are passing the day offs, they can
reconnect with the relations they have in the society or community or can pass quality times
with their family and friends. Everything is turning mechanised and similarly, the impacts
are falling on the modern people. They are also being like machines and the holidays help
them to get relief from the mechanised world.

• Do you think it is necessary to observe the traditional customs?

Hmm! Yes, it is important to observe or follow the traditional customs. This is the root of all
people and it is imperative for them to abide by all the traditional rules. In fact, it takes them
back to the people and culture they belong to. The traditional cultures and customs are the
identity for oneself. It creates a sense of self-respect inside. For instance, when you will
follow or perform any of your native rituals, you will feel a deep satisfaction inside.
Whatever the ritual or custom is, it will make you mentally stronger. It will make you believe
that you are not alone in the world. You are with your community. Your community is
always there to be with you in every situation. It helps to strengthen the bond between you
and your community. But if you do not follow the traditional rituals or customs, it should be
considered as a bad luck for you. It points that you do not have a good linkage with your
community and thereby you are unaware of the traditional customs. In some cases in
Vietnam, the matter is considered as shameful for people if they cannot perform traditional
customs. It is also marked as a specimen of their weak linkage with the society. So, I think it
is necessary to perform the traditional rituals or at least people should be least familiar with
the activities so that they do not get embarrassed before the community during the
performance if they are asked to.
• What changes in terms of spending festivals and holidays have taken place in the past
decade?
Well, there are lots of changes in the trends of celebrating festivals. Earlier, people used to
celebrate the holidays with their friends and almost all the activities were out of the home.
But currently, the celebrations have involved the family members as well in line with the
friends. Besides, the celebrations are taking place in indoor spaces too. When it was about
the national rituals or traditional celebration in the past, people used to gather in open spaces
and still they do the same for such large events like observing the International New Years
Day, or the celebration of the Lunar Year etc. Small scale celebrations did not take place in
the past decades but now they have covered a notable space in the lives of the people. The
majority of the people like to celebrate small scale events at their homes like birthday or
marriage day celebration etc. But when it is a national issue, the celebrations are made in
large scale and people of all strata participate in those events. In the past decades, the concept
of private parties was absent but now they have emerged as an influential element to pass
holiday. Many of the modern citizens arrange for private parties at different times, especially
on the holidays.

• What is the difference as regards celebration in different parts of the country?

Umm! In fact, there are some differences found regarding the celebrations. But those
differences are not too much important to consider and they are not harmful actually.
Usually, the differences take place for regional cultures but all the other primary methods
remain the same. The theme of the celebrations cannot be changed rather the celebration
systems slightly differ from place to place in Vietnam. Besides, some of the festivals take
place in some of the parts of the country while those are not found in other parts. Take an
example- the parts of Vietnam that grow paddy or other crops usually celebrate the Autumn
Festival of harvest festival while the other parts do not celebrate as the regions do not grow
the crops. Usually, the activities of any festival include social gathering, taking meals
together, praying and thanksgiving to each other. It is evident that all the things are same but
the food menu may get changed based on regions which may seem unusual or the indicator
of difference. So, neither the differences are huge nor those are made in such manners that
may alter the celebration meaning to others. The slight differences could be adjusted and
already people have adapted them to their lifestyle.

News & Media:

• Do you think the information on the Internet believable or not?
Well, I think the information available on the internet is not always believable. Usually, all
the information on the internet are provided free of cost and they are useful for the common
users. But sometimes there are some false or twisted information has also been found which
are of no use at all and even if the internet users believe them, they will invite disaster in
their life. For instance, once I saw a speech on internet quoting Abraham Lincoln saying,
“Everything posted on the internet should not be believed as true”. How true he was! He was
right actually. He was right indeed in the sense that during his presidency in the USA, there
was no internet and even the invention of the computer was not done I think. So, how he
could deliver such statements? That is the question of the day. The answer is very simple. In
fact, Abraham Lincoln did not say such speeches and the statements have been made for
confusing people and make fun only. Most of such information is posted on the internet to
fool people or to gain some illegal interests. Sometimes people see different attractive
information on the internet and work accordingly by believing them as true which leads them
to a financial or some other types of damages. There are some online miscreants who post
such deceptive and fake information to mislead the common internet users. Such miscreants
aim to gain their own interest and the internet users should be careful of the issue.

• What is the most effective way of getting news?

Yes, there are several ways to get news around you. The first and most important source of
getting news is the mass media and television channels. But I prefer the television channels
more than the newspapers for several reasons. Firstly, the events sometimes are telecasted
live on the channels while the newspapers publish the issues on the next day. Besides, many
of the newspapers provide fabricated news and work as an agent for the illegal authorities
(and they also take benefits in return from the illegal authorities for the publicising). As a
result, the newspapers readers get twisted information. The good people are made bad while
the miscreants are altered from their actual position and a positive image is created for them.
But in television channels, there are no such issues and the sometimes the events are live
telecast. So, when one represents the misinformation the others present there impede the
attempts. Moreover, being the age of technology, the emergence of online news websites is
another important source for getting the latest updates. They instantly provide the news and
event happening around us and the facts and information are reliable as well. So, in the
current days, the demand of published newspapers is slightly decreased. However, people
now rely on all forms of media to have the latest news and updates.

• How do reporters gather information?

Well, this is a very good question. The reporters have to struggle a lot to collect information
from different issues. They need to move from place to places to collect the information and
also has to justify the news merit. Besides, they also have to justify the exact information as
if the data they receive is misleading or not related to the issue they are dealing with, they
cannot publish the news. If they publish such reports which are misleading or incomplete, the
newspaper or the news agency will start losing its credibility. Consequently, the newspaper
or agency will lose its business as well. When an incident happens, usually the reporters rush
to the spots and try to collect information on the issue. They ask questions to the people
related to the incidents and events and thus collect information. Sometimes they need to
cross check the information if those are viable or not. After the justification of the
information in several stages, they write the reports and publish on their respective media.
During the information collection, they are to undergo different ‘situations’ and most of the
time they are to take risks of different levels. You know, sometimes they are even to sacrifice
their lives during the information collection process. The scenarios turn worst in the war-torn
areas and they travel in such areas risking their lives. But in the cities and urban areas,
information collection is not that much difficult. Whatever the collection process is, they
actually try to get the right thing and expose the issue before the public.

• What do you think of the importance of privacy?

Uhh! Privacy is one of the top most important things in one’s life. If there were no privacy,
the situations would have turned awkward for us. There are some activities that we cannot
perform before everyone and in those cases we need privacy. We cannot do everything in
public. It looks indecent in the civil society. If we perform the things we ought to do in
private, people will have a negative impact on their mind about us. Sometimes, they may also
think that we do not have the personality or do not care for others and so. As a result, we may
not be able to communicate effectively with them later or in our needs. In a word, we have to
lose our respect in the society. For instance, bathing is the work to be done in a bathroom,
not in a public place. But if you show no respect to the standard rules of bathing (inside of a
bathroom), you would be neglected and may also turn into a laughing stock to all. You have
to keep in mind that privacy is the thing that is a kind of cover for you to protect you from
the evil things and evil doers. Consider yourself as a woman and you are bathing outside of
the bathroom, then people will capture the moments in their cell phone cameras which will
be embarrassing indeed for you. But you do want that happen. So, you have to follow the
standards of privacy.

• How do journalists entertain their customers?

The journalists try to entertain the readers of their newspapers with different news, reports or
articles. Most of the time they try to collect the exclusive issues so that the readers or
customers could get entertained and the newspaper or the television could have a good
business as well. The customers are tending to go through the exclusive reports and it has
been found that the reports of crime and entertainment are the most preferred by the
customers. So, the journalists try to collect the information over the matters which are
preferable to the readers. They travel to different places to collect the exact information and
sometimes they spend more times in preparing the reports. The actual time frame is not set
for such reports but when they are published or aired on the media, they create a sense of
great satisfaction among the readers.

• What role do media play in people’s life?

Ummm! Media plays a great role in the life of people. In fact, the people are highly
influenced by the media role. Media tries to expose different issues to the people and they
accept the issues and become aware of them. For instance, media is publicising over a
murder and people are getting aware of that. They come to know about the murder and
consequently become aware of the killing and the killer(s). Now if they see or meet the
killer(s) accidentally, either they will try to protect themselves from the killer or they will
help the law enforcers in nabbing the killer. It raises a sense of awareness among the
common people about the right and wrong. They learn to do the right things for their
betterment. Besides, different advertisements are also aired or published on the media which
also plays a great role in people’s life. If I ask you to name a car, I can bet your reply will
match with some sort of advertisements that you experienced earlier over car selling. The
advertisements influence our minds subconsciously. Media exposes the advertisements to us.
Further, we are informed about different happenings through the media. So, the importance
of media in our life cannot be ignored. Rather media is influencing our lives from many
aspects gradually.

• How do people in your country gather information?

Actually, there are no direct sources of information in India to gather information for the
common people except reading the newspaper and watching television. The newspaper has
access almost everywhere inside the country and they serve with the reliable news. Besides,
the satellite television channels also provide news and information of great interest.
Sometimes, the young people are seen using the internet to gain information from different
websites and they also rely on the online news agencies for information. But the trend is not
that much appreciated by the adult people as they are in fact not attracted to the internet. The
use of social networking site like twitter, facebook etc. also play a great role in gathering
information and in those websites, the information spreads rapidly than imagination.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of different media?

There is nothing in the world without demerits and in line with the theory; the media also has
some demerits too. Media at times provides fabricated information to create misconception
in the society and thus increases the chances of anarchy. But not all the media should be
blamed for the twisting information. Some of the media play the role of protector of the
unscrupulous people and to save them from troubles, they publicise the modified news. As a
direct result, the commoners get the wrong information and the principles of distributing free
and fair information are hampered. But considering the benefits, the demerits are few. Media
has a wide number of benefits. It always remains alert to spread news and information over
different issues and help us become aware as well.

• Do you think it necessary to control the news coverage?

Umm, great question. I think sometimes it is necessary to control the news coverage and it
should be done in the sensational issues. People usually turn eager to learn about the
sensational issues like crime or entertainment. So, in that case, if the information is not the
exact one, it would lead the audience into a wrong way. Thereby, in those cases, the reports
should be monitored properly.

• What kind of news do you think should be controlled?

Usually, crime reports like killings etc. are highly preferred by the audience and thus those
reports should be controlled in a proper way. Sometimes due to misrepresentation of the
information, the audience might turn agitated and it happens mostly in the communal issues.
Communal riots can be fueled by the reports or some other cases a section of the society
could also be made violent over any issues. Sometimes there is some news about the film
industry and media spreads rumours which are not true in fact. Those issues should also be
brought under strict monitoring.

• Compare the people's attitude to media between now and the past 20 years?
Earlier, people used to be less aware of the media but now the scenario has changed. I guess,
20 years ago people had less freedom to get information from different media. Newspapers,
radio and TV were their main source of information. People were restricted to the local
media and getting international media coverage was a dream.

The scenario is quite different these days. The Internet has opened the opportunity for people
to get any news from any country, except in few countries. The freedom of speech is no
longer a dream and people with their smartphone, satellite connection, and computers can
read any news or get any information they like. They are actively participating in sharing a
news and forming opinion online which was not possible in the past. However, fabricated
news on social media and less reliable online newspapers is a concerning issue. Though
people these days have many options, they have to judge an information before believing it.

• Should we trust the journalists? Why/why not?

Well, this is a difficult question to answer. Generally, they work to inform us and work really
hard to make us informed. However, not all journalists are trustworthy. It is wise not to trust
every news source and journalist as sometimes they report and publish baseless and
politically motivated news.

• What do you think a good journalist should be like?

Uhh… to me the idea of a good journalist is to be neutral while representing news and other
information. In fact, a newspaper is considered as the mirror of the society and when there is
twisted news on the media, the common people may get misguided. An honest journalist
always maintains integrity, professional ethics and work for the betterment of the society.