Paid News: De Monetizing Democracy

Dr. Ambrish Saxena is Director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi. He has done his M.A. (Pol. Sc.) and LL.B. from Allahabad University and BJ and MJ from Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi. He joined journalism as a full-timer in 1979 and served The Pioneer, Newslead, Our Leader, Amrit Prabhat, Aaj and JVG Times in various capacities. In electronic media, he worked as a correspondent for the first TV Hindi magazine Parkash produced by Vinod Dua. He has a long association with Radio Broadcasting and still appears as an anchor in Market Mantra, one of the most reputed programmes of AIR-FM Gold. He has also been involved in the making of documentaries and feature films produced by Films Division, NFDC and foreign production houses. In traditional media, he has made immense contribution to theatre and has been acknowledged for his work by Sangeet Natak Akademi, Human Resource Development Ministry and UP Cultural Affairs Department. Dr. Saxena took up media teaching out of his interest in academics more than a decade ago but gradually he turned to full-time teaching. He has been teaching at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Kamala Nehru College, Kalindi College and IP College for Women of Delhi University, and MBICEM (GGS IPUniversity). During his stay at IIMC, he has done the report writing of two research projects. He has done his Ph. D. from Intercultural Open University, Netherlands. As an academician, his interest lies in Press Laws, Development Communications, History of Journalism and Radio Broadcasting.