New Delhi: Journalism schools often promise skills, exposure, and industry readiness. But the real measure of any programme lies in what happens after students leave—the careers they build, the ideas they shape, and the stories they tell.
Alumni from ThePrint School of Journalism (TPSJ) today work across newsrooms, public policy think tanks, emerging tech ventures, consulting firms and independent media platforms. What connects them isn’t a single career path, but a shared shift in perspective—a sharper instinct for clarity, structure, and responsibility in communication.
Turning complexity into clarity
For Kapil Ravi, from Batch 4, TPSJ did not redirect his career, it refined it. As Founder and Director of ComputeGenomics, he works at the intersection of biology, computation, and clinical applications, building genomic analysis infrastructure aimed at making DNA science more accessible and affordable.
But genomics is layered with jargon and deep-tech complexity. Communicating it responsibly requires more than expertise.
“The strongest takeaway for me was the discipline of objectivity and structure,” Kapil says. “Coming from a scientific and entrepreneurial background, I am used to defending ideas, sometimes even contrarian ones.”
“TPSJ introduced the habit of stepping back and interrogating those ideas more critically. Its journey taught revisiting even widely accepted scientific approaches with a more objective lens.”
Through GenomeCafe, a content series, and his professional writing, Kapil now focuses on simplifying complexity without losing scientific rigour.
Observing how newsroom stories were questioned, refined, and contextualised, reinforced the importance of credibility, something that now shapes how he discusses science and healthcare in public forums. In his words, TPSJ helped bridge the gap between “domain expertise and responsible public articulation”.
Finding direction inside a newsroom
For Pratyaksha, who also belonged to Batch 4, journalism runs in the family. A third-generation journalist, he now manages Ahl-e-Saba, an Urdu newspaper in Ranchi, a role that demands editorial judgement and strong newsroom instincts.
Even with inherited experience, TPSJ reshaped how he approached writing. A particular assignment from ThePrint’s Opinions Editor Rama Lakshmi in the course of studies became a turning point. Her constructive criticism forced him to rethink structure and narrative flow. “That assignment taught me a lot about how articles should be written,” he says.
Newsroom exposure broadened his understanding of how different beats operate and helped him realise his preference for political reporting. Modules like photography journalism were eye-opening.
“I didn’t know how difficult photography journalism is,” he recalls. For him, the biggest takeaway was holistic: skills in article writing, clarity about different genres, and practical industry exposure guided by mentors.
From coursework to policy conversations
Sneha Yadav’s journey after TPSJ led her into policy research and institution-building.
She is now the Co-founder and Editorial Director of SARVODAY TheRise Foundation, a youth-led independent public policy think tank based in Lucknow that produces expert opinion pieces, policy briefs, and field-based research reports.
While classroom modules helped shape her thought process, Sneha says the newsroom was the real training ground. She was part of the first batch of the school.
“There are two things; one is what your mentor teaches you, the other is what you observe and learn,” she says. “The latter was only possible through newsroom exposure.”
She still remembers the pressure of meeting tight deadlines during her internship. That discipline now shapes how she runs her organisation.
“At ThePrint, I learned how to go beyond surface-level reporting and get a 360-degree perspective on a subject,” she explains. In a content-saturated world, she believes depth and rigour are survival tools. TPSJ helped her internalise that.
Applying journalistic thinking beyond journalism
Not all TPSJ alumni remain in traditional media roles and that, perhaps, is part of its strength.
Sonika Kumar, who graduated from the maiden batch of the school, now works at KPMG in the bid management domain as a business analyst, focusing on market research within the technology sector. Her day-to-day work revolves around analysing data, structuring information, and presenting insights clearly, skills she traces back to TPSJ.
“I found the ground report module pretty interesting,” she says. “It gave me a basic approach on how to structure complex topics.”
During her internship, she had to apply classroom learning in interviews, research and structuring pieces. “It gave me a methodology to approach writing and to think on my feet when interacting with people and to read between the lines.”
She credits mentorship and hands-on newsroom exposure for sharpening her communication and analytical agility. “It helped me discern between data sets and how to present them. That’s very important in my current role.”
For Sonika, the programme bridged multiple gaps, industry exposure, research skills, presentation skills, and soft skills. “It helped me build rapport, communicate effectively, and sift through information to identify what’s important and why.”
In consulting, that ability can be as critical as in journalism.
Learning rhythm of a real newsroom
Kartikey Chaturvedi’s path reflects a more traditional newsroom trajectory. After completing the course and interning at ThePrint in 2025, he joined Bhaskar English in Bhopal as a sub-editor, writing daily explainers across politics, defence, economy, agriculture, and more. With 2026 shaping up to be politically intense, he is now being considered for ground reporting.
One defining moment was reporting on Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union elections during his internship. The experience felt like observing national politics in miniature. Mentorship left a lasting impression.
He recalls being told: “When you’re on the ground, always write what you see, and don’t look for what you want to write.” That advice continues to guide his reporting.
He also remembers working during major breaking developments, assisting with live updates, fact-checking, verification, and tracking agency feeds. “Seeing how much coordination and quick thinking a newsroom demands when news is unfolding by the minute, that was the coolest part,” he says.
The experience gave him not just skills, but maturity and an understanding that journalism is as much about navigating a newsroom professionally as it is about finding a story.
More than a course, a shift in perspective
Across their varied careers, from tech and consulting to regional journalism and public policy, TPSJ alumni describe a common transformation.
ThePrint School of Journalism was launched in 2024, and is an initiative of Shekhar Gupta who has time and again reiterated that the best classroom to learn journalism is a newsroom.
It offers a four-month, power-packed weekend-only course to get a professional perspective of the different aspects of journalism, followed by a three-month internship to put the skills to use.
The weekend format allows working professionals and students to engage deeply without stepping away from existing commitments. Mentorship provides guidance; newsroom exposure provides realism.
For some, the biggest gain is clarity. For others, discipline and structure. For many, exposure to how editorial decisions are made and how credibility is built under pressure.
The journeys of the alumni suggest that TPSJ does not simply produce journalists. It cultivates communicators, people who can interrogate ideas, structure arguments, analyse information, and present it responsibly.
And in a world flooded with noise, that ability may be more valuable than ever.
Also Read: The first batch of ThePrint’s J-school has graduated—what students want in the next