John Thomas, a  journalist in India and abroad, and a journalism mentor

John Thomas, a journalist in India and abroad, and a journalism mentor

Author: Frederick Noronha April 29, 2024 Duration: 1:15:31

His career as a journalist started in 1972 as an editorial apprentice in Deccan Herald in Bangalore. He moved to Indian Express in Cochin the following year when the edition for Kerala was started there. John Thomas moved to Singapore via Hong Kong in 1980 and worked that decade between Reuters and Agence France-Presse and a year in Business Times in Singapore to re-convert to print and return to India. He then rejoined the Deccan Herald in Bangalore in 1990. From there, I went to Calcutta in 1998 with a job in The Statesman and returned to Bangalore in 2002 and became part of the founding team of Vijay Times. Superannuated in 2006 and took to journalism teaching. His teaching career began with my involvement in the founding of the Asian College of Journalism [ACJ] in Bangalore in 1994 under the patronage of the Indian Express. Since then, he taught at three more such specialised institutions -- Manorama School of Communication (Mascom) in Kottayam, Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media (IIJNM) in Bangalore and ISB&M School of Communication in Pune. John Thomas served on the board of studies of Christ College, St Joseph's College and Sikkim-Manipal University. And apart from media students of those establishments, he also counts "in my flock", those of Kristu Jayanti College, Garden City College, and St Aloysius College (Mangalore). Says John: "I've tried to be in real retirement, watching the progress of old students and trainees of my working years and post some things for them to read on https://www.facebook.com/Journucopia and https://twitter.com/JTbangalore I was persuaded to return to lead the India operations of International Business Times in Bangalore as Consulting Editor in August 2015. Did what I could in six months and am back to being a media watcher." Recorded by Frederick Noronha (FN).


In BrieFNcounters... ideas, inspiration, innovation from Goa, Frederick Noronha-FN online since 1995-creates a space for the kind of conversations that happen on the edges of mainstream topics. This podcast emerges from Goa, but its focus is on the intersection of ideas that travel far beyond any single location. As a journalist deeply committed to documenting and sharing, Noronha brings his specific curiosities to each episode: the culture and stories of Goa, the world of books, and the impact of technology, with a particular lens on Free Software and Open Source in the Indian context. His background co-founding BytesForAll, a network exploring IT and the internet for social development, informs a perspective that is both practical and idealistic. The discussions are not about fleeting trends but about deeper currents-how knowledge is built, shared, and applied. Listening to this podcast feels like joining a thoughtful dialogue where local insights spark broader reflections on innovation, community, and the tools we use to shape our world. It’s for anyone who believes that the most interesting developments often come from the margins, documented by a veteran observer who values substance over speed. You’ll hear from voices engaged in building, writing, and creating, all filtered through Noronha’s enduring belief in the power of open information and grounded, meaningful exchange.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 6

BrieFNcounters... ideas, inspiration, innovation from Goa
Podcast Episodes
Miguel Braganza, and Scouting in Goa in the 1970s [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:59
Miguel Braganza (then Michael) was one of the batch of prominent youngster in the Scouting movement in the 1970s. In this, he talks about movement he knew, camps in Saligao, and more... December 2020.
Goa's clan system    and migration:  The numbers behind it all [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:10
A chat with John Nazareth, who traces his roots to Moira, Uganda, Malaya and is now based in Canada (Mississauga). We talk about the clan-system in Goa (vangods) and also estimating the number of Goans scattered across t…
Publishers On Books  A podcast from Goa on World Book Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:58
Publishers from the small State of Goa talk about issues facing them. These range from the challenges of a "small market" (not everyone agrees), to distribution and circulation issues, the lack of channels to market thei…