Study Tour to Russia 2016

From 9 to 21 May, the School of Journalism and Communication organized the first ever study tour to Russia. Led by Prof. Clement So and Prof. David Wong, a total of 24 postgraduate and undergraduate students had the opportunity to learn more about the media field, to expose to a different culture, and also to enjoy a great time in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

The study trip itself was way more than a pure travel experience – it was very rewarding in terms of intellectual and cultural enrichment.

Throughout the 13 days in Russia, different editors working for different news agencies willingly shared about their insights and challenges faced, including Mr. Alexander Gubsky, Deputy Editor of Vedomosti, a leading business daily in Russia; and Ms Polina Sokhranova, Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan Russia. Indeed, majority of the representatives in the print media, technology companies and PR agencies we visited started off their career as journalists at Vedomosti.

Students also got a chance to listen from independent media like SLON.RU and TV Rain, about how media autonomy is being challenged by the tightening control from state authority. On the other hand, the group visited the offices of technology giants made-in-Russia (like AVITO and Yandex), interacted with senior management with marketing and public relations background, who shared about how the tactics deployed to gain popularity in local and nearby markets.

The 10-hour flight to and from Moscow, the overnight train to Saint Petersburg, the boat ride along Moscow River and the unbeatable beetroot salad as well as meatballs in this extraordinary and remarkable trip have become valuable memories to students and teachers.