The International Centre For Journalists (ICFJ), a Washington-based non-profit organisation that works to promote quality journalism worldwide, is launching a media school in the Delhi suburb of Noida, its first such venture in India.

Launched with support from the Knight Foundation and the MacArthur foundation, the International Media Institute Of India (www.imii.co.in) will be run by ICFJ and Indian journalists and expects to start courses in October.

The non-profit institution will offer one-year postgraduate courses in journalism. 'The classroom environment will mimic a newsroom with students constantly reporting and publishing stories. Top-tier international and Indian faculty will instruct the students on how to produce quality journalism for print, interactive and broadcast outlets,' ICFJ said in a statement.

The Graduate School of Journalism of the City University of New York (CUNY) is providing curriculum support. An Indian thinktank, the Society for Policy Studies, is the local partner of ICJF for the school.

'This new programme, with its professional and very practical approach, will meet the demand for high-quality reporters and editors able to use the new array of media tools and techniques,' said ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan.

The institute will hire international and Indian faculty, 'bringing the best of both worlds to that task', said Tarun Basu, president of SPS and chief editor of the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). 'More than ever, we need trained, ethical journalists to meet the rigorous standards that the public expects of an exalted profession and a growing industry.'

IANS, an independent Indian news agency, will provide additional assistance and facilities to IMII.

The school will place strong emphasis on covering economic and social issues facing poor communities, who are often ignored by the mass media.

'Students can amplify voices of the poor, Dalits and tribal people, and help shine a light on their concerns and needs,' said Sanjoy Hazarika, a former New York Times correspondent and member of the IMII advisory board.

Several scholarships will be available for students in need. All students will receive a laptop computer.

David Bloss, a former editor at the The Providence Journal newspaper in Rhode Island, US, and a Knight International Journalism fellow, is the academic director of the institute. Sunil Saxena, a former dean at the Asian College of Journalism, is the dean.

The institute's advisory board includes H.K. Dua, editor-in-chief, The Tribune, Arun Chacko, former director, Press Institute of India, Nikhil Deogun, deputy managing editor, The Wall Street Journal, Manjeet Kripalani, BusinessWeek India bureau chief, and Raju Narisetti, managing editor, The Washington Post, among others.