Challenges and New Directions in Journalism Education

Drawing on original and innovative contributions from educators, practitioners and students, Challenges and New Directions in Journalism Education captures and informs our understanding of journalism pedagogy in the context of ongoing shifts in journalism practice.

Journalism is once again facing challenges, accused of elitism and often branded as too far removed from the reality of people’s lives. The post-truth context has engendered a crisis of trust, and journalism is portrayed as core to the problem, rather than the solution. Citizen journalism and societal shifts have provoked a move away from ‘top-down’ reporting, towards greater interactivity with audiences, but inclusivity remains an issue with news organisations and industry councils intensifying protocols in a bid to create more diverse newsrooms. This poses multiple questions for journalism educators: How is journalism education engaging with these imperatives in the ‘post-pandemic’ context? How can student perspectives inform our response? What journalism should we teach? Against this landscape, and in response to these questions, this book engages with a series of key themes and objectives related to challenges and new directions in journalism education. These include discussions around safeguarding, sustainability, journalism’s ‘democratic deficit’, integrating media literacy and the ‘post-pandemic’ context. Each chapter draws on primary data, case studies and examples to describe and unpack the topic, and concludes with practical suggestions for journalism educators.

Challenges and New Directions in Journalism Education is key reading for anyone teaching or training to become a teacher of journalism.