Rising through the tide of a media and a planet in crisis

Journalism educators worldwide are grappling with changes in news production and the media business which have drastically transformed the industry in recent years. These changes have presented both opportunities and challenges.

Among the critical questions from prospective students and those advancing their journalism education are: What does the future of journalism look like? Do we have the knowledge, skills and competencies for this new world order? These questions are central to designing curricula today and ensuring that journalism schools have the resources and infrastructure to prepare graduates for a future which is uncertain but remains crucial to society.

All of this is happening against the backdrop of a global crisis that demands the attention of media stakeholders, including journalists. The current environmental, social, and political challenges not only demand the attention of journalists but require that media’s intervention averts a worrying situation, ensuring future generations inherit a safe and sustainable environment.

Educational institutions have a crucial role in this by ensuring that journalists are professionally ready to execute their duties. As highlighted in a recent UNESCO report, excellence in journalism education requires journalists to not only safeguard and promote ethical values in their everyday work, but to also support democracy and human rights, including freedom of expression and the press.

Media operations

Journalism education today must encourage a critical examination of media operations within the African context and be responsive to the region’s information needs. This is particularly important in an era where misinformation is rampant, and the need for credible, factual information is more critical than ever.

While Africa faces numerous challenges — including corruption, bad governance, extreme poverty, food insecurity, health inequalities, wars and civil unrest as well as climate change — it is saddled with a young population eager for change. The recent protests by Gen Zs demanding good governance in Kenya demonstrated what it means when young people take up their place and hold governments and leaders to account. In such a context, journalism has the opportunity to contribute to building a sustainable society by helping the population understand how the decisions and activities of their leaders affect their future and the country’s economy —hence the concept of sustainable journalism.

For this to happen effectively, African journalism educators need to redefine what should drive their pedagogy, which has largely remained unchanged, with dominant influences from Western models. Our recent article in the Journalism Practice journal, titled “Putting Forward Sustainability as a Model for Journalism Education and Training,” cited data which revealed that most journalism schools on the continent continue to rely heavily on Western literature, case studies, and educational approaches. While the principles of journalism remain universal, the context in which they are applied differs, necessitating the need to contextualise these principles so that they are responsive to the socio-economic, cultural, and political realities of the continent.

It would not be out of order for African journalism educators to develop their own styles of journalism and education. A good starting point would be the convening of African journalism educators to share their experiences, network and learn from one another. Having interacted with colleagues across the continent, one thing has become clear: journalism educators share common interests, including the need to strengthen practical training in a changing environment, and to develop an appropriate research agenda that can support journalism.

Better results

These efforts yield even better results when educators and practitioners collaborate. In addition to contributing to scholarship and knowledge, journalism schools influence public discussions and policymaking relevant to media and society. Journalism schools also offer professional development and knowledge to working journalists and support experimentation in the media space.

This month, more than 50 African journalism educators will convene in Nairobi, Kenya, at the Aga Khan University for scholarly discussions and exchange of ideas on the relevance of journalism education in today’s changing environment. The meeting will among other discussions, consider how today’s education can best prepare journalists to cover issues like climate change and the resources available on the continent to support this. It will also devote some time to experiential learning and case studies on the appropriation of AI tools for journalism education and practice.

Prof Booker is the Dean of the The Aga Khan University’s Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi.