Ahead of the annual AEJMC conference in Denver, a pre-conference workshop looked at the role of journalism schools as news providers.
The workshop brought together journalism practitioners and educators to discuss how j-schools are filling gaps in news coverage through student journalism.
Eric Newton from the Knight Foundation opened the session by outlining four transformational trends for journalism education:
- Journalism schools are becoming better connected to other university disciplines and departments, expanding the definition of what it means to be a journalist.
- Journalism schools are playing an increasing role as content and technology innovators.
- Journalism schools are emerging as teachers of collaborative, open approaches and models.
- Journalism schools are becoming news providers that understand the eco-system of their communities. In the digital age, said Newton, j-schools are trying to engage more deeply with the people we used to call the audience
Newton said these trends are key to the success of journalism schools going forward, but he added that these trends are built on existing practices.
Newton concluded by saying that we will know when the transformation has taken place when these are not emerging trends but our new traditions.
PDF