By Amy Webb
In the Nieman ebook How To Make J-school Matter (Again): A blueprint for the future of journalism education, Amy Webb identifies six hidden challenges facing journalism educators today and offers a new approach to curriculum and classroom education. Webb, founder of the digital strategy firm Webbmedia Group, conducted research for the project as a Knight Visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard.
The Six Hidden Challenges in Journalism Education
- There are long-standing tensions between universities and their journalism departments or schools.
- There is no culture of academic leadership within journalism departments and schools.
- The current system prevents curriculum development from keeping pace with the changing realities of modern newsrooms.
- Accreditation in journalism is a paradox, making things simultaneously better and worse.
- Journalism departments do not fundraise on par with their peers within the university.
- Journalism schools have not cultivated a symbiotic relationship with the industry.
Webb’s three-pronged approach includes a foundation of exceptional liberal arts coursework; a holistic survey of modern journalism and newsrooms with deep-dives into specialized concentrations; and a compulsory experiential learning component that can better mirror the educational background and expectations of young Millennials.
Download
About the author
Amy Webb, a 2014-15 Visiting Nieman Fellow, is a quantitative futurist and founder of the Future Today Institute. The author of “The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe Is Tomorrow’s Mainstream,” she is also a professor at the NYU Stern School of Business.