The future of journalism education in the United Kingdom: a personal view from the academy

Journalism training must not only equip students with the practical skills essential for their career, but must also show students how journalism 'participates in the production and circulation of meaning'. 'Journalism studies' is not an irrelevance to the trained journalist, or even a desirable add-on – it is an essential element of journalistic training. A journalist without an understanding of the history, values and ideology of her profession is an illiterate journalist. The consequences of the internet for journalism and journalism education could be disastrous. We must also be able to trust the information we are given – and in order to do that we need a new generation of ethically-conscious, well-trained journalists for the challenges faced by the new online environment. Those journalists must be prepared to be adaptable, which requires more than producing journalists to meet the perceived skill gaps of today's environment. The challenge for journalism educators is to be equally adaptable. The industry is asking and expecting a great deal of both educators and students. Most crucially, employers must recognise that training cannot be left to the universities alone.