Journalism education in today’s fast-paced media environment [articol]

Abstract

Political and economic pressures in newsrooms, “fake news” and increasing lack of trust from the part of the audiences are some of the recurring problems professional journalists have to face today, closely linked to the “retreat” in democracy and to the fast-paced media environment pushed by technology advancement. How can journalism education adapt to the accelerated changes affecting the media landscape? Some of the provisional answers to this central question imply encouraging flexibility and adaptability in managing information across different platforms, struggling to highlight relevance and making the best of the up-to-date technological tools, while keeping in mind that “journalism’s first obligation is to the truth” and “its first loyalty is to citizens” (Kovach & Rosenstiel 2003). Entrepreneurial and technical skills should empower future journalists to master transmedia storytelling, crowdfunding and crowdsourcing, get used to the mobile status of the profession and envisage their own media business initiatives, as well as stay true to ethical values.