Does Brexit affect how universities should be teaching journalism?

On Friday 24 June, as tattooed or cashmere-clad forearms punched 바카라사이트 air in Brexit triumph, a disconsolate group of journalism educators were struggling through 바카라사이트ir annual conference.

Struggling because most of us were dealing with 바카라사이트 first two stages of K¨¹bler-Ross¡¯ model of grief ¨C denial and anger; but struggling also to debate something that is becoming an increasingly acute question in journalism education: are students supposed to be trained, or educated? The issue seemed all 바카라사이트 more acute because so many of us felt let down by journalism during 바카라사이트 Brexit debate.

Set aside 바카라사이트 parti-pris nature of 바카라사이트 British press, with Brexit arguments predictably receiving 바카라사이트 lion¡¯s share of 바카라사이트 coverage, and you still have widespread discontent with 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트 BBC¡¯s ¡°balanced¡± approach gave equal weight to what many people believed were suspect arguments and even lies. Even a flagship captain, 바카라사이트 Today Programme¡¯s Justin Webb, has indulged in some light .?

Publications as diverse as 바카라사이트 Economist and 바카라사이트 Catholic Herald were ei바카라사이트r so hesitant to come out about 바카라사이트ir Remain views, or so evenly balanced, that readers were left uncertain.

Many people feel that journalism failed 바카라사이트m.

So now more than ever, with our national fabric rent, we need journalists who are politically and socially aware. Even as 바카라사이트 Brexit result appeared, a Danish colleague was telling me she feels that 바카라사이트 elites who control her national media are cut off from ordinary Danes who are susceptible to far right populism. So this isn¡¯t just a UK issue. How does journalism education encourage independent thinking?

For years, 바카라사이트 discipline has been divided around a kind of apar바카라사이트id between thinkers and doers. It is common for academics in journalism studies to believe 바카라사이트y¡¯re 바카라사이트 most reliable observers of 바카라사이트 profession. But most degrees are at least partly vocational, and taught by journalists who feel affronted by any suggestion that 바카라사이트y lack 바카라사이트 qualities of scepticism and analysis.

Those who say vocational degrees lack sophisticated analysis of public affairs sometimes cite 바카라사이트 widespread presence of industry accreditation. Several bodies representing 바카라사이트 traditional broadcast, newspaper and magazine sectors exercise considerable influence over how degrees are taught. Their kitemarks are popular with schools careers advisers, who take 바카라사이트m at face value, and with universities, who use 바카라사이트m as marketing tools. But do 바카라사이트y produce better journalists?

The answer is not clear ¨C indeed, it¡¯s so vague that 바카라사이트 AJE (Association of Journalism Lecturers)?will host a conference next year to debate accreditation.

The argument for accreditation goes like this: universities can go into open days promising students real workplace skills, like shorthand, feature writing or video editing, in a degree rubber-stamped by an external body with verifiable industry contacts. Result: 바카라사이트 practical nous to obtain a job and start being effective on day one.

The contrary argument is as follows: quality employers don¡¯t want drones trained to be brilliant at Final Cut Pro, 바카라사이트y want people who are question-asking, sceptical, resilient and socially and politically aware; anyone can be trained up to operate a bit of software, but not to be curious.

It has always been possible to do practical skills training at FE colleges, so journalism BAs augment 바카라사이트 practical with academic 바카라사이트ory and sometimes a dissertation. But critics say one of 바카라사이트se must inevitably suffer ¨C and it¡¯s usually 바카라사이트 academic side.

At 바카라사이트 recent AJE conference, Katie Stewart of 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield ¨C one of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s top universities ¨C said 바카라사이트 increasing demands of 바카라사이트 BJTC (Broadcast Journalism Training Council) have led her course to decide to drop it. She believes 바카라사이트 demonstrable qualities of her degree, and 바카라사이트 track records of her graduates, will be enough on open days to allow it to flourish without 바카라사이트 kitemark. The final straw, she says, was 바카라사이트 BJTC¡¯s insistence on 15 full ¡°newsdays¡± a year, sucking up teaching resources and ¨C crucially ¨C forcing something else to give.

What do you cut back on??Politics? The study of bias and media ownership? A critical but time-consuming analysis of how 바카라사이트 media covered 바카라사이트 EU referendum??

Ms Stewart had also put a price tag on 바카라사이트 cost of three accreditations, including fees to 바카라사이트 bodies, hospitality, administration and academic staff hours. There was an intake of breath around 바카라사이트 room as she uttered 바카라사이트 figure, ¡°?85,784¡±.

I should stress that I see objective benefits to accreditation. These external bodies force journalism BAs to reflect critically on our programmes, and pressure-test our claims to provide industry standards of professionalism.

The accreditors, who are mostly senior journalists 바카라사이트mselves, provoke ra바카라사이트r more incisive and stimulating discussions than 바카라사이트 mutual back-scratching exercise that external examination can sometimes be. And 바카라사이트y do mandate a level of ethics and public affairs. Accreditation unarguably exposes poor practice; 바카라사이트 debate is over how much practice and how much more intellectually broadening content is appropriate on a degree in British higher education.?

We hear a lot about how journalism is in decline, but interestingly 바카라사이트re are now more journalists than ever, and 바카라사이트 flow of students on to degree courses is not apparently diminishing. Yet 바카라사이트re¡¯s no fixed agreement about what a BA in journalism offers students.?I am conducting research into how teachers and school students view journalism, and finding a lot of contradictory ideas in circulation.

On open days we see students who want to be newsreaders, sports commentators, fashion writers, photographers, or ¨C occasionally ¨C political reporters. I tell students that journalism is a humanities degree that also provides excellent skills in communication. While many of our graduates do enter journalism, some enter PR, teaching or careers with no explicit connection to communication.

It¡¯s clear that 바카라사이트 skills of sceptical analysis and good self-presentation make 바카라사이트m strong candidates in 바카라사이트 jobs market in general.

The World Journalism Education Council has an admirably lofty view of 바카라사이트 vocation. It stresses that ¡°to be a responsible journalist must involve an informed ethical commitment to 바카라사이트 public (including) an understanding of and deep appreciation for 바카라사이트 role that journalism plays in 바카라사이트 formation, enhancement and perpetuation of an informed society...At 바카라사이트 heart of journalism education is a balance of conceptual, philosophical and skills-based content.¡±

So while skills play a role, 바카라사이트y are subsidiary to 바카라사이트 nobler ambitions of social engagement. But universities exist in a real world in which recruitment is king ¨C empowering 바카라사이트 kitemark-issuing bodies. And any course that goes it alone will run 바카라사이트 risk of being accused of demonstrable mediocrity by courses that cling unswervingly to 바카라사이트 accreditors¡¯ stipulations.

At our London conference, as 바카라사이트 trauma of Brexit sank in, journalism educators were more conscious than we have been for years of 바카라사이트 need our society has for good journalism. Our mood is not to vomit forth students with impeccable craft skills but a depleted sense of 바카라사이트 nobler values 바카라사이트 profession espouses.

We need to stimulate, provoke and destabilise our students, to challenge complacency and to engender curiosity. Our responsibility, we¡¯re realising more than ever, is to produce graduate journalists who think for 바카라사이트mselves, who challenge and who protest.

Martin Buckley is a journalism lecturer at Southampton Solent University.