Journalism in the world and particularly in India, has seen drastic changes with the turn of technology, many fields have felt the push of digitalization, many were born due to digital, and some have even feared being wiped out due to digital. But the most difficult part of evolving journalism has been the demand of dynamic journalists who can do more than just informing and entertaining. 

But to become such dynamic journalists, the students pursuing studies in this field need to be rigorously trained. On the graduate and post-graduate level the students need to see every aspect of journalism and polish themselves for an industry which is fast paced, and fact based. To achieve these various methods can be adopted by the universities, Work-Integrated Learning, internship opportunities, familiarity with practical equipment and training for their usage are just some of the ways. 

Importance of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL)

According to a paper named, The Role of Work Integrated Learning in Preparing Journalism Students for the Workplace by Diederichs and Makhadi, the WIL provides a bridge to students to experience and understand the ‘professional future’ by integrating it in their ‘academic today’. In the same paper it is mentioned that students who had gone through their academic program were able to easily adapt in workplace situations while undergoing WIL which they did not necessarily encounter in classroom setups. 

Further, the study highlights that universities must be responsible for placing the students in the industry and supervisors must be in touch with potential employers who can recruit students. This raises an interesting point; WIL could also help a student get an edge over other applicants in a job as they are not starting from square one but have already experienced the field work before and have better knowledge of the workplace. They can become recruiters’ first choice in this cut-throat world of employment. 

How Can Professional Journalism Training Help the Field?

While Citizen journalism and digital spaces have made it possible for all to have a voice, grassroot journalism has brought up issues which may not be covered in mainstream media. However, they have their set of issues as well. The lack of accuracy, constant flow of misinformation, blatant violation of journalistic ethics are just a few of the examples. While digital has made it possible for anyone to create a space through blogging, vlogging, influencer marketing and other ways to create awareness, students trained in journalistic ethics can better deliver news through mainstream and digital platforms. 

Issues Of Journalism and Solution of Media Training

The field of journalism has taken a serious hit by fake news, post truth, paid news, non-viable revenue models and overflow of information. Amid such chaos, media training the future generation of journalists and providing them with WILs is the only beacon of hope that is relevant. Well trained and informed journalism students can not only deliver better news but understand the piece of news from more than one angle. 

 

Universities are expected to provide an environment for the students to practice WIL and make them ‘assets’ for organizations, this will make them stand out in the rat race. Better journalism brings better governance, happier citizens and holds the fourth estate of a democracy concrete.