How can universities prepare young journalists for the industry?
The next generation don't just need to know their media law, they must be prepared to take career risks and be emotionally resilient
– 3 min read
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Summer is over and that means another wave of fresh-faced students head to university halls on journalism courses in the hope of someday working in the news industry.
It's a responsibility that weighs on many journalism lecturers and professors, according to Karen Fowler-Watt, the new head of journalism at City University, London.
"What sort of journalism do we need to teach?" she asks on the Journalism.co.uk podcast, after publishing her book Challenges and New Directions in Journalism Education. Here, she and her academic peers explore the thinking behind their curriculum design choices and what her journalism students think about them.
"It’s about showing students how messy, difficult, challenging and unfinished journalism is," says explains.
Diversity on the agenda
Many students already feel diversity and inclusion as a burgeoning need. Many lamented how hard it is to enter the profession without parental privileges and the financial burden of work experience. This has a limiting effect on who can afford to enter the industry.
The NCTJ's Journalists At Work 2024 Survey revealed that 73 per cent of UK journalists within the first three years of their careers carried out totally entirely work experience.
The same study shows 90 per cent of journalists are white. In the book, two young black journalists spoke about how they feel the pressure to be the expert in the room on subjects like racial tensions or equality.
Consider: These are stark realities that young journalists need to be prepared for. In practice, it means understanding the need for diverse sources in their reporting and solidarity for under-represented peers.
Emotional intelligence
Recent journalism graduates have experienced historic news moments, like the coronavirus pandemic and two big conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
Consider: This has brought into sharp focus the need for emotional literacy, resilience, coping mechanisms and both emotional and physical safety. Educators have to tread a fine line here between giving them a dose of reality and not putting them off altogether.
"Any news organisation will teach you what you use to edit," says Fowler-Watt. "It's much more important students have the soft skills that are crucial to sustain themselves as a journalist in the industry as it is right now."
What a time to be a court reporter
The news agenda has been full of high-profile, public interest court stories, from the covid-19 inquiry, to the trials of Lucy Letby and Axel Rudakubana under new broadcasting rights.
Consider: Students have long felt that the courts are dry and dull areas of journalism. But educators need to help them see not only the critical need for accurate reporting, but the rich stories that are there to be told.
- Read more: Seven ways UK court reporting is changing
Podcasting and personalities
Journalism students seem to love podcasts but perceive them as an opinionated medium that is not always in line with journalism.
The rise of popular podcasts like BBC's Newscast and Global Media's The News Agents in recent years has spurred many journalism courses to adopt podcasting into the curriculum.
Consider: Podcasting speaks to a broader trend of personality-driven media where journalists have more licence to be personal and informal. But greater guidance is needed about where balance can be won and lost.
A generation of risk-takers
The modern journalist is willing to take more creative career risks. Take Sophia Smith Galer, for example, a journalist who has gone on to achieve success as a content creator on TikTok and an entrepreneur on her app Sophiana.
She credits her career to her ability to take risks, but recently recognised not all gambles work out: "I'm quite open to risk, but that's also because I prepare for them, and treat myself kindly with what I define as a 'win'."
The same is true for journalists who have ambitions of launching innovative news operations or leading experimentation in their newsroom.
Consider: The current digital landscape allows journalists to dream bigger and bolder with their careers these days. Educators need to show how to sieze opportunities, and if they don't work out, how to learn from these valuable experiences.
"[We must] invest in their confidence to follow their gut, take a risk and see if it works in a well-informed way, which means not putting themselves or others at physical or mental risk."
This article was first published on 12 December 2021 and has been updated on 3 September 2025
Written by
Jacob Granger is the community editor of JournalismUK
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