Journalism Education: Gap between theory and practice - Media Programme Southeast Europe
Event Reports
The occasion of the conference was a current survey among students in South East Europe on their motivation to study journalism. It was conducted from February to March 2015 in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Serbia. In total 531 students from state and private universities participated in the survey. First outcomes were presented on the following day in a public panel discussion in Tirana.
First transnational survey on journalism education in South East Europe
34 percent of the respondents defined journalism as their dream job. Another 34 percent declared their motivation to study journalism with the possibility to take part in social and political processes. However, the career perspectives in the field are discouraging: Only half of the students want to start working in journalism after their graduation. The respondents in all examined countries estimated the study conditions and the technical equipment of the faculties as critical. One in three is dissatisfied with the seminar rooms, lectures and course books. Every second declares that the universities are insufficiently technically equipped. Moreover, the majority of the students think that the offered practical exercises are not enough.
The current study was a starting point for the panel discussion on the following day. Speakers were Sami Neza, Vice-Chairman of the Albanian regulatory agency (AMA) and lecturer at the University of Tirana, Viktorija Car from the University of Zagreb and Orlin Spassov from the University of Sofia.
The discussion was opened and moderated by Christian Spahr, Head of the KAS Media Program South East Europe. In his speech he pointed out, that professional journalism education should have highest priority for politics, media management and the universities, because high-grade journalism is an important precondition for a viable democracy.
More in the event report.
