In India, journalism education is offered by hundreds of institutions, and approximately 30 000 aspiring journalists study the craft at any given time. Despite its popularity, the field still faces strong cross-pressures, Sanjay Parthasarathy Bharthur, of University of Hyderabad, writes.

The technical skills of Indian journalism graduates have increased, Bharthur writes, while their capacity to critical thinking has decreased. This criticism is heard especially from professional journalists, who often emphasize the importance of work experience over education.

The graduates’ skill sets may still be a good fit for India’s increasingly commercialized media industry. As newspapers and television channels are largely dependent on advertising revenue, journalists are required to be able to produce “revenue-maximizing content”. The moral issues caused by the situation might be remedied by introducing ethics into core journalism curricula, the author suggests.

On other aspects, the realities of work-life have limited access to university campuses. Since current regulation requires a Master’s degree from all university lecturers, many skilled journalists are ineligible for permanent positions – instead, they are only allowed to impart their experience through short workshops and lectures.

The article “Journalism Education in India” was published by the journal Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. It is available on the publisher’s website (free abstract). The article is part of a special issue on journalism education in the BRICS countries.

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