Did graduate journalism education make a difference? A study of British journalism students’ views on news media roles

Abstract

Journalism educators in democracies aim to produce journalists motivated to scrutinize the powerful. This study of British journalism students in graduate programs considers whether their views on the news media’s societal roles changed during that education. Students grew more adversarial as regards public officials, but became less likely-in an era when media audiences are fragmenting-to see journalism’s role as addressing the widest possible audience. Students’ views differed by gender and by whether they were in print or broadcast specialties. Their views are compared with those of experienced British journalists. Findings are contextualized with those of international studies.