How should journalism education deal with evolving newsrooms?–Learning experiences from internships through online collaborative tools

Abstract

How should journalism educators prepare students for future newsrooms characterised by digital collaborative tools and increased remote work practices? This article takes a pedagogical perspective on the ongoing discussion on evolving newsrooms and their future role. Informed by 39 qualitative interviews about Norwegian journalism students’ learning experiences while doing their internships during the pandemic, the article discusses how such transformed newsrooms are perceived as learning spaces. We found a clear discrepancy between the students’ anticipations and their actual experiences. The students had no problem managing the technical aspects of the digital tools used in these newsrooms, but this mode of working was simply not their preferred way of working, nor was it the space they preferred as a learning environment. One implication is that when learning takes place in such newsroom environments, it is perceived as more difficult and alienating for the student. This represents challenges both journalism educators and the industry should consider when developing their curriculum or wishing to attract new talents.