Chasing hashtag#25 in the newsroom presents challenges for journalism education. But what are they?

Abstract

The breathlessness to embrace digital first does not necessarily mean better journalism, better democracy, or better journalism education. This must be borne in mind, as the contours of what constitutes journalism in 2015 keep changing and becoming blurry. The question for journalism educators today is this: To what extent should journalism schools keep pace with the latest trends in the industry, and chase, for example, hashtag#25? The latter is a code concept, developed for this article to encapsulate digital first, incorporating social media, a focus on multi-platforms, and the youth - hence '25'. Should educators abandon teaching the basic elements of journalism; for instance, how to write stories as opposed to producing content? What about classroom reflections on the value of media freedom in a democracy? Today, the latter role of journalism in a democracy is an enormous demand, given the tumultuous pressure and change the industry is undergoing. The article sets the context...