Tertiary Journalism Education: Its Value In Cadet Selection At Metropolitan Media

Barbara Alysen, Deakin University

Abstract

Tertiary study in journalism has been a feature of the education of Australian journalists for decades. Yet the value of what is loosely termed a “journalism degree” continues to be debated, and many industry representatives remain sceptical of its value. Journalism educators have a number of ways of assessing the level of industry acceptance of journalism education.
These include looking at the percentage of students who find employment and the percentage of journalism graduates who fill entry level positions. This paper addresses the latter category, looking at data on the employment of entry-level journalists at four major institutions over a period of several years.