Excellence in Journalism Education in Africa
The “Promoting Excellence in Journalism Education in Africa” initiative invited 30+ universities and training centres across the continent to help develop criteria for excellence in journalism education. The initiative is supported by Google News Initiative and coordinated by the Wits Centre for Journalism and the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University (South Africa).
Based on the agreed upon criteria, the centres were invited to self-assess and identify gaps in their own programmes. They submitted a proposal for one of the 10 grants available to help address these gaps. The proposals involved integrating new UNESCO curriculum resources on fake news and disinformation, migration, terrorism and climate change, into their programmes, or deepening links between universities and the media industry. Some institutions also proposed activities promoting key international days like World Press Freedom Day to mobilize partnership, devise innovative teaching methodologies adapted to challenges identified in Africa, or take steps towards building a community of practice in African Journalism Education.
The project builds upon an earlier initiative supported by UNESCO in 2007, when 12 journalism schools were identified as centres of excellence in journalism education according to a set of criteria developed at the time. Throughout the current project, 100+ schools in the region were exposed to the process of developing new criteria that address the latest developments in the media sector and challenges relevant to the African context. Ultimately, the project aims to strengthen the African media landscape by helping to better address the training needs of the next generation of media workers.
"We should be encouraged by efforts such as this. The University of Nairobi was part of a 2007 project led by UNESCO to promote excellence in journalism education in Africa. I attribute a lot of the growth of the school to that project."
A total of 53 proposals from academic institutions from 23 countries across the five regions in Africa were received.
A participative pan-African project
In order to develop criteria for excellence in journalism education in Africa, five online consultations in East, Southern, West, Central and North Africa took place during March and April 2023 and gathered over than 100 journalism educators and trainers. Specific issues faced by educators were discussed during these events, revealing many similarities in the challenges faced between the regions. These included the safety of women journalists, the challenge of teaching journalism in various languages, journalism ethics, teaching accuracy and fact-checking, and training students in entrepreneurial skills.
The five criteria for excellence in journalism education have been developed in consultation with journalism educators from across Africa.
Want to learn more about the project?
Contact Alan Finlay, Wits University Project Coordinator
The Partners
UNESCO's Global Initiative for Excellence in Journalism Education
Our work on journalism education, aligned with SDG 16.10 on "public access to information and fundamental freedom", is based on a conviction that professional journalistic standards are essential to bring out the potential of media systems to foster democracy, dialogue, and accountability.
The IPDC’s special initiative for Journalism Education tackles challenging topics such as migration, gender, terrorism, and disinformation. It provides journalism schools with practical tools, model curricula and specialized handbooks to enhance teaching and contribute to inclusive societies and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Cutting-edge resources with 17 handbooks, some available in 30+ languages, MOOCs and webinars, promote journalism educators' role in training the next generation of media professionals.
