Jobs abound, but skilled candidates are scarce amid cries of unemployment
A veteran newspaper editor, with 40 years in journalism, reveals a stark gap in hiring: aspiring journalists lack sharp writing skills and general awareness. While faculty focus on research, broader issues—like a generation disconnected from newspapers and forgotten high school lessons in history and politics—compound the problem. This article explores how journalism education must evolve to prepare candidates for the newsroom’s realities
Subhash Dhuliya
The editor laments the poor writing skills and lack of general awareness among journalism aspirants. He blames academic faculty for failing to prepare students for the demands of his newsroom, where sharp writing and a strong grasp of current events are essential. However, while journalism education bears some responsibility, the issue is multifaceted, rooted in broader societal shifts, generational habits, and educational gaps beyond the classroom.
The editor’s frustration is palpable when hiring. He finds that many candidates struggle with basic writing skills—crafting clear, concise articles, writing compelling headlines, or adhering to the inverted pyramid style critical for print journalism. Equally concerning is their lack of general awareness; aspirants often cannot name major events of the day, week, or month, making it difficult to produce informed, context-rich reporting. The editor attributes this to faculty who prioritize theoretical research over practical training, leaving graduates unprepared for the fast-paced, detail-oriented world of a daily newspaper.
Yet, the problem extends beyond journalism education. The new generation rarely reads newspapers, favoring bite-sized digital content on platforms like Instagram or X. This shift reduces exposure to in-depth reporting and diminishes their understanding of current affairs. Unlike older generations who grew up with newspapers, today’s youth often lack the habit of engaging with reliable sources, leading to a superficial grasp of events.
Moreover, foundational knowledge from high school—subjects like political science, economics, and history—is often forgotten or underemphasized. These disciplines are crucial for journalists to contextualize news, yet students arrive at university with faded recall, unaddressed by journalism curricula.
To address this, journalism programmes must revamp their approach. Faculty should prioritize rigorous writing workshops, focusing on clarity, structure, and brevity tailored to print media. General awareness can be bolstered through assignments requiring daily news analysis or quizzes on current events and historical context. Partnerships with newspapers for internships can provide hands-on experience, while mentorships from editors can instill real-world expectations.
However, broader solutions are needed: schools should encourage newspaper reading early on, and universities must integrate interdisciplinary courses to reinforce political, economic, and historical knowledge. By addressing both educational shortcomings and generational trends, journalism training can produce graduates equipped to meet the editor’s standards and sustain the credibility of print media.
A story without context is noise; a story with understanding is knowledge
About the Author:
Prof. Subhash Dhuliya is a media educator, researcher, and commentator, and the Founder-Director of Newswriters.in, a platform dedicated to strengthening journalism education and promoting media literacy. A former Vice Chancellor of Uttarakhand Open University, he has taught at IGNOU, IIMC, and CURAJ, and worked as Assistant Editor at The Sunday Times and Navbharat Times. He also edited IIMC’s research journals Communicator and Sanchar Madhyam.
Acknowledgement: The conceptual framework and ideas presented in this article are solely those of the author with drafting assistance provided by Grok
Photo: Zhuo Cheng. Unsplash
