Growing number of journalism students should be warned of 'jobs crisis', says former head of City University journalism school

Growing numbers of journalism students need to know the 'jobs crisis' that lies ahead, said the former head of the City University's journalism department, Professor Adrian Monck at an industry conference on Wednesday.

"There is a confidence crisis in journalism," perhaps caused by journalists' tendency to write about the impending crisis, he said, adding that with fewer jobs available upon graduation it's 'not an inspiring landscape'.

Monck, who is now head of communications and media at the World Economic Forum said that the education industry need to 'look itself squarely in the eye'.  "I do think think that journalism is facing a series of crises‚ I think it's only fair we warn the people going into it."

Professor Richard Keeble, professor of journalism at Lincoln University, took a more bullish approach when tackling the event's centre question, 'Is World Journalism in Crisis?':

"Journalists are obsessed with the notion of crisis. If there isn't one they will damn certainly invent one." 

He urged students to see the openings ahead, citing evidence of newspaper growth around the world and new ways of producing news: "Let us seize the opportunity to put that idea into practice. Go for it journalists; you have nothing to lose except your professional chains."

In fact, Keeble said, he found the most valuable investigative journalism on sites like CounterPunch.

Keeble, who authored 'The Journalist's Handbook' and 'Ethics for Journalists', outlined jobs that used journalism skills, in research organisations such as Privacy International or Human Rights Watch, for example.

"In terms of jobs, this is where we can encourage our students to look to. Essentially, [these jobs] are journalistic research (...) and are actually feeding an alternative movement," he added.

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