DOI: 10.5176/2301-3729_JMComm12.88
Authors: Titti Forsslund
Abstract:
Journalism university education in a western
democracy, like Sweden, is responsible to The
National Agency for Higher Education. The
education is expected to foster future journalists to
work for preserving and developing democracy by
comprehensively informing citizens, scrutinizing
those with power and giving room for different
opinions. The universities are urged to establish
good relations with the media sector and make the
students employable and well prepared for work in
changing media technologies. These requirements of
journalism education raise the question if the media
sector’s view of the role of journalism is coherent
with that of the National Agency. Do the working
conditions allow the new journalists to fulfil the
social responsibility mission? The ongoing study
presented in this paper concerns the relation
between professional university education and
professional praxis in working life. The study is
composed of ethnographic-inspired news room case
studies and follow-up interviews. The results
indicate differences in working conditions according
to journalists’ different positions and in different
media companies in relation to the democratic
mission and codes of ethics of journalism. Web
working conditions, such as immediacy and
“audimat”, challenge the professional journalistic
work, while an autonomous, solitary, local press
newsroom allows for executing responsible
journalism.
Keywords: journalism education, journalism
mission, media law, social responsibility, working
conditions, audimat
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