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Over 100 African journalism instructors in 37 countries participated in a series of regional consultations and shared their views on what excellence in journalism means. Following the consultations, 5 key criteria were identified with 58 questions. Journalism educators in Africa were then invited to evaluate how well their institution is responding to these specific criteria for excellence, taking into account their curricula, outreach, and internal capacity building and development.

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).

There is an underlying assumption that excellence in journalism education strengthens a media that supports democracy and human rights, including freedom of expression and the press, and encourages a critical examination of media operations within this general framework in the African context. This perspective includes introducing students to the principles of ethical practices in reporting and working in the public interest, and draws the link between these practices and the role of the media in supporting democracy, human rights and sustainable development.

I. Curriculum

Does your school:

a) Explain the full human rights system to students (civil rights and socio-economic rights)

b) Explicitly engage students in what journalism means to citizenship, democracy, human rights, and sustainable development

c) Specifically unpack the right of freedom of expression and access to information, any limitations to these rights that apply in your country, and how students can practically navigate restrictions in order to produce informed journalism in the public interest

d) Introduce students to the media industry’s codes of conduct and practice, and the rights and obligations these entail

e) Run a course on journalism ethics, with components that include notions of fairness, verification and fact-checking, and balance in reporting in the public interest

f) Teach students how to report fairly, sensitively and in a non-partisan and nondiscriminatory way during elections and in conflict situations (including civil wars and religious and ethnic conflict)

g) Teach students how to report ethically and sensitively on the rights of women, children and marginalised groups such as ethnic groups, people with disabilities and sexual minorities

h) Teach students to recognise the distinction between journalism and other practices such as public relations and advertising, propaganda, social influencing or gossip

i) Explain and incorporate alternative ways of producing journalism in your syllabus including in practical exercises, such as human rights journalism, peace journalism, constructive journalism or solutions journalism

j) Interrogate and unpack the many ways in which journalism working in the public interest can be undermined including through bribe-taking, the political ownership of media houses, or harassment and bullying by powerful and influential persons, and discuss practical ways in which students can navigate these challenges as working journalists

II. Outreach

Does your school:

a) Demonstrate leadership in your media environment through speaking out on media rights or ethical issues and convening meetings and conferences for stakeholders on important media freedoms issues

b) Commemorate key media freedoms dates like World Press Freedom Day (3 May), World Radio Day (13 February), International Day for Universal Access to Information (28 September), and International Day to End Crimes for Impunity Against Journalists (2 November) through organising events, making public statements, or launching relevant publications amongst other activities

c) Have individual staff members serving in an advisory capacity for media houses, journalist associations, the press council, or media-rights NGOs

d) Encourage staff members to write critically about media practice in the media through articles or opinion pieces or other kinds of media outputs

III. Internal development and capacity

Has your school:

a) Developed a practical policy on staff and students commenting publicly on issues to do with media freedoms that gives them the freedom to voice their concerns but also preserves a sense of academic independence and impartiality

b) Developed approaches that strengthen inclusion through the participation of women students, students from minority ethnic or religious backgrounds, students with disabilities, LGBTI students, and/or other marginalised groups in the classroom

Practical skills development is a crucial component of good journalism education in Africa and elsewhere. This should include both basic and advanced journalism skills and be responsive to the evolving training needs of a media environment.

I. Curriculum

Does your school:

a) Offer structured support to develop the basic writing and editing skills of students

b) Teach students media and information literacy so that they can understand the media environment they work in

c) Teach students how to use advanced search possibilities to fact-check disinformation, identify media created by Artificial Intelligence, as well as verify content for their own stories in order to ensure accuracy

d) Equip students with appropriate digital production skills so that they can work in multi-media newsrooms, including the skills for distributing content in a digital environment

e) Offer training to students in digital security, situation awareness, and personal security

f) Equip students with the practical skills necessary to navigate the pressures they are likely to face from government and security officials, political and other powerful actors, as well as sources, and how to negotiate with crowds in volatile situations

g) Have a campus radio station, student newspaper, and news portal or social media channel/s where students can develop practical journalism skills including practising ethical decision-making

h) Prepare students with the skills needed to navigate the workplace, including pitching stories, how to plan a work agenda efficiently, how to negotiate contracts with employers, dealing with workplace bullying and harassment, and personal financial planning and budgeting

i) Equip students with practical knowledge to assert their labour rights (e.g. right to unionise, right to protest, etc.)

j) Offer training in newsroom leadership specifically for women students

k) Introduce students to the psychological impact their work may have on them, and the resources and networks available to support them

l) Practice with students strategies for negotiating with editors and media bosses who may not be aware of or care about the ethical or rights implications of a news story

II. Outreach

Does your school:

a) Have partnerships with universities in other countries or regions for guest lectures and student exchange programmes to expose students to new learning environments and skills

b) Have strong working relationships with NGOs, media houses, or other institutions where students can receive the practical experience they need including through internships

c) Have strong working relationships with female journalists who can serve as mentors and role models for students

III. Internal development and capacity

Has your school:

a) An internal capacity building programme that helps staff keep up with trends in digital media and develop new skills, including methodologies to research digital media content

b) Systematically explored the benefits and drawbacks of online and hybrid learning with respect to course delivery and the impact on students

It is important for journalism schools to actively explore new forms of journalism being produced in a country, region or globally. This includes the ways in which this journalism is being produced and published, its contribution to ethical journalistic practice, and how these forms of journalism may be financially sustainable.

I. Curriculum

Does your school:

a) Help students identify and explore new trends in journalism practice in your country and region in all mediums, including new styles of journalism and forms of journalistic output, and new ways of organising the production of news

b) Creatively explore with students the potential of new technological innovations to create fresh forms of journalistic output

c) Instil in students a confidence in using new technologies which they can apply when exploring new technological innovations in the future

d) Co-design courses and their outputs with students with respect to the innovative use of new technologies for journalistic practice (i.e. drawing on their skills and expertise in using the technologies)

e) Teach business principles to students to encourage and catalyse entrepreneurism, including exploring the several ways that media start-ups can generate revenue, such as donor fundraising, crowd-sourcing funds, and through membership models or the innovative use of paywalls

f) Teach students about the political economy and business models of companies providing new technologies so that they are aware of the risks and pitfalls when producing journalism in the public interest using these technologies (e.g. data harvesting and privacy, collaboration with states on service shut-downs)

II. Outreach

Does your school:

a) Have working relationships with business schools, media entrepreneurs and startups allowing site visits, internships and guest lectures

III. Internal capacity and development

Does your school:

a) Have mechanisms to support students who wish to start up their own media businesses (e.g. these may involve setting up an online network of interested students where ideas can be shared and support asked for, more structured interventions such as holding regular meetings or discussions with guest speakers, or creating a physical or online space where new business ideas can be incubated by students with the support of business and other experts)

Excellent journalism education pays critical attention to the changing socio-economic, political and environmental realities of a country and region. It helps to build capacity amongst students in important areas where there are thematic weaknesses in journalistic output so that journalism can work better in the public interest, strengthen accountability and democracy as well as sustainable development.

I. Curricula

Does your school:

a) Teach students how to critically analyse the socio-economic and political landscape of your country or region, as well as how these differ from other countries or regions and the global context

b) Help students to critically understand the political economy of the media and Internet services

c) Offer specialist thematic courses relevant to your context (e.g. environment/climate change, migration, corruption, health, economics, or politics)

d) Teach students how to work with, analyse and interpret data so that they can report knowledgeably on emerging research on socio-economic, political and environmental issues

II. Outreach

Does your school:

a) Have strong working relationships with specialist communities for teaching relevant specialisations, such as on the environment/climate change, migration, corruption, health, economics, or politics

b) Have access to organisations or trainers with expertise on the rights of women, children and marginalised groups who can coach students on reporting responsibly and sensitively

III. Internal capacity and development 

Has your school:

a) Created spaces (e.g. dedicated meetings) where staff can critically engage with each other on shifting socio-economic, political and environmental issues impacting on the practice of journalism and on journalism education

Excellent journalism education does not focus exclusively on traditional or mainstream media, but considers the media environment as an ecosystem with multiple actors producing forms of journalism from different perspectives and using different platforms. It tries to understand how this media ecology emerges in a specific context, and how this is different to the way the media works in other contexts.

I. Curriculum

Does your school:

a) Introduce students to wider communications environment as an ‘ecosystem’ with multiple forms of journalism being produced from varied sources and in different ways

b) Teach students to critically evaluate the unique role of journalism within this ecology based on specific socio-economic and political realities, and to compare this to journalism produced in other parts of the world

c) Offer short courses on journalism practice and principles for journalists who work in indigenous languages

d) Offer courses that are rich in local examples of interesting and innovative journalism and media practices

II. Outreach

Does your school:

a) Regularly seek to engage the producers of new forms of news and journalism, including influencers and YouTubers, or alternative forms of journalism

b) Publicise research and case studies on unique forms of journalism found in Africa for wider public dissemination

III. Internal capacity and development 

Has your school:

a) Critically discuss and evaluate ideas such as ‘decolonising the curriculum’ and how these might be relevant to or strengthen your work

b) Have access to or develop relevant textbooks or curriculums rich in local examples and analysis that students can relate to

c) Integrate the need to teach and build the capacity of journalism in indigenous languages in your journalism education strategy

d) Have a research agenda that focuses on the particulars of African media spaces and communication ecologies in your country or region