Putting Forward Sustainability as a Model for Journalism Education and Training

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Putting Forward Sustainability as a Model for Journalism Education and Training

Nancy Booker, Bruce Mutsvairo, Dinesh Baliah, Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, Kristoffer Holt, Lars Tallert & Jean Mujati

To cite this article: Nancy Booker, Bruce Mutsvairo, Dinesh Baliah, Theodora Dame Adjin-Tettey, Kristoffer Holt, Lars Tallert & Jean Mujati (02 May 2024): Putting Forward Sustainability as a Model for Journalism Education and Training, Journalism Practice, DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2024.2344626

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2344626 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Published online: 02 May 2024.

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JOURNALISMPRACTICE

https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2344626

PuttingForwardSustainabilityasaModelforJournalism EducationandTraining

NancyBookera,BruceMutsvairo b,DineshBaliahc,TheodoraDameAdjin-Tetteyd , KristofferHolt e,LarsTallertf andJeanMujatig

aGradauteSchoolofMediaandCommunications,AgaKhanUniversity,Nairobi,Kenya; bMediaandCulture Studies,UtrechtUniversity,Utrecht,Netherlands; cWitsCentreforJournalism,Universityofthe WitwatersrandJohannesburg,Johannesburg,SouthAfrica; dDepartmentofMedia,Languageand Communication,DurbanUniversityofTechnology,Durban,SouthAfrica; eDepartmentofMediaand Journalism(MJ),LinnaeusUniversity,Kalmar,Sweden; fLinneunversitetetCentreforDataIntensiveSciences andApplications – Media,Vaxjo,Sweden; gLinneuniversitetetNamndenforlararutbildningVaxjo –Journalism,Vaxjo,Sweden

ABSTRACT

Africanjournalismpracticepresentsuniqueopportunitiesand challengesthatrequirejournaliststobeequippedwiththe necessaryskills,knowledge,andvaluestoengageinsustainable journalism.Traininginstitutionsplayacriticalroleinensuring thatjournalistsarenotonlyprofessionally-readytoexecutetheir mandatebutalsothattheycansafeguardandpromoteethical valuesintheireverydaywork.Someofthesevaluesinclude “truthtelling,independence,objectivity,fairness,inclusivityand socialjustice” (Gade,Nduka,andDastger 2017,10).Africa,like otherregionsoftheGlobalSouth,hasseveraljournalismtraining institutionsthatprovideanopportunitytochallenge “hegemonic epistemologiesandontologiesofWestern-centricjournalism studies” (Mutsvairoetal. 2021,993).Inthecontextofthis submission,thepresentstudyinvestigatesthecurrentstateof sustainablejournalisminAfrica.Weexamineddatabasedona syllabianalysisofjournalismprogramsinKenya,SouthAfricaand Ghanatoappraisewhatrolesustainablejournalismeducation andtrainingcouldplayinAfrica.Findingsshowthateffortsare alreadyinplaceacrossselectlearningandtraininginstitutions butalsopointtoprofoundgapsinthecurriculum,pedagogyand resourcesneededtopreparejournalistsforsustainablejournalism.

Introduction

ARTICLEHISTORY

Received31October2023

Accepted25March2024

KEYWORDS

Sustainablejournalism; Africa;journalismpractice; journalismeducationand training;journalism;Ghana; Kenya;SouthAfrica

Moreevidentthaneverbefore,thedemandforasustainablesocietyhasbecomeurgentas theworldcontinuestograpplewithamyriadofchallengesthatrangefromextremepoverty andfoodsecuritytoclimatechange,healthinequalities,pandemicsandwars.Meanwhile, journalismservesvariousfunctions,themostcriticalofwhichistohelpthepublicmake

©2024TheAuthor(s).PublishedbyInformaUKLimited,tradingasTaylor&FrancisGroup ThisisanOpenAccessarticledistributedunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivativesLicense (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/),whichpermitsnon-commercialre-use,distribution,andreproductioninany medium,providedtheoriginalworkisproperlycited,andisnotaltered,transformed,orbuiltuponinanyway.Thetermsonwhich thisarticlehasbeenpublishedallowthepostingoftheAcceptedManuscriptinarepositorybytheauthor(s)orwiththeirconsent. CONTACT BruceMutsvairo b.mutsvairo@uu.nl

informeddecisionsthroughaccurateandtruthfulreporting(Porlezza 2019).Putsimply,sustainablejournalismisconcernedwithquestionsonhowandwhyjournalismandsustainabilityshouldcoexist.Infact,thenotionofsustainablejournalismisconcernedwithhow decisions,processes,andactivitieswillaffectthepossibilitiesforfuturegenerationstohave thesameopportunitiesasourgeneration(Berglez,Olausson,andOts 2017).Itisbuilton theassumptionthatjournalismhasthepossibilitytocontributebettertosustainablesocieties whileatthesametimegeneratingsomerevenuesformediapractitioners.Havingbeendevelopedandtheorisedprimarilyinwesternjournalisticcultures(Thomasetal. 2019),sustainable journalismiscurrentlybeingembracedinvariousjournalistic contextsthroughouttheworld.

Inthisprocess,thediscourseofsustainabilitywillnecessarilyhavetobereceived,interpreted,andimplementedintospecificjournalisticcultures,contextsandpracticesof differentcountries.Whathappenswhenthisdiscoursemeetsdifferentjournalisticcultures isthereforeaninterestingopportunitytobothmapwhatisbeingdoneindifferentcontexts intermsofmakingjournalismsustainableforthefuture,andatthesametimeobserve differencesbetweenjournalisticculturesindifferentpolitical,economicandgeographical contexts.Critically,inthisarticlewefocusonhowthenotionofsustainablejournalismis beingintegratedintojournalismeducationandtraining,providingrareinsightsabout boththeprospectsforfuturesustainabilityononehand,andparticularitiesofdifferentjournalisticcultures,ontheother.WeanalysethestateofsustainablejournalisminthreeAfrican countries,seenfromapedagogicallensusingsyllabianalysistogetimportantinsightson whatisbeingdone,whatcouldbemissingandwhatcouldbeaproductivewayforward.

BensfiaandZaghlamiproposethatwhilethereareglobalprinciplesofjournalism,educatorsalsoneedtocontextualisetheseprinciplessothattheyareresponsiveandsensitiveto thesocio-economic,cultural,religiousaswellaspoliticalrealitiesinthecontinent.Infact, Hochheimer(2007,97)encouragesAfricanjournalismeducatorsto “developtheirown stylesofjournalism,andofeducation.” However,itseemsliketherehaveonlybeenvery fewtakerstothiscall,nearlytwodecadeslater.Journalismeducationhasevolvedinmany partsoftheworld.InAfricatoo,asnewplayers,newactors,andnewtechnologiesdominate thejournalismlandscape.Indeed,changesin Africanjournalismeducationrangefromthe risinginfluenceofnewChineseinvestmentsintothemarket(Gondwe 2022, 2024),teaching focusedonnewactorssuchasfactcheckersandcitizenjournalists(Cheruiyotetal. 2021)as wellastheubiquityofdigitaltechnologies,whichisenablingeducatorstoteachawiderange ofcontemporaryjournalismsubjectsincluding “fakenews” (MutsvairoandBebawi 2019).

Ideologically,however,Africanjournalismeducationhaslargelyremainedunchanged withtheinfluencesofWesternmodelsofpedagogystilldominant,anapproachObijiofor andM’Balla-NdiOelgemoeller(2023)believecouldbenefitfromaradicalshift.Attempts todecolonisejournalismeducationinAfrica(ChasiandRodny-Gumede 2022)have gainedmomentumbutnoteveryoneisconvincedtheircurriculashouldchange. ChangesaretakingshapeinNigeriaaftera2020decisiontosplitthedecades-oldcompositionoftheMassCommunicationdegreeintosevenspecialistareas,oneofwhichis journalismandmediastudies(MutsvairoandEkeanyanwu 2021).Amidawidespread callforchanges,itcanbearguedthatsustainablejournalismhasaroletoplayin shapingthewayanewgenerationofjournalistsarebeingeducatedinAfrica.

Mostorganisationsinsocietyareexpectedtohandlesustainabledevelopment (Brundtland 1987;Walker 2017),i.e.,tosupportorbecomesustainable,ofteninthe contextofimplementationofthe17SDGsdefined bytheUnitedNations.Thisprocess,

however,candifferbetweensectorsofsociety,andespeciallywhenweconsiderthefact thatthe fieldofjournalismfacesspecialconditionsinrelationtothisoverarchingsocietal movementtowardssustainability.Mediaorganisationsneedtorelatetoacertainsustainabilitylogic.Somearguethatmediaorganisationsneedtobecomesustainableinall aspects,frommanagement(Sakr 2017),genderbalanceinthenewsroom,(Eddyetal. 2023)editorialwork(KambohShafiq,Ittefaq,andYousaf 2022),environmentalfootprint (Medranda-Moralesetal. 2022)andsoon.However,thisisnotastraightforwardtask, andwhenitcomestojournalisticmediaorganisations,thesustainabilityagendahas implicationsthatmakesitaspecialcase(Picha 2015).

Tobeginwith,privatemediaorganisationsarecharacterisedbyanaturaltension betweenmanagementandtheeditorialenvironment,inwhichthe firsttendstobethe driverdevelopingsustainablebusinessmodels,whiletheeditorialmilieuembraces valuesofprofessionalism,inwhichautonomyandthusindependenceinrelationto boththemanagementandtheoverallsocietyisprioritised.Thus,manymediaorganisationsarebecomingsustainableonthecentrallevel,whileattheeditoriallevel,sustainable developmentmightbetreatedmoreasaspecialinterest,beingassociatedwiththeUN andstakeholdersinsocietythatbenefitfromanexpansionofthesustainabledevelopmentlogic.InthecontextofAfricanjournalism,wearefacedwithawidevarietyof complexpolitical,cultural,religiousandeconomiccontextualsetupsinthedifferent countries,anddifferentwaysinwhichjournalismplaysapartinsocietallife.Thereception ofsustainabilitydiscourseinjournalismpracticeandeducation,isthereforelikelytodiffer substantially,dependingonwhichcountryisstudied.

Itisthankstothisbackgroundthatthisarticleinvestigatestheintegrationofthediscourseofsustainablejournalismusingthedevelopmentofjournalismeducationinthree Africancountriesasapointofdeparture.Drawingonsyllabianalysis,thestudyexamines thecurrentstateofsustainablejournalismintheAfricacontext,identifiesgaps,andproposespotentialstrategiesforpromotingsustainablejournalismpractices.Byuniquely focusingontheintersectionofsustainabilityandjournalismeducation,thisresearchprovidesvaluableinsightsintotheprospectsforfuturesustainabilityandthedistinctive characteristicsofjournalisticculturesindifferentpoliticalandgeographicalcontexts. DatacollectionwasguidedbytheframeworkinitiallyproposedbyTallert(2021),who takingacuefromBerglez,Olausson,andOts(2017)definessustainablejournalismas: (a)contentissuescoveredintraining(b)businessmodels,(c)theextenttowhich climatechangeandenvironmentalissuesarecoveredintraining,(d)inclusivityandrepresentation,(e)researchonanyoftheframeworkoutlinedhereinand/orontherelationshipbetweenjournalismandsustainability.

Byaddressingitsmainresearchquestionthroughsyllabianalysis,thisstudyaimsto contributetotheunderstandingofsustainablejournalismpracticesinjournalismeducationandshedlightonthespecificchallengesandopportunitieswithintheAfrican context.The findingscaninformcurriculumdevelopment,coursedesign,pedagogical strategies,andpolicydecisionsaimedatpromotingsustainablejournalismforthe benefitoffuturegenerationsandtheoverallsustainabilityofjournalisticculturesin Africancountriesandbeyond.Furthermore,ourstudycontributesinsightsthathelpilluminatenewtheoreticalapproachesonsustainablejournalism,contributing findingsfrom historicallyunderrepresentedAfricannations.Theguidingresearchquestionforthis studyis:

RQ1:Whatisthecurrentstateofsustainablejournalismeducationandtrainingin Africa?

Sinceimplementationsofsustainabilityperspectiveswillnaturallyoccurwithinframeworksofspecificnationaljournalisticcultures(Thomasetal. 2019),acloserlookatthe developmentofjournalismeducationandtraininginKenya,GhanaandSouthAfricais necessaryinordertoenvisionapotentialroleforsustainablejournalism.Throughthis study,welearnaboutspecificchallengesthataremostprominentinonecountrybut lessevidentinanother.Inwhatwaysdoesthenationalcontext(politicallandscape, toneofpublicdiscourse,economicdrivingforcesinsociety,etc.)shapetheprocessof makingjournalismsustainable?Inavarietyofcontexts,thesustainabilitygoalsmay clashinanumberofwaysindifferentnationalcontexts.Ouraimistohighlightthis, makingitpossibletoidentifyandprovidevaluableknowledgetoincreasethequality ofjournalisminpractice.

TheoreticalFramework:SustainableJournalism

Sustainablejournalism,asdefinedbyBerglez,Olausson,andOts(2017);Tallert(2021) andAdjin-Tetteyetal.(2021)integratejournalismfromtheenvironmental,socialand economicperspectives,regardingthesethreepillarsasintertwinedandinterdependent.Wearguethattheglobalsustainabilitychallengesoflatemodernsociety anditsnewcomplexitiesmightshowawayoutandgiverisetoa “rebirth” ofprofessionalqualityjournalism,bothfromabusinessperspective(to finditswayback totheconsumers)anddiscursively(practicesofreporting).Followingthislineof thought,vigorousjournalismisaprerequisiteformeetingtheglobalsustainability crises,butitisalsotruethat,inordertoremainasociallyanddemocraticallyrelevant institution,journalismisindireneedofinternalisingandintegratingthesecrisesin theirentirety.

Moreprecisely,thisargumentispremisedonthetheoreticalassumptionthatthereisa mutualdependencybetweentheglobalsustainabilitychallengeandthejournalismchallenge.Admittedly,journalismmightbeviewedasanaturalpartofsociety’sdifferentproblemsduetoitscommercialisedandstereotypicalwaysofrepresentingit(Lippmann 1922).Nonetheless,atleastqualitativejournalismhasapivotalroleintheoverallsustainabledevelopmentofsocietysinceit,atleastpotentially,contributesgreatlytotheunderstanding,andhencethehandling,challengessuchasenvironmentalproblems,social inequality,armedconflicts,and financialcrises.

Inordertoputpressureonpoliticiansandthemarketaswellastoengagecitizenspolitically(Carvalho,vanWesselandMaeseele 2017),advancedjournalismthatproduces engagingandrelevantstoriesabout,forinstance,climatechangeorinternetsurveillance isneeded.Whatisalsorequiredisjournalismthatdevelopsitscompetencetoengagein theantagonismanddisagreementsbetweenthepeoples,nations,regions,organisations, etc.(seeMaeseeleandRaeijmaekersinthisvolume;Olausson 2007;Vallance,Perkinsand Dixon 2011).Inturn,addressingthenewconditionsofjournalismbyseriouslyresponding towellasrobustbusinessmodels,technology,educationandorganisationsthattake thesechallengesintoaccountisaprerequisiteforthesustainability,thatis,thelongtermsurvivalofprofessionaljournalismitself;atleastforthekindofjournalismideal thatdevelopedinmodernsociety.

Accordingly,thetaskformediaandjournalismscholarsisthreefold: first,tohighlight integralperspectivesbycommencingadialoguebetweenscholarsandresearchers engagedineithertheenvironmental,socialoreconomicchallengesofjournalism; second,toconducttheoreticalandempiricalstudiesthatexaminetheunderlyingbarriers toajournalismthatisbetter “preparedforthefuture” (afuturewhichis,however,already herethroughproblemssuchasclimatechange)aswellasalreadyexistingexamplesof well-workingformsofsustainablejournalism;third,tofurtherdevelopacademicinput onhowtoimplementasustainablejournalism,bothintermsofbusinessmodelsand intermsofjournalisticpractice,whichcouldbeaddressedtoanddiscussedwithindustry representativesandotherrelevantstakeholders(Tallert 2021).Theconceptisobviously aboutjournalisminrelationtosustainabledevelopment,anddepartsfromtwocontemporarysustainabilitycrises:

. Thesustainabilitycrisisofsocietyrelatedtoclimatechange,democracy,poverty, inequality,andarmedconflicts.

. Thesustainabilitycrisisofjournalismrelatedtodecreaseinrevenues,captureofthe media,disinformation,clickbaitjournalism,anddeterioratingtrustinthemedia.

Sustainablejournalismsuggeststhatthesecrisesareintrinsicallyintertwined.Asustainablesociety economically,ecologically,andsocially requiresajournalismthat addressesthesustainabilitychallengesfacingsociety,andasustainablefutureforjournalismasapracticeandbusinessdependsonitscapabilitytodopreciselythat.Sustainable journalismisconcernedwithhowdecisions,processes,andactivitieswillaffectthepossibilitiesforfuturegenerations ourchildrenandgrandchildren allowingthemto havethesamepossibilitiesasourgeneration.

The fieldofjournalismfacesspecialconditionsinrelationtothisoverarchingsocietal movementtowardssustainability,asmediaorganisationsneedtorelatetoaspecificsustainabilitylogic,giventheirexpectedroleasindependentandimpartial.Privatemedia organisationsarecharacterisedbyanaturaltensionbetweenmanagementandtheeditorialenvironment,inwhichthe firsttendstobethedriverdevelopingsustainable businessmodels,whiletheeditorialmilieuembracesvaluesofprofessionalism,in whichautonomyandthusindependenceinrelationtoboththemanagementandthe overallsocietyisprioritised.

Hence,mediaorganisationscanstrivetobecomesustainableatthecentrallevel,while attheeditoriallevel,sustainabledevelopmentmightbetreatedmoreasaspecialinterest, beingassociatedwiththeUNandstakeholdersinsocietythatbenefitfromanexpansion ofthesustainabledevelopmentlogic(Picha 2015).InthecontextofAfricanjournalism,we arefacedwithawidevarietyofcomplexpolitical,cultural,religiousandeconomiccontextualsetupsinthedifferentcountries,anddifferentwaysinwhichjournalismplaysa partinsocietallife.Thereceptionofsustainabilitydiscourseinjournalismpracticeand educationisthereforedifferentineachcountry.Asthereisnowidelyaccepteddefinition ofsustainability,thispaperadherestothedefinitionpresentedintheUNreport,Our CommonFuture,alsoknownastheBrundtlandreport,wheresustainabledevelopment “meetstheneedsofthepresentwithoutcompromisingtheabilityoffuturegenerations tomeettheirownneeds” (1987,37).

Thereportalsoidentifiesthethreepillarsofsustainabilityasenvironmental,socialand economic.Berglez,Olausson,andOts(2017,XIV)makea “theoreticalassumptionthat thereisamutualdependencybetweentheglobalsustainabilitychallengeandthejournalismchallenge.” Theyclaimthat

atleastqualitativejournalismhasapivotalroleintheoverallsustainabledevelopmentof societysinceit,atleastpotentially,contributesgreatlytotheunderstanding,andhence thehandling,ofchallengessuchasenvironmentalproblems,socialinequality,armed conflicts,and financialcrises.

Furthermore,theysuggestthatthe

globalsustainabilitychallengesoflatemodernsocietyanditsnewcomplexitiesmightshowa wayoutandgiverisetoa “rebirth” ofprofessionalqualityjournalism,bothfromabusinessperspective(to finditswaybacktotheconsumers)anddiscursively(practicesofreporting).Followingthislineofthought,vigorousjournalismisaprerequisiteformeetingtheglobalsustainability crises,butitisalsotruethat,inordertoremainasociallyanddemocraticallyrelevantinstitution, journalismisindireneedofinternalisingandintegratingthesecrisesintheirentirety.

InlinewiththeaforementionedUnitedNations “OurCommonFuture” report,they definesustainablejournalismas “journalismthatmeetstheinformationneedsofthe presentwithoutcompromisingtheabilityoffuturegenerationstomeettheirownjournalisticinformationneeds.” BasedonBerglezetal.’sdefinition,Tallert(2021)andAdjinTetteyetal.(2021),membersoftheSustainableJournalismPartnership,aSwedenbasedpro-journalismmovementthatissupportedandendorsedbyleadingjournalism scholarsandpractitioners,someofwhomco-authoredthisarticle,haveinvestigated howthistheoreticalconceptcanbeputintopractice,categorisingitintofourdifferent areasforpotentialresearch,educationandjournalisticpractice.Theysuggestthatsustainablejournalisminpracticeshouldbebasedon:

. productionandpublishingofjournalisticcontentthatcontributestosustainable societieswhilealsogeneratingrevenuesforthepublishingorganisation;

. mediabusinessmodelsfocusedonenvironmental,socialandeconomicsustainability;

. environmentallyandsociallysustainableproductionanddistributionofnews,witha noharmandzeroemissionperspective;

. innovative,gender-balancedandinclusivenewsroomsandorganisations.

JournalismEducationinAfrica:AContextualOverview

AlthoughmanyAfricannationsachievedindependenceandweregovernedbydemocratic,constitutionalregimesbythelate1960s,themajorityofthemoperatedunder neo-patrimonialregimes,withone-partyadministrations someofwhichlaterevolved intoautocraticpresidents andoccasionallyoppressivemilitarygovernments(Diedong 2008).Throughouttheseperiods,journalisminGhanaservedasthe “voiceofthe people” denouncingvariousabuses,anddemandedopennessingovernment.

Oneoftheremarkabledevelopmentsthatbolsteredjournalismpracticeinpost-independenceGhanawastheestablishmentofoneofthe firstmediaandjournalismtraining institutionsinsub-SaharanAfrica,theGhanaInstituteofJournalism,bythethenpresident ofGhana,DrKwameNkrumah(Diedong 2008).Atthetime,itwastheonlypost-secondary

institutioninthecountryspecialisinginjournalismandmediastudiesatthehighereducationlevel.Numerousscholarshavecontendedthattherestructuringoftertiaryeducationinmediaandjournalisminpost-independenceAfricawasimperativedueto shiftsinthepoliticallandscapeandtherequirementthatsucceedinggovernments answertotheirconstituents(Prinsloo 2010).Thus,theemphasisofjournalismeducation inGhanaandmostAfricancountriestypicallyfavouredteachingjournaliststoquestion thepoliticalclasstoguaranteepublicaccountabilityandtheappropriateuseofpolitical power(Diedong 2008),andlessattentionpaidtosustainability-relatedtopics.

AnothercommonfeatureorcomponentacrossjournalismcurriculainGhanaandmost Sub-SaharanAfricanjournalismtraininginstitutionsismediaethics,withsomeoffering entiremodulescoveringavarietyofthemesonethicaljournalism(DeBeer,Pitcherand Jones 2017).IthasalsobeennotedthattheGhanaianandAfricanexperiencewithcommunicationtheory,whichtendstocoverjournalismandmediastudiestheoriesand models,isareplicationofWesternnormsofindividualismunfamiliartotheAfrican milieuandisinconsistentwithafundamentalrecognitionofcontextorperspective (Ansu-Kyeremeh 2014),which,weargue,sustainablejournalismprinciplesattemptto erode.

Additionally,Coker(2018)foundthatthecurriculaofjournalism,mediastudies,and communicationstudiesprogramsinGhana,whichcoverjournalismmodules,are shapedbytherolesthatstateregulatorybodies,suchastheNationalAccreditation Board(nowGhanaTertiaryEducationCouncil),playinmonitoringandevaluatingtertiary educationcurricula.AccordingtoCoker,thesepositionsgiverisetomedia-centric,instrumentalist,anddevelopmentalistapproaches,which,aswehaveargued,arenotalways concernedwithsustainabilityissues.Hearguesthateventhequalityassurancesystems injournalismeducationarefraughtwiththechallengeofaccountabilitytothegovernmentinsteadofbeingdiscipline-specific,takingawayattentionfromthefactthat qualityassuranceofthemanyprofessionalcommunitiesconstitutingtheacademy needstobediscipline-specific(Coker 2018),toallowfordeterminingcurrentcritical societalsustainabilityneedsthatmustbeincorporatedintocurricula.

ForOgola(2015,93),the1990sshouldalwaysberememberedasanimportanterafor Africanjournalism.Thisisbecausetheprivatesector,longseenasanimpedimenttooutrightstatecontrolofthenewspapers,televisionandradio,madeimportantgainsin severalAfricancountries, findingitswayintothepreviouslyimpenetrablemediasector. Toillustratethechange,OgolaremembersthathisnativeKenyawhichonlyhadthreetelevisionstationsandacoupleofprintmediaoutletshad “301radiostations,83TVstations, 20monthlymagazines,6dailiesand11regularweekliesby2012.” Inhiswidely-cited article,ShawIbrahim(2009)championsanAfricanjournalismmodel,whichhedefined asonethatispremisedonoraltradition,originality,humanityandagency.Considering italternative,hecriticisestheoverrelianceonWesternconceptualisationofjournalism, whichhesaysisnotintandemwithAfricantraditionsandculture.Shaw’sobservations havereappearedindifferentshapesandformsinjournalismresearchinAfricawith othershighlightingcritiquesrangingfromAfro-pessimism(Bunce,Franks,andPaterson 2017),neo-colonialismandracism(Ezeru 2023)todarkcontinent(Nothias 2018)and negativestereotypes(WassermanandMadrid-Morales 2018).

Asjournalismfacesallkindsofchangesthataremostlyinfluencedbytheemergent switchtothedigitalspheres(seeAlAl-Rawi 2020,MatsileleandRuhanya 2021),African

newspapershavealsobeenforcedtoadapt.Foralongtime,Africanjournalistshave enduredasustainedlackofsufficientresourcesdisablingthemfromdoingtheirworkdiligently.Thislackofresourcesisevenmoreprevalenttodayasmediahousesintheregion grapplewithdwindlingrevenuestreamstherebycurtailingthedevelopmentoffree,independentandsustainablenewsmediaandfurtherexacerbatingthe “brownenvelopesyndrome,” thewidespreadpracticeofacceptingmoneyfornewscoverage(Gade,Nduka, andDastger 2017).WhilesupportfordemocratisationmovementsalongwiththemultiplicityandpluralityofmediaoutletshasgiventheAfricanjournalismlandscapesomethingpositivetoshare,diminishingresourcesmeansAfricannewsroomsarenotwell equippedtosupportdatajournalism,forexample,arguesChiumbuandMunoriyarwa (2023).AuthoritarianregimesincountriessuchasEquatorialGuinea,Cameroon,Central AfricanRepublic,Sudanandmanyhaveresistedmountingeffortstoembracedemocracy leavingjournalistsandpressfreedomactivistsexposed(CheesemanandKlaas 2018).At thesametime,recentresearchhasshownthatAfricanjournalismhasbenefittedfrom readers’ abilitytoshareandgathernewsonsocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook (Ong’ong’a 2023).However,likeeverywhereelse,theAfricanjournalismmarketis floodedwith “fakenews,” misinformationanddisinformation,allofwhichareareal threattothegainsfromthelasttwodecades.

StrengtheningjournalismtrainingandeducationinAfricainthefaceofthesechallengespresentsadauntinganddiscouragingdilemma.Nearlytwodecadesago,Skjerdal andNgugi(2007)arguedthatjournalismeducationinEastAfricawasheavilyrelianton donorfunding.Thattrendhasyettochange.FormanyAfricanjournalismresearchers attendinginternationalconferencessuchasthoserunbythediscipline-leadingInternationalCommunicationAssociation(ICA)andInternationalAssociationforMediaand CommunicationResearch(IAMCR)wouldbeimpossibleunlesstheyreceivetravel grantsfromtheseorganisations.Notevenintheeconomicpowerhouse,SouthAfrica, arealljournalismscholarsguaranteedofstatefundingtoattendtheseimportantmeetingsanddisseminationpointsforinternationaljournalismresearch.Onacontinent wherefreedomofthepresshasnotbeenuniversallysupported,especiallybythosein power,state-financedAfricanuniversitiesareforcedtofocusonlesspolitically-threateningdisciplinessuchasagriculture,mathematicsorengineering.

AstudyundertakenbyAlanFinlay(2020,8)tomapjournalismcentresacrossthecontinenttriedto “identifytrendsinjournalismeducationandtraininginsub-SaharanAfrica, challengesandareasofcreativityandteaching,andwhatwecalledcentresrespondingto achangingenvironment.” The findingsofthereportidentifiedgapsintraininglikeinvestigativejournalism,datajournalismalongwiththeneedforbasicjournalismskillslike writingandfact-checking.Unsurprisingly,giventhelackofthemainstreamingofsustainabilityinjournalismeducationandtheindustry,thereisnomentionofsustainabilityin anyofitsusualguises.Still,akeywordsearchofSouthAfrica’spremieracademic journalonjournalismstudies, AfricanJournalismStudies,whichisalsoasignificantrepositoryofworkonjournalismcurriculainthecountryandacrossthecontinent,yields resultswithafocusonclimatechangeor financialsustainabilityofthemedia.Thebulk oftheresearchpublishedbythejournalinterrogateselementsofjournalismpractice, withafocusonthejournalismproducedwithinnewsrooms,fundingmodelsforjournalism,oranalysesjournalismwithinamediastudiesframework.OtherscholarslikeMotsaathebe(2011)andDube(2016)havepositedthatAfricanjournalismeducationneeds

to “Africanise,” bringinginanoverhaultopedagogyfocusedonWesternmodels.Banda (2015)alsocallsforanepistemologicalandpedagogicalshift.

Methodology

Thisstudyusessyllabianalysistodrawconclusionsonthecurrentstateofsustainable journalismontheAfricanmarket.Inparticular,wedeliberatelydecidedtofocusonjournalismtrainingandeducationastheseinstitutionsarethemainprovidersofprofessional journalistsinAfrica.Commonlyusedineducationalsciences(seeRomeroHallandLilin 2020 orCañadas,Gómez,andRico 2013,forexample)syllabianalysismethodology, arguesBers,Davis,andTaylor(2000),ispowerfulbecauseitprovidesamirrorinto whathappensintheclassroom.Oursinvolvedadeeperanalysisinto45courseoutlines fromselectedpostgraduateandundergraduatejournalismprogramsinKenya,Ghana andSouthAfrica.Itstartedwiththeidentificationofuniversitiesthatofferedjournalism/mediastudies-relatedcourses.AcrossthethreeAnglophonenations,atotalof24 outofthe70-plusjournalismeducation-providinguniversitiesinKenya,Ghanaand SouthAfricawererandomlysampledforthisstudy.Selectionwasbasedonaccessibility tocourseoutlineswhichresultedinanunevennumberofcourseoutlinespercountry.In addition,nineuniversitiesinGhanawereexamined, fiveinSouthAfricaandinKenya.The disparityrepresentsthenumberofjournalism(orcommunicationsormediadepartments),basedatuniversitiesinallthreecountries.Overall,thenumberofcurriculaexaminedinthethreecountriescanbetakenasaproportionallyrepresentativeofwhatis availableinthatcountry.

Twenty-sevencourseoutlinesofnineuniversitiesinGhanawerestudied.Thecourse outlinesselectedforGhanawerefrombothJournalismandCommunicationStudies programmes.Thisisbecausewhiletherearestand-aloneJournalismprogrammes, mostCommunicationStudiesprogrammesinGhanaincorporatemediaandJournalism StudiesandcovercoursesandmodulessuchasPrintJournalism,BroadcastJournalism, MediaEthicsandLaw,MediaandSociety,andcommunicationtheories(comprising theoriesofmedia,journalism,audiencestudies,strategiccommunicationsand publicrelations,amongothers)andcommunicationresearchmethods.Thus,communicationstudieshasbecomeanomnibus,overarchingoranamorphoustermforallcommunication-related fieldsofpractice(Ansu-Kyeremeh 2014).Studentswhograduate withdegreesanddiplomasinMediaStudies,JournalismandCommunication Studiescanpursuecareersinjournalism,corporatecommunications,marketingcommunications,andothercommunication-related fields.Conversely,journalismisa widelytaughtsubjectatKenyanuniversitieswithmostofthestate’s35universities offeringajournalismdegree.BothstateandprivateuniversitiesincludingDaystarUniversity,MultimediauniversityofKenya,AgaKhanUniversity,UniversityofNairobi,Moi UniversityandtheUnitedStatesInternationalUniversity-Africaofferjournalismprogramsandfromthese,ninecourseoutlineswereincludedforanalysisinthisstudy (Table1).

OfSouthAfrica’s26universities,6areuniversitiesoftechnologywhichfocusonoutcomes-basedteachingintechnical fields.Thesewerenotsampledfortheirvocationorientedteachingwerenotconsideredforthisstudyastheyarenotcognatewiththe sampleintheGhanaandKenya.Oftheremaining20institutions,notallofferjournalism

throughajournalismdepartmentorthroughmediastudiesorcommunicationsdepartmentswhichmakesthe fivechosenforthisstudy,arepresentativesample.Thelow numberofjournalismormediatrainingcentresatuniversitiesinthecountryisrepresentativeofthedeclineinnewspapertitles,andasharpdecreaseinjournalismopportunities intheformalmedialandscape.SouthAfrica’sjournalismtrainingatuniversitieshastraditionallybeenlocatedwithinhumanities’ orarts’ faculties,linkedtomoreestablished fieldssuchasmediastudiesorcommunicationsscience.

Results:SustainableJournalismEducationinPractice Curricular Evaluation

Interdisciplinarity

Inthissection,wepresent findingsfromthesyllabianalysis.Fourmajorthemesemerged fromthesyllabianalysis:interdisciplinarity,insulation,positionalityandreputation.One key findingisthatacrosstheKenyan,SouthAfricanandGhanaianuniversitiesteachingjournalismcoursesbothatundergraduateandpostgraduatelevels,questionsofsustainability onlypermeateindividualmodulesinanadhocfashion.Thatdoesnotmeanthattheseuniversitiesarenotteachingsustainablejournalism.Theydoitbutonlyinrelationtoanother studyhencetheinterdisciplinaryfocus.Specifically,theGhanaianjournalismcurriculais heavilydominatedbythisinterdisciplinaryapproach.Forexample,the “DevelopmentCommunication” modulerunsthroughseveraljournalisminstitutionsinGhana.Alongwith “HealthCommunication” and “EnvironmentandHealthCommunication” modules,itpays attentiontosocialandbehaviouralchangecomponentsofdevelopmentaswellasparticipatorycomponentsofbroadcastandhowitimpactsdevelopment.Thesecoursesexposestudentstodialogiccommunicationandprogrammesthatdrivedevelopment.

Similarly,Kenyanjournalismmodulesonmultimediajournalism,datajournalism, mobilejournalismseektohelpstudentsgainskillstobeabletotellcompellingnews stories.UnliketheGhanaiancurricular,theytakealessinterdisciplinarystanceeven thoughtopicssuchasHIV/AIDs,historicalfactorsinAfrica’sunderdevelopment,agriculture,health,genderperspectivesinAfrica’sdevelopmentandcontemporaryissuesin Sciencetakeacommandingpresencein,forexampleAgaKhan’sjournalismcurricular. InterdisciplinaritydominatestheSouthAfricanandGhanaiancurricular.Forexample, theUniversityofWitwatersrand’sjournalismhonoursprogrammeremainsapraxisfocusedcurriculumwithnoobviousengagementswitheconomic,socialandenvironmentalsustainability.However,studentsareexposedto financialliteracy,whichaims todeepentheirunderstandingofhowtheeconomyimpactstheordinarycitizenbut donotventureintothespaceofmediasustainability.

CertificatecoursesinDevelopmentCommunicationsareavailableattheUniversityof Witwatersrandbuttheyfocusonthenexusbetweengovernmentcommunicatorsandthe media.Whatthismeansisthatsustainablejournalismhasalreadygainedafootinginall threecountries,butnoonecallsitoutloudontheirsyllabi.Itispossiblesomeareteachingitwithoutreferringtoitassustainablejournalismorinsomecases,notevennoticing theyareteachingit.Generally,thecourses’ orientationisdevelopment-focusedand speakstosomeoftheidealsofsustainablejournalism,someofwhichareenvironmental considerations,innovationandadaptation,coverageofdevelopment-orientedissues,

Table1. CurriculabreakdownofselecteduniversitiesinKenya,Ghana,andSouthAfrica.

CountryUniversityCoursesidentified

Kenya AgaKhanUniversity (MasterofArtsinDigital Journalism)

MediaDevelopmentfor SocialChange

DevelopingyourEditorial Speciality

Contentissuescoveredthatspeaktothestudy’sindicatorsof sustainablejournalism

• Media,Societyanddevelopment, • Mediaanddevelopmentin Africa, • MediaandSocialimpact, • Mediaandpolicymaking, • Designingforimpact, • Socialmediaforsocialimpact,and • Measuringmediaimpact

• Conceptsfordiscerningandextendingbestpractices, • Best practiceinspecialistreporting oral,visual&written, • Choosingyourspecialistarea,doingbeatreporting,and focusedreading, • Emergingtrendsandkeepingaheadjournalismandthefragmentingpublic.

• Keepingaheadof yourcompetitors-Introductiontoenterprisejournalism,and

• Ethicalandlegalconsiderationsforspecialistreporters.

Durationofthe programmeProgrammelevel

2yearsPostgraduate

AgaKhanUniversity(Executive MastersinMediaLeadershipand Innovation)

MediaLeadershipinAction

• Understandingleadership,

• Motivatingyourself&yourteam,

• Understandingdigitalmediaworkanditsworkforce,

• Entrepreneurship, • Planning&projectmanagement,

• Managing&promotinginnovation,

• Understandingyour audienceandyourmarket, • Theeconomicsofnetworks, • Marketing&research,and • Legalandethicalissuesformedia leaders.

SpecialistReporting Projects

Entrepreneurshipand corporaterenewal

• Thelearnerworkswithanacademicadvisorandajournalism mentortodevelopadigitaljournalisticprojectintheirchosen areaofeditorialspecialisation.

• UnderstandingtheStrategicContext:thechangingnatureof audiencesandmediaconsumersinAfrica,

• Imaginingnew mediaproductsandventures, • Theoriesandapproachesto entrepreneurship:theprocessandpractices,

• Conceivingnew businessmodels, • Gettingbuy-inforyournewventure,and

• What successlookslike:Measuringimpactandsuccess.

2yearsPostgraduate

MultimediaUniversityofKenya Undergraduate

MoiUniversityIntroductionto Development Communication 4yearsUndergraduate CommunicationandSocial Influence

Communicationand Gender

Table1. Continued.

CountryUniversityCoursesidentified

DataJournalism

ScienceJournalism

Ghana AfricanUniversityCollegeof Communication ScienceandTechnologyin ourLives

Contentissuescoveredthatspeaktothestudy’sindicatorsof sustainablejournalism

• Theapplicationofsciencetoeverydaylife. • Thefoundationsof scientificthought • Theapplicationofscienceandtechnology anddemandsofchangingsocietiesforscientificand technologicaladvancementEarthResources,

Durationofthe programmeProgrammelevel

4yearsUndergraduate Introductionto Development Communication

• Participatorycomponentofbroadcastandhowitimpacts development, • Dialogiccommunication, • Socialand behaviourchange • Stories/programsthatdrivedevelopment,

• radiodramafordevelopment • componentofdevelopment • phone-ins

4yearsUndergraduate

ScienceReporting

BlueCrestUniversityCollegeDevelopment Communication

ChristianServiceUniversityCollegeScienceandTechnologyin ourLives

•

• DiffusionofInnovation

• What’sDevelopment

• Development Communicationanditsobjectives

• HistoryofDevelopment Communication

• TheMedia,CommunicationTechnologies andDevelopmentCommunication • Communicationandsocial change,socialjustice

• Geohazards,

• ChemistryandLife, • FoodandNutritionin everydaylife, • EverydayPhysics, • AnimalsasFriendsof Humans • Thecoursepresentssomeofthebasicprinciplesof physics • Thelawsofmotionandhowprinciplesofmechanics areappliedineverydayobjectssuchasseatbeltsandairbags. • Thepropertiesofsemiconductorsandtheirapplicationto microelectronics • Renewableandnon-renewableenergy • Eectricity,andelectricalsafetymeasures

4yearsUndergraduate

4yearsUndergraduate

UniversityofMedia,Artsand Communication(UNIMAC)/ GhanaInstituteofJournalism

4 yearsUndergraduate Development Communication SimilartoUNIMAC’scoursestructure4yearsUndergraduate

IntroductiontoCommunity Journalism

• ThebasicsofJournalismanditspractice

• Conceptual frameworkfordefiningjournalismandnews

• Journalismand science • Principlesofmodernjournalism • Journalismasa professionwillbediscussed

• Theories,concepts,principlesanddebatesofdevelopment

• Principlesofhumancommunicationinthecontextof sustainablelivelihoods.

• Conceptualisationofinternational developmentandcommunicationprocesses

• Social,economic andpoliticalforcesthatshapepeople’saccessto communicationstechnologyandinfrastructure

4yearsUndergraduate

4yearsUndergraduate Development Communication

Introductionto EnvironmentandHealth Communication

• Humancommunicationasaprimarytoolofhealth. • Applying environmentalandhealthissuesincommunicationusing interdisciplinaryapproaches. • Reportingandcommunicating basichealthandenvironmentalfactorsthataffectthehealth andoverallecologicalimbalanceofsocieties

• Meaningofdevelopment • Coreissuesindevelopmentand globalisation. • Debatesaboutglobalisationanddevelopment • Hownationsriseorfallintheglobaleconomy • Hownational developmentissuesareshapedbypowerfulinternational organisation(liketheWorldBank,theIMF,andtheWTO), transnationalcorporations • Technologicalchange • Theimpact ofglobalisationonthequalityoflife • Theinterplaybetween thestrategiesofglobal,national,andlocalactors. • Winners andlosersintheglobalisationprocess

4yearsUndergraduate

4yearsUndergraduate Globalisationand Development

Genderanddevelopment

JayeeUniversitycollegeDevelopment communication

IntroductiontoEconomics &Business

• Womenandminoritiesinbothtraditionalandnewmedia.

• Diversityandsocio-culturalinequityinmasscommunication analyses • Publicdiscoursesurroundinggenderand development(suchasstereotypes,implicitassumptions,role imagesandmarginalisation).

• Massmedia’scontributionto thesocialconstructionofgender,race,andclass • Howthe mediacaninfluencesocialconstructionofgender

• SimilartoUNIMAC’scoursestructure

4yearsUndergraduate

4yearsUndergraduate

Globalandnationalscience issues 4yearsUndergraduate

Health,LegalandEthical IssuesinSports 4yearsUndergraduate

ConflictinAfricanStates 4yearsUndergraduate

Globalandnationalhealth/ medicalissues 4yearsUndergraduate

EnvironmentalReporting 4yearsUndergraduate

Health/MedicalReporting 4yearsUndergraduate

MethodistUniversityCollege Ghana ScienceandTechnologyin OurLives 4yearsUndergraduate MassMediaandSociety

• MajorsocialtransitionsinAfricaandGhana

• Socialtransitions andtheirinteractionwiththecommunicationssystem • Industrialtransformationsofthetraditionalmediaand communicationimperatives(suchasthenewspaperandthe 4yearsUndergraduate (Continued

Table1. Continued.

CountryUniversityCoursesidentified

MediaandGlobalCulture

PentecostUniversityCollegeDevelopment Communication

WisconsinInternationalUniversity College Development Communication

Contentissuescoveredthatspeaktothestudy’sindicatorsof sustainablejournalism

Durationofthe programmeProgrammelevel telegraph) • Theevolvingimpactofthenewmedia technologiesonsociety • Effectsofthecommunicationsystem oncommunity,society,anddemocracy.

• Culture:Definition,Functions,Characteristics,Elements;Whatis GlobalCulture?CommunicationandCulture • GlobalMedia: Globalisation;Definition,history,types,&contributoryfactors; WhatisnewaboutCurrentGlobalisation?;Cultural Globalisation/TransnationalCulture • Media&Cultural Globalisation • TheChallengeofFundamentalismand NationalismtoCulturalGlobalisation • Roleoftransnational mediainculturalglobalisationofAfrica.

• Developmentcommunicationtheories

• Communication strategies

• EthicsinDevelopmentcommunication

• Project management

• Community,StakeholderEngagement

• CorporateSocialResponsibility.

• Dominantdevelopmentdiscourse:Modernisationtheory; Globalisation

• Massmediaandcommunicationin modernisation

• Criticalperspectivesonthedominant developmentdiscourse • Communicationandsocialjustice; socialchange

• Communicationmodelsindevelopment programmesandprocessesforchange

• BasicPrinciplesof Dev.Comm

• Themedia,Communicationtechnologiesand DevComm

• Media&Communicationforempowerment • Participatorycommunicationprocessesandstrategies

4yearsUndergraduate

4yearsUndergraduate

4years

HealthCommunication

UniversityofGhanaMediaManagement

• ImportanceofCommunicationforthestudyofhealth

• Levels ofhealthcommunication

• TheroleofmassmediainHealth communication • NewMediaandHealthcommunication • Socialmediaandhealthcommunication • Health promotion

• UnderstandingMediaManagement.Mediamanagementasa distinct fieldofmanagement,itsscopeandrationale. • Classical managementtheoriesandapplicationinmedia. • Keyareasof (media)management-leadership,decisionmakingasa managementfunction. • Sustainablejournalisminpractice: Mediaandthegreeneconomy. • Entrepreneurshipventuring andmanagement

• GenderandMediaManagement

4yearsUndergraduate

1yearPostgraduate

MediaandInformation Literacy

• ThescopeandimportanceofMediaandinformationliteracy

• MediaandInformationLiteracy:FieldofKnowledge,Concepts andHistory.

1yearPostgraduate

• TransformationinNewsmedia • Newsmediain

South Africa UniversityofKwaZulu-NatalWritingfortheMedia

thedigitalage • UnderstandingNewsmaking,theMedia,and mediastructure. • Mediastructureandhowthemediaworks • TruthandPost-truth • InformationDisorder • Makingsenseof thenewsamongthenoise-InformationverificationCyber securityand(data)privacyontheinternet. • -Cybersecurity anddataprivacyontheinternet-Onlinesafety. • Ethicsinthe DigitalEra-Whatisdigitalethics?;InformationEthicsina digitalage • EthicalUseofInformationasanMILSkill • News ReportingandthePowerofRepresentation • Thepowerof imageinnewsreporting • Mediumandmessage

• Journalismpracticewithafocusonwriting • Exploresthe relationshipbetweenthejournalistandthereader

3Undergraduate Journalism,Mediatheory andethics

Newmediastudies

• Journalismethicsinthepracticeofnewsproduction • Ethicsin theconstructionofculturalidentitythroughnewsproduction

2Masters/5thyear

• Digitalmediainsociety • Telecommunications • Broadcasting3Undergraduate UniversityoftheWitwatersrandJournalismPracticeA

• Offeredtomid-careerstudentsandcareer-entry • Journalism fundamentals • Newsreportingandwriting • Sourcingand interviewing • Ethicsofjournalismpractice

• Medialaw • Practicalskillsinvideoandaudioproduction,visualisation, socialmediacontentproductionandwebdesign • Court reporting

1Honours/4th year

JournalismPracticeB

JournalismStudiesB

Financialjournalism

Communicationforsocial change

RhodesUniversityJournalismandMedia Studies1

• Featurewritingwhichextendstospecialistsbeatslikehealth, financeandclimatechange • Researchskillsincludingarchival • Advancedmultimediaskills

• Indepthreportingproject

• EquivalentofHonoursresearch project • Scopefortimelyprojectslikeclimatechange, xenophobiaetc.

• Numeracy

• Financialliteracy

• Financialmetricsand understandingoperationsandroleofcritical financialentities

• Communicationsinadevelopmentalcontext

1Honours/4th year

1Honours/4th year

1yearfulltimeor 2years parttime

• 1yearfulltimeor 2yearspartime

• Introductiontojournalism,mediastudies,culturalstudiesand communications • Understandingmediaandmediation • Medialaw

• Mediastudiesinadigitisedworld • Interviewing

• Multimediastorytelling

• Combinationofmediastudiesandmediaproduction

Honours/4th yearand Masters/5thyear

Honours/4th yearand Masters/5thyear

3Undergraduate JournalismandMedia Studies2

• Multimediaproductionskills • Media’sroleintheconstruction ofmeaning

• IncludesmoduleslikeHistoryofSouthAfrica media,makingofmeaning,andaudiostorytelling

3Undergraduate

(Continued

Table1. Continued.

CountryUniversityCoursesidentified

JournalismandMedia Studies3

JournalismandMedia Studies4

Contentissuescoveredthatspeaktothestudy’sindicatorsof sustainablejournalism

• Medialawandethics • Publiccommunications • Understanding theselfinrelationtosocialmediacontentandproduction • Digitalmediaandpublicdebate • Specialisationsin commuinicationdesign,photography,writingandediting, televisionandaudio

• Ayearofjournalismfocusafterthethreeyearundergraduate BAdegree • Digitalmediaandsociety:asouthernperspective is thecoremodule • Mediastudies • Criticaltrendsinthemedia

• Specialisationoptionsinavarietyofmediaorformats • Includesaninternshipatamediacompanyoraself-directed projectaspartoftheexperientiallearningcomponent

Durationofthe programmeProgrammelevel

3yearsUndersgraduate

14thyear

Afrofuturismandthe anthropocene

StellenboschUniversityJournalismPractice

Mediaentrepeneurship

Multiplatformjournalism

MediaStudies

UniversityofCapeTownMedia,PowerandCulture

Multimedia production

ThemediainSouthAfrica

Honoursinmediatheory andpractice

• Humansandtheirrelationshipwiththeearth

• Representations ofnature,technologyandthefuture • Impactofcolonialismon themodernworld • Exploresanimalandcyborgconsciousness

• Lifeinahigh-techecologicallydamagedworld • Speculative thinkinginimagininganewworld

• Writingandeditingforprint,onlineandsocialmedia

• Includes aninternshipatamediaorganisation

• Skillsfocuswithaviewtostudentsestablishingthemselves outsidethe

• Journalismpracticeandproduction

1Postgraduate

Honours/4thyear

1Honours/4thyear

• Multimediaproduction1Honours/4thyear

• Roleofmediainsociety • Mediaethics • Mediaandsociety1Honours/4thyear

• Politicaleconomyofthemedia

• Powerrelationsbetween mediaandsociety • Audienceresearch • Criticalthinking • Visualisation • Globalisation

• Networkedmediaandalgorithms

• Multimediastorytelling

• Newsproduction

• Interviewing, research,newswritingandnewsproduction

• Introductionto medialawandethics

• Freedomofexpression • Regulatory,ethicalandlegal parametersformediaoperations • Howlargemediaentities operatewithintheregulatoryframework

• Narrativeliteraryjournalism • Politicaljournalism • Mediaand thePublicDomain • SouthAfricanPublicRhetoric

3Undergraduate

3Undergraduate

3Undergraduate

1Honours/4thyear

communityengagementinitiativestailoredtowardsdevelopmentandsocialimpact initiatives.

Positionality

Positionality,definedasthe “interplayofspace,contextandidentity” (Bayeck 2022,1)also emergedasanimportantfactorinoursyllabianalysis.Journalismistaughtfroman AfricanperspectiveandinsomecasesthisincludesAfricanlanguages.MultimediaUniversityinKenya,forexample,offersacoursetitled “KiswahiliforJournalistsaimedatempoweringjournalistswithlinguisticandculturalskillsthatalignwiththeirrolesand responsibilitiesintheEastAfricanregion,whereSwahiliislargelyspoken.” Thisproficiencyenablesthestudentstoengagewithdiversecommunitiesandsourcesin Swahili-speakingcommunities,addressingissuessuchassocialjustice,humanrights anddevelopment,whilealsoeffectivelybridgingthelanguagebarriers.Thepresence oftopicssuchasgender,health,developmentandenvironmentinjournalismmodules showsthepowerofpositionalitybecausethesemodulesaredevelopedtoreflecton issuesthatareimportanttotheAfricancontext.

InGhana,the “GlobalandNationalScienceIssues” moduleintroducesstudentsto issuesofglobalandnationalinterestinhealthandscienceswhile “ScienceandTechnologyinourLives” courseisamandatorycoursethatishostedbytheComputerScience DepartmentofChristianServiceUniversityCollege.Itexposesstudentstothebasicsof scienceandtechnologyaswellasthepurposeandroleofscienceandtechnologyin humandevelopment.WhilecoursesinEnvironmentalReporting,ScienceReporting, Health/MedicalReportingofJayeeUniversitycollegespeaktojournalisticroutines(i.e., storyidentification,sourcinganddevelopment)andwritingcomponentofreporting health,medical,scienceandenvironmentalissues,theyalsoexposestudentstoreporting techniques,researchskills,andethicalconsiderationswhencoveringenvironmental, scienceandhealthissues.Studentsonthiscourseareencouragedtoexploretopics suchasclimatechange,conservation,pollution,diseaseoutbreaksandcommunicable diseases,issuesthatarecertainlyrelevanttothesustainabilitydiscourse.

Also,the “DigitalInequalitiesinAfrica” moduleatRhodesUniversityinSouthAfricais anotherpositionality-orientedcoursethatexploresapertinentbutoftignoredrealityof thedigitaldivideanditsimpactonAfricansocieties.Thecourseexpectsstudentsto “contributewithanin-depthexplorationofdigitalinequalitiesacrossdomains(education,politicalparticipation,economicactivity,etc.)anddifferentdimensions(gender,race, (dis)ability,etc.),” (Rhodes 2024),demonstratinganintentionalengagementwithissues ofsocialsustainability.AnotherSouthAfricanUniversity,Stellenbosch’sfourthyearprogrammeremainsfocusedonthepracticeofjournalism.Amoduleonentrepreneurship aimsatequippingstudentswith “theessentialskillstoenablethemtothinkabouta careerbeyondtraditionalmainstreammedia” (StellenboschUniversity 2023).

Thisobjectivespeaksvolumesabouttheuniversity’spowerandpositionalityinchoosingtoinvestinjournalismsustainabilityindirectresponsetothedeclineoftraditional newsroomjobs(GarmanandVanderMerwe 2017).PositionalityisalsovitalforKenyan journalismscholarship.TheMediaDevelopmentforSocialChangemoduleofferedto graduatestudentsattheAgaKhanUniversityinKenyaaddressessustainablejournalism byprovidingstudentswithacomprehensiveunderstandingofthemedialandscapein

Africa,includingthehistoricalandsocio-politicalcontexts,whilealsoexploringthetheoriesthatunderpintheroleofmediaindevelopmentandsocialchangeinemerging democraciessuchasKenya.Thecourseanalysesvariouspressingsocio-economicand politicalissuesfacingAfricancountriesandinstitutionssuchasyouthunemployment, economicandhealthcareinequalities,ethnicityandhowitimpactsresourcedistribution, developmentandgovernanceandcorruption,andhowmediacanbeusedtoaddress thesechallenges.

Insulation

Thecurriculaofallsampledinstitutionsat firstglance,donotdeploysustainablejournalismasaholisticconcept.InFinlay’smappingofjournalismschools,(2020),noneofthe sampledSouthAfrican,KenyanandGhanaianinstitutionsshowedanyobviousfocus onsustainabilityasakeythematicareawiththeemphasisremainingontraditionalprofessionalpraxislinkedtonewsroomsandanewerfocusonplatform-specificcontentproduction.ThisisconsistentwiththeassertionsofBerglez,Olausson,andOts(2017)that journalismstudiestreatissuesofsustainability “disjointedly” (xi).Berglez,Olausson,and Ots(2017)organisesthesedisjointedissuesintothreebroadcategoriesofenvironmental, socialandeconomicsustainability.Thejournalismcurriculaunderexaminationaretreatingissuesofsustainabilityinsilosor “disjointedly”,inthewordsofBerglez,Olausson,and Ots(2017).

TheUniversityofKwaZulu-Natal(2023)(UKZN),forexample,offersundergraduate modulesincorporatingindividualelementsofjournalismpracticewithvideoproduction modulesatpostgraduatemodules.Overall,theirprogramme,oncefocusedsolelyon mediastudies,isnowamixofjournalismtheory,ethicsandsomepracticaltraining withnothematicelementsthatwouldallowquestionsofsustainabilitytoexistinsignificantdepthinthecurriculum.TheUKZNcurriculumhaschangedsignificantly.For example,theinclusionoftheMECS707 Journalism,MediaTheory&Ethics moduleclearlyjournalismisincorporatedinthecurriculum.Similartrendscanbe foundinKenyaandGhana.InKenyaforexample,mostundergraduateprogrammes suchasthoseofferedbyMultimediaUniversity,RiaraUniversityandMoiUniversity,all incorporatevariouselementsofjournalismpracticewithcoursesondatajournalism,multimediastorytelling,newsreportingandwritingwhilealsocombiningjournalismand theory,ethicsandlawandpracticalsessions.Henceforth,sustainablejournalismis beingtaughtbutmoreinahybridformthatspeakstoissuesthatareimportanttothe localcontextinthesecountries.

Reputation

Universitiesthathavealongstandingreputationinjournalismeducationoffercourses directlygroundedinsustainability.Forexample,anumberofpostgraduateelective modulesofferedbySouthAfrica’sRhodesUniversityandKenya’sAgaKhanUniversity, MoiUniversityandMultimediaUniversityarerootedinquestionsofsustainability whichhavethepotentialtostimulateresearcharoundsustainablejournalism.Theseuniversitiesareamongafewthatofferdegreesmajoringinjournalism.Rhodes’ Afrofuturism andtheAnthropocenecourse,forexample,(RhodesUniversity2023),contemplatesthe

“presentrealityoflivinginahigh-techecologicallydamagedworld.” Thecourseisfundamentallygroundedinprinciplesofsustainabilityandoffersjournalismstudentsanopportunitytodirectlyengagewithsocial, financialandenvironmentalsustainability holistically.AnotherofthepostgraduateelectivesofferedatRhodesisChroniclesof themediaanditshistoryinSouthAfricawhichexaminesthesocialhistoryofthe countrythroughthelensofitsmedia,andlooksatthosewhohaveremainedunderreportedorontheperipheryofreporting,(RhodesUniversity2023).

Reputedjournalism-offeringuniversitiesinGhanaandKenyaalsoofferprogrammes rootedinsustainablejournalism.AgaKhanUniversity’scoursesinDigitalJournalism equipsstudentswithskillsandknowledgerequiredtoexcelinarapidlyevolving fieldin thedigitalera.Inthesecourses,studentsexamine,amongothertopics,audienceengagementandanalysis,digitalethicsandresponsiblereportingandverificationandfact-checkingintheageofinformationoverloadandmisinformation.Similartopicsandmodulesare offeredacrossthesyllabianalysedforMoiandMultimediaUniversitiesandUniversityof Ghana’sMediaandInformationLiteracyandMediaManagementcourses.

DiscussionandConclusion

Overall,ourresearchshowssoaringengagementwithquestionsofsustainabilityin variousways.However,thereisstilllessevidencepointingtoaconcertedmove towardssustainablejournalismasconceptualisedbyBerglezetal.Forexample,in 2023,DrEnockSithole,ajournalismlecturerattheUniversityofWitwatersrandin SouthAfrica,undertookasignificantresearchprojectwithsupportfromFojo/Linnaeus UniversityinSweden,whichlookedatclimatechangereporting.Theparticipantsata webinardiscussingtheresearchresultandwhichincludedacademiccolleaguesfrom RhodesandStellenboschUniversity,stronglyarguedinfavourofasummitofsorts whichwouldallowthenascentideasaroundtheteachingofsustainabilityaspartof thejournalismcurriculumtocrystallise.1

InanalysingjournalismeducationinSouthAfrica,Kenya,andGhana,distinctcultural influencesemerge.SouthAfricanprogramsgrapplewithintegratingsustainability, oftenside-liningenvironmentaljournalismduetocurricularconstraints.Kenya’s approach,particularlyatAgaKhanUniversity,emphasisesdigitaljournalism’sethical dimensions,preparingstudentsfortheinformationera’schallenges.Conversely, Ghana’sinstitutionsexhibitagrowinginterdisciplinaryapproach,borrowingfrom sciencedepartmentstosupplementtheirtraditionaljournalismcourses,yetstruggleto tailortheselessonstojournalisticneeds.Acrosstheseregions,thepressingdemandfor sustainablejournalismunderscorestheneedforsignificanteducationalreform.Further researchshoulddrilldeeperintothesedifferencesinjournalismcultures(Thomasetal. 2019)acrosstheAfricancontinent,highlightingthediversityofsocietalandculturalsettingsinwhichsustainablejournalismcanbedeveloped.

Whileallthejournalismcurriculasampleddidnothaveastand-alonecourseonclimate andenvironmentalreporting/communication,issuessurroundingclimateandenvironmentaljournalismeducationarecoveredunderspecialtopicsorincourseswherestudentschooseanareaofjournalismtospecialisein.Otherinstitutionssuchasthe GraduateSchoolofMediaandCommunicationsatAgaKhanUniversityinKenyahave supplementedtheireducationwithprofessionaldevelopmentcoursesinhealth

reporting,climatechangeandenvironmentalreporting,andstudentsareencouragedto applyforthesespecialisedshortcourses.Theschoolalsorunstwoexcellenceinreporting fellowshipsfocusingonheathandonclimatechangeandenvironmentalreportingwhere fellowsaretrainedandmentoredandthenprovidedwithareportinggrantonthesecriticalissuesonsustainablejournalism.

Thejournalismcurriculaofall fiveinstitutionsunderexaminationinSouthAfrica,with theirstrong,traditional,emphasisonjournalismaspraxis,lackroomforthematiccontent focilikeclimatechangeorsocialsustainability.Traditionally,theteachingandlearningof thematiccontentareashashappenedinspecialisedundergraduatecoursesinthesocial sciencessuchasgeography,anthropologyandsociology.Specialisationofthekindthat sustainablejournalismrequires,needsto findspaceinalreadycrammedcurriculaand requiresarethinkingofjournalismcurriculatoadequatelytacklethesustainabilitychallenge.SomeofthenewercoursessuchasthoseatRhodesUniversityshowapromising shifttotheinclusionofsustainablejournalisminHEIcurriculabutremaintangential. Theoreticalshiftsinjournalismstudiesasrepresentedbythedatafromsearchforthe words, “sustainablejournalism,” inthejournal, AfricanJournalismStudies,showacontinuedfocusontraditionaljournalismstudieswithoutnopivottotheconceptofsustainable journalism.WebelieveAfricanmediaandjournalismjournalsshouldencouragesustainablejournalismresearchbyrunningspecial-themedissuesfocusingonthistopic.

InGhana,similarevidencesupportingthescantinclusionofenvironmentalandclimate sciencereportingincurriculawasfound.To fillthevoidandtoexposestudentstocurrent environmentalandscientificissuesthatcanpiquestudents’ interestinreportingonthem, afewuniversities,liketheChristianServiceUniversityCollege,haveaspecialarrangement withotherdepartmentsoftheiruniversitiesforstudentstotakecourseslikeGlobaland NationalScienceIssuesandScienceandTechnologyinourLivesfromthosedepartments. Evenwhileitisagoodinitiative,itmightnotbeabletosatisfytherequirementsfor includingsustainablejournalismincurricula.Thereasonforthisisthatthedepartments thatofferthesecoursesmaynotalwaysalterthecourse’scontenttosuitthedemandsof journalismstudents.

Additionally,thereareinitiativesinthe fieldsofscience,health,andmedicalreporting thattrytoequipstudentswiththereportingabilitiesneededtocoversuchtopics,albeit inasmallnumberofinstitutions.Coursesthatprovidebothatheoreticalgroundingin comprehendingclimateandscienceconcernsandthenecessaryjournalisticabilitiesfor reportingonthemareneeded.

Inconclusion,thispaper,inspiredbyandfollowingthefootstepsofpreviousstudies thatsoughttounderstanddifferencesinjournalismeducationandtrainingindifferent countries,includingforexampletheUnitedStatesandCanada(Josephi 2010)orthe UnitedStatesandtheNetherlands(IboldandDeuze 2012),FranceandtheUnited Kingdom(Barlow 1936)orChinaandAustralia(TangandChand 2021)withtheexception thatoursfocusedspecificallyonsustainablejournalisminAfrica.Throughasyllabianalysis,wehaveshownthecontinent’suniquecircumstancesandexperienceswithsustainablejournalismbyanalysinghoweducatorsinKenya,GhanaandSouthAfricaare incorporatingsustainabilityintheirteachingmaterials.Webelievethatouranalysiscan serveasaguidetootherinstitutionsseekingtoimprovethequalityandtheirapproaches tosustainablejournalism.Itpointstothegapsinthecurrentofferingsandalsosuggests thedifferentaspectsofsustainablejournalismthatshouldbeincludedinthecurriculum.

Itisagoodstartingpointforanycurriculumreview,re-designandadaptationandthe needforjournalismprogrammestoevolveandincorporatenewskills,knowledgeand competenciesrelevanttothechangingmediascape.Wehavealsodemonstrated Africa’scontributiontotheongoingdebatesfocusedonsustainablejournalism.The studycouldbeaspringboardforthecreationofsynergiesregionally,butalsointernationallyparticularlyamonginstitutionsinterestedin(sustainable)journalismeducationand training.

Thestudyexploredtheconceptofsustainablejournalismanditscrucialroleinshaping journalismeducationwithindifferentAfricancontexts.Despitethegrowingneedforsustainabilityinjournalism,evidentthroughvariousglobalchallengessuchaspoverty, climatechange,andhealthdisparities,theintegrationofsustainablepracticesin Africanjournalismremainsinitsnascentstages.Naturally,thisstudyfacesseverallimitations.First,itassessesanarrowselectionofuniversities,potentiallyoverlooking diverseeducationalapproacheswithinthesecountries.Therelianceoncurriculumanalysiswithoutobservationalinsightsintoactualteachingpracticesordirectfeedbackfrom studentsandeducatorsmightskewinterpretations.Inresponsetothislimitation,we havealreadycollecteddatabasedoninterviewswithjournalismeducatorsinGhana andKenya.TheSouthAfricanphasefollowsnextonceourethicsapplicationhasbeen approved.Second,thestudydoesnotaccountfortherapidlyevolvingjournalisticlandscapeinfluencedbydigitaltransformationandglobalevents,whichcouldnecessitate real-timecurriculumadaptations.

Third,datawerecollectedinAnglophonecountriesonly,adecisionwhichMarie-SoleilFrere wouldhavecriticised.TheBelgianjournalismscholarFrere(2022)leftalastinglegacythrough herwork,whichshowedmassivedifferencesbetweenthestateof journalisminFrancophone andAnglophoneAfrica,arguingverylittlewasknownaboutdevelopments,challengesand opportunitiesforjournalisminFrench-speaking Africa.Lastly,thefocusonsustainablejournalism,whilepertinent,risksoverlookingothercriticaljournalistic competencies,therebynotfully capturingtheholisticneedsanddevelopmentsinjournalismeducation.

Havingsaidthis,wearguethatourstudycontributessignificantlytotheacademic field byilluminatingthecurrentstateofjournalismeducationinAfricanuniversities,particularlyfocusingonsustainablejournalism.Byexaminingspecificcurriculaandeducational structures,thestudyshedslightontheintegrationofsustainabilityandenvironmental reportingwithinjournalismprograms,apreviouslyunderexploredarea.Ithighlights theinnovativeapproachesuniversitiesareemploying,balancingtraditionaljournalistic principleswithemergingsustainabilitychallenges.Furthermore,theresearchunderscores acriticalneed-rethinkingjournalismeducationtoencompassglobalissueslikeclimate change,offeringinsightsthatcouldshapefuturecurriculumdevelopment.Byidentifying gapsincurrenteducationalpractices,itprovidesafoundationforacademia,andpossibly policymakers,topushformorecomprehensivejournalismeducationthatpreparesstudentstoeffectivelyreportoncomplex,interdisciplinarytopics.Ultimately,thisstudy marksasteptowardsunderstandingandpotentiallycatalysingashiftinjournalismeducationtoaddressglobalsustainabilitychallenges.

Finally,ourrecommendationforjournalismpractitionersandeducatorsinAfricaisto intensifytheintegrationofsustainablejournalismintotheircurricula,addressingthe urgencyofclimatechangeandenvironmentalcrises,whileatthesametimetakingthe issueofmakingjournalismitselfsustainableand financiallyviableintoaccount.

Collaborationswithscientificandenvironmentaldepartmentswithinuniversitiescan enrichreportagecredibility,ensuringjournalistshavearobustunderstandingofthese complextopics.Additionally,continualprofessionaldevelopmentthroughworkshops orshortcoursesinsustainabilityreportingisadvised.Newsroomsshouldalsobeencouragedtoallocateresourcesandcreatespecialisedpositionsordesksdedicatedtoenvironmentalreporting,therebyelevatingtheprominenceandregularityofsustainability contentinmediaoutputs.WealsoseearoleforAfrica-focusedjournalismandmediajournalsinpromotingsustainabilitybyencouragingspecial-themedissuesfocusedonsustainablejournalism.

Note

1.See https://journalism.co.za/wcj-webinar-climate-change-journalism-in-south-africa/

DisclosureStatement

Nopotentialconflictofinterestwasreportedbytheauthor(s).

ORCID

BruceMutsvairo http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7520-9739

KristofferHolt http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2017-1117

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