A journalism centre has offered to train former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie in the multimedia skills needed by today’s reporters in the wake of comments he made saying all such courses should be shut down.
The controversial columnist said budding journalists did not need to go to university and there was nothing they could learn in three years studying for a degree that could not be taught in one month working for a local paper.
Kelvin’s comments, which were published in the Independent on Friday, sparked a backlash from training chiefs, with Joanne Butcher, chief executive of the National Council for the Training of Journalists saying he was stuck in a ‘time warp’.
Now Professor Tim Luckhurst and Ian Reeves, from the University of Kent’s Centre for Journalism, have written to the Independent hitting back at his ‘utterly misguided’ views and saying the centre would be pleased to help him learn new skills.
Their letter says: “Kelvin MacKenzie is right about one thing. A degree in media studies is not a preparation for a career in journalism and no student should be misled into imagining it is.
“Beyond that his argument is utterly misguided, deplorably out of touch with modern journalism and atypically devoid of common sense.
“There are in British universities a handful of excellent degrees in convergent multimedia journalism that combine high academic standards in traditional disciplines including history, politics and law, with superb teaching of print, broadcast and online skills.
“They can be identified via two key characteristics: exceptionally high admissions standards, usually including interview and written test, and professional accreditation by the National Council for the Training of Journalists.”
The letter adds at the Centre for Journalism, students learn to work to a professional standard, do mandatory work experience at the KM Group and get published in print and online, while they also create broadcast-quality radio and television.
It adds: “The world has changed a lot since print skills alone made a good journalist. Today’s reporters need computer and broadcast skills Kelvin has never acquired. Perhaps he would like to learn. We’d be pleased to help.”
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I’m with Kelvin. And what do you expect the college to say? Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas. These courses are nonsense and raise students’ expectations. Working on the web is easy, it doesn’t take years to learn this. As for broadcasting, pick up any DSLR or camcorder and give it a go. You can download editing suites on freeware. You need to have the feel for the whole thing, and this should be well and truly blossoming before getting ‘taught’ for nine hours a week at a poly. Now grammar and english skills, that’s different, but that’s what school is there for, and that’s what friendly, helpful people who work on websites, weeklies and the radio are there for. My dad’s generation all learned their skills on the job (obviously print) and I refuse to see how it is any different on the web and broadcasting. There are a lot of older journos out there like would be only too glad to pass on our knowledge to willing, pre-poly youngsters that will set them on a far better path than these courses. Oh, and for legal stuff, it is not difficult. Learn it as and when. Good subs and news editors can help you learn. Oh, forgot, there’s not many of these left.
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Re Harold’s comment: “Now grammar and english skills, that’s different, but that’s what school is there for.” In theory, yes, but if the kid is from a state school, there’s a problem. Education policy for at least the last 15 years has meant that children were not required to achieve a decent standard in grammar and English, in the misguided belief that this bourgeois attitude stifled their self-expression. This was fine until they reached the real world, where people who had a say over their future – i.e. employers – prefered to hire people who could read and write. Result? Lots of Jakes and Natalies are now doing McJobs because their literacy skills are pants and in the great CV contest, theirs got placed in the “no” pile. Fact.
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I agree with Kelvin. I went to uni for three years and the only thing I got out of it was a fat load of debt. I got my own work placement while at uni, worked for nothing for 18 months and then luckily got offered a job at the end of it. Don’t get me wrong, the graduation ceremony was great for my mum and dad (and me) but in all honestly, I can’t say I learned anything at uni which I didn’t pick up on the job. I’ve now left journalism and when I look around and see how standards have slipped on local and national newspapers, it makes me very sad. The local papers try their best but they are littered with misspelt names (including street and place names) and are all too often a cut and paste job. There’s no real journalism involved, all it’s become is a different form of PR in this case the reporters giving their own view of the world rather than mirroring what their readers want to see. No wonder circulations are by and large falling off the edge of a cliff.
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Quill – fair call! However, I’ve seen kids/ newcomers to the industry who went to a college and came on work experience with no control of English. I suppose the point I make and agree with Kelvin on is that if it’s not in your heart you can’t be made into a journo. A good journo should read lots and lots of good literature (whatever it is that floats your boat) to get a feel for the language. A good reader should make a decent writer, in my view. I get the view that these media courses attract people with no interest in the written word. Obviously, there are different issues for broadcast, but the principles are the same.
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All I can see here is calls for more education for candidates wishing to enter journalism, not less
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That would be the same Kelvin Mackenzie who ran a television channel that these lecturers are saying knows nothing about broadcast? Oh dear – and it’s their job to teach the journalists of the future. ooops. Kelvin is doing what he does best here – grabbing headlines. He knows, as hopefully we all do, that there is a massive variation in the quality of journalism courses. Some are excellent; many average, and some, frankly, dire
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I disagree with Kelvin. He is ignorant, content with spouting out rubbish in order to create controversy and attract attention. I studied journalism at university. Now, I work for a well-respected regional weekly. I know what I am talking about. If it wasn’t for university, I wouldn’t have learned how to find, research and craft high-quality journalism. If it wasn’t for university, I wouldn’t have learned how to shoot and edit first-class video. If it wasn’t for university, I wouldn’t have learned the art of headline writing – particularly helpful what with Atex! Most importantly, if it wasn’t for university, I wouldn’t have been encouraged to carry out a work placement at a newspaper. In that work placement, during my final year, I showed off all my skills acquired at university. I impressed and was given a job there. Kelvin, newspapers want trained graduates who can hit the ground running. People like me, who have studied journalism at university. I think you need to go back to class and learn a thing or two.
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So these courses have “exceptionally high admission standards” do they? God knows what the rejects are like given the standard of grammar and punctuation of many graduates nowadays. I’m biased, though, because I joined my local paper at 16 and was taught by 19/20/21 year olds with A levels who were superb local journalists. As a sub editor I am saddened by the lack of basic skills many newcomers have. Many are clearly in the wrong job – and often quickly move to PR or change career completely. But at least the academics are keeping their jobs…
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When I attended the University of Kent it was very much an establishment for academics and still very collegiate. Geography wasn’t allowed as it wan not considered a discipline in its own right, accountancy students were made fun of but degrees in journalism!!! – utter tosh. Journalists are born and their skills developed, so Kelvin is correct. Kelvin is correct again in saying that the basics of law, government and news writing can be absorbed in 12 weeks – leaving just teeline – not really good reason to spend three years away and amass a debt of more than £40k. Students should not even think about it. After all this is not an expanding industry.
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Ignoranceisnotbliss – good for you, although I doubt you would have had a sniff in my day. You call them first-class videos. Really? I can do anything on my DSLR easily. It is not hard for any other standard than TV. I can’t help but dislike you newcomer types. If you cant read or write without a poxy course then I feel sorry for you. You would have had to graft for years to get on a regional daily in the proper days. but if you think modern regional journalism is of a high standard, then really, you should study your archives. I hope you enjoy this shambolic industry you are in. Sorry, but is us utter cack
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Harold – thank you for your constructive, motivating reply. My turn now. For your information, I love this industry. Saying that, as I get older, as I get greyer, as I get more cynical and miserable, I may think it is “shambolic” and “utter cack”. Goodness help me! Also, I was amused by your statement: “If you cant read or write without a poxy course then I feel sorry for you.” Just letting you know, it’s spelled ‘can’t’ not ‘cant’. Guess what, I learned that at primary school – many moons before I started my fantastic, well-established course!
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