The dilemma facing students with their hearts set on journalism careers has worsened this year.
On the one hand the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the vital importance of journalism in keeping people informed and providing a platform for reliable news and information distinct from the often wild and whacky world of social media. Reading of newspapers, watching TV news and getting news from the internet has boomed as people have sought practical and trustworthy information on what is going on. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1106498/home-media-consumption-coronavirus-worldwide-by-country/)
On the other hand employment opportunities in journalism have declined as media organisations have contracted, with many print newspapers closing down and hundreds of staff retrenched. (https://indaily.com.au/news/2017/05/17/2500-journalism-jobs-lost-six-years/, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-30/job-losses-coronavirus-australia-covid-19/12401232)
Major internet players like Google and Facebook have severely reduced the revenue of traditional news media. (https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/tech-giants-ad-revenue-overwhelms-major-australian-media-companies-20200730-p55gzq.html)
To add to the distress, tuition fees for university courses in journalism have gone up by 113% – to $43,500 for a three-year degree – a huge debt for journalism graduates facing an uncertain future. (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jun/19/australian-university-fees-arts-stem-science-maths-nursing-teaching-humanities)
As a small journalism college set up to provide hands-on vocational education for tomorrow’s journalists, Jschool Journalism College is adapting to the massive changes.
Jschool invites students to get a ’taste of journalism’ over summer by studying some of our key units as online Single Subjects, at a fraction of the cost of a full degree: www.jschool.com.au/singlesubjects
There’s also a ‘micro’ course opportunity, offering the basics of journalism over five weeks of online study: www.jschool.com.au/micro
All units feature continuous feedback from tutors and free textbooks. Tuition fees can be paid by instalments by direct debit and also via Paypal. Upfront payment earns a 15 percent discount.