Journalism Trainers and Newspaper Editors Score Nigerian Journalism Graduates Low on Job Readiness

Researchjournali’s Journal of Media Studies Vol. 1 | No. 2 October | 2015

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Olusegun W. Ojomo, (PhD)

Department of Mass Communication, Babcock

University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria

Journalism Trainers

And Newspaper

Editors Score Nigerian

Journalism Graduates

Low On Job Readiness


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ABSTRACT

Journalism training institutions are the primary makers of journalists for the media industry. The finished

products must however meet the expectations of the operators of the industry namely: media editors and

owners; as well as the audience who consume the media content. Several studies have queried the journalism

training process thus calling for reflection and improvement of the system. Using the Poynter Institute’s

Forum’s Ten Elements of Competency as backdrop, this study examined the fitness of Nigerian journalism

graduates to handle editorial jobs by seeking the perceptions of journalism educators and daily newspaper

editors in six states that make up the South-West geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Due to the smallness of the

target populations, the study adopted the complete enumeration sampling method, using questionnaires and

personal interviews to collect data and reflective practice as theoretical framework. Results show that

whereas journalism trainers think that journalism graduates are averagely prepared for the job market, editors

think that they are poorly prepared. Both groups also point at basic grammar and spelling, writing skills and

lack of experience as areas of weakness. Drawing from these findings, the author recommends an emphasis

on language and writing skills and the strengthening of the internship process.

Keywords: Journalism, Journalist, Training, Trainer, Competence, Editors, Graduates

1. INTRODUCTION

A journalist’s job performance is best measured against set job expectations. That is, to determine whether a

journalist has performed on the job and also assess how well he has performed, it is important to stake his

output against his job descriptions. Often, the appropriate personnel to assess the journalist’s performance

would be his or her immediate boss and other colleagues.

A synonym for ‘Performance’ is ‘Competence’ Thus, when someone performs certain functions as is

expected, he or she can be said to be competent. Therefore, when an individual shows competence on a job,

the show of competence can be used as a yardstick to determine his or her performance. This study sought to

find out the perceptions of journalism trainers and newspaper editors on the preparedness of journalism

graduates to competently perform journalism tasks. It also identified links in the journalism training process

that need to be strengthened.

1.1 METHOD

The study adopted the survey research method; with questionnaires and personal interview as instruments.

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION

What are the perceptions of journalism trainers and newspaper editors on journalism graduates' performance?


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1.3 POPULATIONS

This study had two populations which were: all journalism trainers in universities and polytechnics; and

editors of daily and weekly newspapers in the South-West geo-political zone of Nigeria. Editors included all

personnel by the designation “editor” in a newspaper organization. These comprised all title and line editors

within a newspaper organization. Specialized newspapers like sports, entertainment, fashion, vernacular and

community newspapers were excluded.

1.4 SAMPLING

To locate the respondents for this study, two methods were used. Respondents to the questionnaires were

chosen using the total enumeration technique. This method was employed due to the small sizes of the

populations. Total enumeration technique, otherwise known as complete enumeration method or census is

often used in studies of this nature where the sizes of the population are small, thus making sampling

unnecessary as it could further reduce the number of respondents to the research instruments. Kothari (2009)

describes a situation that could require the use of the total enumeration technique thus: “when the universe is

a small one, it is no use resorting to a sample survey.” (p.72). Explaining the method further, Kothari (ibid.)

said:

A complete enumeration of all items in the ‘population’ is known as a census inquiry. It can be presumed that in such an inquiry when

all the items are covered, no element of chance is left and highest accuracy is obtained. (p.31).

Twenty-two (22) out of twenty-eight (28) training institutions were covered. This was 78.5 % of the total

number of training institutions. For the newspapers, sixteen (16) out of nineteen (19) were covered. This was

84% of the total number of newspapers.

To obtain respondents for the personal interview, the available method, a sub-type of non-probability method,

was used. This method was adopted due to the difficulty of getting heads of journalism and mass

communication departments as well as title editors of newspapers. Thus, only those who were available in

each state were interviewed. In all, ten trainers and ten editors were interviewed.

This study adopted the Poynter Institute’s Elements of a Competent Journalist. In the fifth of nineteen

sessions sponsored by the Committee of Concerned Journalists, the Poynter faculty developed a list of ten

skills that it believed a journalist or newsroom needed to be competent today. The list was also challenged

and augmented by a group of journalists.

1.5 THE POYNTER INSTITUTE

The Poynter Institute was founded in 1975 by Nelson Poynter, publisher of St. Petersburg Times and

Congressional Quarterly. As a publisher, Nelson Poynter lived most of his seventy five years around

newspapers and journalism. He was one of America’s Journalism icons. His most enduring work was the

establishment of the Modern Media Institute, which was renamed the Poynter Institute after his death in 1975.


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The Poynter Institute is a non-profit teaching and research institute dedicated to inspiring and teaching of

journalists and media personnel. As part of its mission statement, it promotes excellence and integrity in

journalism practice and in the practical leadership of successful businesses. It is built on the founder’s believe

in the value of excellence and independence in journalism practice. Poynter is focused on supporting

journalism and the academic world by offering rare educational programmes to upcoming and practicing

journalists as well as media managers.

1.5.1 POYNTER INSTITUTE’S FORUM’S TEN ELEMENTS OF COMPETENCY

The Poynter Institute's forum represented the ten elements of competency in a pyramid as shown below:

Figure 1: Source: The Poynter Institute

News Judgment

First on the bottom row is news judgment. This element is described by the Director of Poynter Institute, Jim

Naughton, as “the ability to know what was important, what was fair and what to leave out.”

News judgment is a journalist’s ability to know what comes first. It is the skill of rank-ordering the

information available for writing a news story and discarding what does not sell. Naughton further describes

news judgment skill as “knowing when not to put the president’s sex life on page one. It’s … having the

courage to lead the newscast with a state capitol story rather than video of the latest victim.” It’s taking

enough time to report the story before relating it.

Narrative and Language

The ability to convey thoughts in the simplest language is central to journalism practice. The bulk of

journalistic writing involves telling the story unambiguously. The journalist takes responsibility for what

citizens understand about the world. Abuse or incorrect use of language by the journalist leads to


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misinformation or disinformation. Scott Libin and Chip Scalan of the Poynter Institute comment on the

narrative and language skill of the journalist thus:

While journalism may be the first draft of history, we shouldn’t assume that the first draft is good enough. So, narrative competence

requires also… manag(ing) with skill the series of decisions and steps in getting ideas, collecting information, focusing, drafting and

revising- that lead to effective writing….

To fulfil the task of effective writing and language use according to them requires the ability:

To use language with precision and clarity in order to minimize confusion or unintended inferences.

To choose among and to create appropriate narrative and explanatory strategies

To see stories in disparage events and in everyday life

To observe and to collect telling details, and to capture and convert them to the reader, viewer or listener

because there can be no good writing without solid reporting.

Analysis and Interpretation

One of the fundamental duties of the journalist is not only to give the news but to also interpret and analyze it.

The journalist must have the ability to explain and breakdown the news into easy to understand bits. He or she

should have the skill to provide relevant background to news while providing the meanings and implications

of developments in the news to enable the public take informed actions. This skill does not come easy. It

demands deliberate analytical, logical and intellectual development.

Reporting

Competence in reporting is an ever-useful skill to a journalist. It involves the ability to process and distil the

main content of a news story and present such in a format consistent to the audience or readers. Valerie

Hyman of the Poynter Institute refers to this skill as the foundation of journalism. She summarizes the

qualities of competent reporters thus: “competent reporters know how to cull stories from the world around

them; to approach old stories in new ways; to find the unusual in the routine … to push themselves to see the

unseen, hear the unheard, touch the untouchable.”

Visual Literacy

The age long dictum “a picture is worth more than a thousand worlds “is as true today as ever. A good

journalist must have the ability to tell a story visually. He should equally be a good visual critic. Good as the

narrative skill of a journalist may be, it becomes more useful when he can combine it with visual analysis

skill. Visuals speed up the message by appealing to more senses than one. The place and relevance of visuals

in media communication is underscored by the increasing use of visual elements in all forms of visual media.

Visuals attract and captivate the audience; they sustain viewers’ interest and convey the message more


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quickly. Visual literacy of the journalist thus equips him with the ability to better package his story and more

easily get across to the audience.

Technological Competence

The influence and relevance of technology in today’s world is all-pervading. Professionals in other fields are

not only getting acquainted with technology but are keeping abreast of it. The intriguing dimension of

technology is its constant changing nature. Every day, new forms and formats of technology develop at such a

speed that a little lax on the part of any professional could keep him behind in his knowledge of technological

innovations. For the journalist, the situation is the same. Every day, new devices and software are created to

make the journalist’s work easier. No sequence of the media is left out of this trend. The newspaper, radio,

television and the new media are opening to new ways of accomplishing daily tasks with less effort. To be

competent on the job, a journalist must constantly update his knowledge of the uses of these technologies.

The flip side to this issue is the near absence of some of these technologies in our training institutions; this

makes new employees of a media organization to seek for fresh orientations to acquaint themselves with the

rubrics of the system. An important caveat here however is pointed out by Nora Paul, Bill Boyol and Roy

Peter Clark of the Poynter Institute. They noted that though technology may be good for enhancing the job of

the journalist; it must not replace traditional tools namely the intellectual, personal, interpersonal and

journalistic skills.

Numerical Competence

Today’s world is made up of numbers in all its aspects. From budgets and appropriations, to population and

census stocks and shares, weather, even to jail terms involve some sort of figure or the other. Figures are

precise and concise; they save space and summarize information. To do a good reporting of information in

today’s world requires a little more than a smattering knowledge of basic figures. Deborah Potter of the

Poynter Institute observes that the numerical world has remained a major area of weakness for journalists and

this has caused much trouble in today’s newsrooms. Numerical literacy for the journalist is an essential skill.

It enables him to find flaws in statistics and calculations; it helps him to differentiate between a casual number

and an important one. A numerically competent journalist is better able to make sense of figures for himself

and interpret such to his audiences.

Cultural Competence

Journalism practice cannot be divested from the society as every human society is culturally designed based

on its various components. The journalist must appreciate the multi-cultural nature of human groupings and

show this in the discharge of his duties. He or she must take the differences, nuances and peculiarities of each

society into account when reporting and not do it as if everyone shared the same values. Aly Colon and Keith


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Woods commented on the place of cultural competence as a journalistic skill. In their view, “Journalists who

want to reflect the reality of the world around them need to be able to connect the multicultural communities

in their midst. They must relate to them not simply as outsiders looking in, but seek ways to see it as an

insider would, looking out….” (Poynter Institute, 1998).

Civil Competence

Civil competence entails making sense of the process of governance and clarifying issues surrounding it. It

involves reporting on public policies and their implications for society’s good. It entails examining issues

from the angle of citizenship and putting politics in different dimensions to allow people to confront debate,

disagree, negotiate and ultimately reach consensus. It requires examining issues and events as well as public

discontent through the spectacles of the citizens. The civic competent journalist tracks, explains and monitors

public policies as they relate to the wellbeing of the public.

Ethical Competence

The human society is guided by moral reasoning -considerations on what is right or wrong, what is

appropriate or inappropriate. Because the job of journalists has direct bearings on society, neglect of ethics

could have very serious consequences. The journalist, travelling through moral minefields every day, amidst

very deadly deadlines, must be conversant with the ethical demands of his job like his palm. Much of media–

created problems in the society have been due to poor ethical concerns by journalists. The Nigeria religious

riot of 2002 for instance, which was caused by the insensitive reporting by one Miss Isioma Daniels of

ThisDay newspaper led to the death of hundreds of people in various parts of the country. Journalists should

acquire strong ethical decision making skills. Without this, they are susceptible to erring and causing harm to

society and disrespect to the profession.

2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This study adopted Reflective Practice as theoretical framework.

2.1 REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

American educator, Peter Drucker once noted "Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From quiet

reflection will come more effective action.". This assertion encapsulates the fundamental logic of reflective

practice in a nutshell. Standing alone, reflection is an action we consciously or unconsciously do every time

and every day, for instance when we call the activities of each day to question by evaluating our actions and

learning from the process for future actions. It involves thinking over an action. Reflective Practice is a

process of deliberately looking at the way one does a thing with a view to improving on the way one does it

and ultimately getting better results. It involves giving feedbacks to oneself on one's actions and using the


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feedbacks as positive basis to improve action. A reflective practitioner must consider their desired goals and

outcomes while asking what is working or not working regarding their current efforts.

The concept of reflective practice was first introduced in 1983 by Donald Schön in his book The Reflective

Practitioner. According to him, it is a process that "involves thoughtfully considering one's experiences in

applying knowledge to practice while being coached by professionals in the field". Before Schön however,

John Dewey had been an advocate of self-awareness in education. According to Dewey, reflection is the

"active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the

grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends." (p.9). Sandars (2009) speaks of

reflection as "a metacognitive process that occurs before, during and/or after situations with the purpose of

developing greater understanding of both the self and the situation so that future encounters are informed

from previous encounters". Reflective practice is done at group or corporate level. Several professionals at

specified times bend back and throw light on their practice.

In relation to this study, reflective practice poses a challenge to journalism educators and practitioners to do a

critical assessment of the training processes of journalists and identify issues for reflection. In the face of

dynamism in society and technology, reflection on practice has become imperative.

Reflection can be either formal or informal. Formal reflection derives from research and theory and also

provides instruction and direction for practice. Informal reflection involves self assessment and questioning

and develops our consciousness of our assumptions. It also forms the basis for other types of reflections.

Whereas informal reflection may be done deliberately, formal reflection is conscious and goal-directed. It is

also task-based because it aims at addressing important issues.

David Schön (1987), in Allen and Miller (1997) proposes a strategy for advancing what he called "reflective

practicum" at the core of the work of professional schools as a means of creating synergy between the practice

world and the academia. In Schön's view, this arrangement provides a platform for resolving the long standing

conflict between the theoretical and practical aspects of the professional schools.

According to Westburg and Jason (2001), reflection takes place at three stages namely: before an experience

(anticipatory reflection), during an experience (reflection-in-practice), following experience (reflection-on-

action). Schön equally believes that you can reflect in-practice or on-practice. Reflection-in-practice is a

spontaneous process of evaluating your action as the action occurs. This entails thinking as you do or thinking

on the task at hand and reacting to issues about the tasks as they occur. Reflection-in-action is a post-action

reflection. As a process, this form of reflection evaluates a past or completed action and draws on the

experience to improve on future actions. According to Schön, “when someone reflects-in-action, he becomes

a researcher in practice context. He is not dependent on the categories of established theory and technique, but

constructs a new theory of the unique case.” (p.59). Schön's conclusion here is that reflection-in-practice


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opens up our knowledge of better approaches to complete a given task rather than following tried but

ineffective ways.

Although reflective practice has gained acceptance across several professions, it has been criticized as not

being potent enough to solve all the problems of theory-practice relationship in journalism education. One

major criticism is that reflective practice is too individualistic in its conception of learning and that it leaves

out the social dimension of learning. The argument is that people do not only learn through the process of

introspection as enunciated by reflective practice, but genuinely through conversation and interaction with

other people.

3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Because journalism graduates are the most visible and testable factors in determining the quality of

journalism education, they have been criticized the most by end users like editors, publishers and broadcast

station managers. In a 1979 study, Haroldsen and Harvey noted: “indeed, 57percent of the magazine editors

recently surveyed agreed that journalism graduates are poorly prepared or not prepared at all to handle

magazine editorial positions, and the opinion was shared by editors of small and large publications as well.”

(p.3). The survey titled Editors Not Pleased: Frowns Greet New J-Grads in Magazine Job Markets had a

sample of 313 editors to whom questionnaires were sent. Twenty-seven percent (84) responded to the survey.

Overall, most openings in organizations surveyed were filled by people with prior newspaper (18%),

magazine editorial (32%) or other communications (12%) experience. A large portion of those hired directly

out of college were hired for research and trainee positions. Some of the editors commented thus: “many of

our researchers are hired directly out of college. Occasionally a graduating senior who has served as a

summer intern with the magazine is hired as a correspondent or writer.” (p.5). the further observed:

“Journalism education per se is insufficient training for us. The applicant needs a good background in some

disciplines such as economics, finance, engineering, political science, electronics or whatever, and needs a

track record in thinking through, organizing and writing long stories on complex subjects.” (p.5).

Haroldsen and Harvey’s study made very interesting findings the most significant of which according to them

is the disgust expressed concerning students’ lack of basic language and grammar training. In a similar study

the following year, by Gordon Mills, Kenneth Harvey and Leland Warnick, the authors sought the opinions of

newspaper editors on the quality of journalism graduates. The study titled: Grammar Tops List: Newspaper

Editors Point to J-Grads Deficiencies, the authors surveyed 366 daily and 300 weekly systematically selected

newspapers in the United States. Questionnaires were directed to the highest listed editorial officer of the

publication. The questionnaires, with some modifications of a few questions was similar to the one used in the

1979 study by Haroldson and Harvey. Of the 666 questionnaire mailed, 227 (34%) were returned. The results


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are similar but more revealing than the 1979 study. The authors found that the most problematic area of

concern to editors about journalism graduates is basic grammar, spelling and writing skills. Thirty-five

percent rated this as a major headache for them. Comments from some of the editors include the following:

“We have almost given up on finding anyone skilled in basic grammar, spelling and writing skills; we have

had more luck with non-journalism graduates.” (p.15).

Another editor said

I’ve hired three journalism grads, but consider their college journalism training to be the least of their qualifications. I’ve received

illiterate cover letters and résumés from a host of other journalism graduates….one criticism I would level at all colleges –not just

those which teach journalism– is that many students seem to be able to graduate without knowing much about grammar. (p.15).

The authors also found that editors prefer a two-year of intensive newspaper training, plus a one-year

newspaper apprenticeship to a four-year university training in journalism or other programme types. Indeed,

the typical university journalism programme that emphasizes liberal arts and limiting journalism training to

about 25percent of the course work rated last among the four programme types mentioned in the survey.

Some editors commented on the declining form of university mode journalism schools. For instance, Thomas

B. Nolan, managing editor of Times Advocate said “I’ve found that journalism students for the most part, slide

through college. I would prefer to hire someone who has majored in almost anything else (math, history,

English etc) and who has minored in journalism or simply decided to work for a newspaper.” (p.13).

On a general note, most daily and weekly editors considered graduates to be fairly well prepared for full

editorial positions on their paper. This is a better rating in comparison with their magazine colleagues in the

previous study. However, one-third still graded the graduates as “poorly” or “not at all” prepared. Editors who

felt journalism graduates were fairly well prepared still had complaints about their training. For instance the

editor of a small Kentucky daily observed” they (journalism graduates) come to us with plenty of theory and

experience covering fraternity parties. They are not prepared to cover day-to-day governmental and/or

political activities. An apprenticeship should be mandatory. By and large, they can’t spell worth a damn.

Worse yet, they either can’t or won’t open the dictionary.” (p.14-15).

Another important finding of this study was about expected changes in journalism education. Editors were

asked to rate 19 different journalism education reform proposals on a five-point Likert scale, with 5 as the

strongest agreement. Results found that “basic grammar and spelling” was the greatest concern. Next was

“writing clearly and concisely, followed by “writing under deadline pressure”.

Before the two studies noted above, concerns have been expressed on the quality of the products of

journalism schools at other fora. For instance, Applegate (1996), referred to a 1974 symposium on Education

for Newspaper Careers… Satisfied? According to Applegate, “all publishers present agreed that journalism


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schools were doing a poor job.” With specific reference to graduates of journalism schools, the keynote

speaker Ronald H. Einstoss observed that:

1. Many applicants lack a working knowledge of English

2. Many applicants are being taught that a lead contains 5Ws and an H. They are not taught that a reader’s

degree of understanding drops significantly after twenty words.

3. Many applicants do not have a background in liberal arts and the sciences. “They know little of local

government.” (p.97).

As a way out of this situation, Applegate (1996) suggests “perhaps schools of journalism should tighten their

entrance requirements. Instead of having an open-door policy, schools of journalism should require certain

score on an entrance examination. Students who do not do well should not be allowed to major in journalism.

Of course, administrators may become concerned over enrollment figures.” (p.97). Applegate also reports of a

parallel view by Warren Schwed in an article, What’s Wrong with Journalism Education published in the

November 15, 1980 issue of Editor and Publisher where he noted that instructors have a role to play by

making it tough on students. But he quickly noted that “….but few do because of survival, that is, they are

evaluated by students and they like to be liked by students. Also, administrators prefer to pass along weak and

borderline students.” Schwed’s observation is largely true for most institutions. An explanation for this is that

very often, numbers affect budget appropriations. The student size usually plays an important role in what a

department or a college gets when funds are disbursed. For this reason, some departments waive quality and

scholarship for pecuniary gains. This often has a negative pass along effect as the students are promoted to

levels for which they do not possess the requisite cognitive ability and are finally graduated to join the

industry for which they are least prepared.

Some views by media professionals about their preference for graduates of certain categories of journalism

schools may have some correlation with the academic backgrounds of some of the media professionals. For

instance it would not be unusual to find that some executives of media organization prefer to employ

graduates of journalism schools similar to those which they (the executives) attended. In a 1990 survey of

newspaper editors by the American Association of Newspaper Editors, some editors said they hired

predominantly journalism programme graduates and did not care too strongly about what degree an applicant

held. Editors of small newspapers equally expressed preference for journalism graduates, but most of those at

medium-sized and large newspapers said they had no preference or preferred graduates from other disciplines

(ASNE 1990).


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Bales (1992) opined that “possible explanations for this behavioural and attitudinal ambivalence might lie in

the background of the editors surveyed, specifically their own academic backgrounds. Perhaps those coming

from journalism programs would be more likely to value applicants with a journalism degree.” (p.37).

Another study (Tebbe, 1967), cited in Bales (1992) however made a somewhat contradictory finding to that of

ASNE, (1990). In the study related to newspaper editors’ attitudes and behaviours, Tebbe found that some

editors who were journalism majors did not prefer and did not hire significantly more journalism majors than

editors without journalism degrees. However, a significantly higher number of editors having close contacts

with journalism programs indicated a preference for journalism majors and likewise hired more of them than

did editors not having journalism program contacts.

Bales’ study, Newspaper Editors’ Evaluation of Professional Programmes revealed that editors who were

journalism majors are more likely than non-journalism majors to prefer hiring journalism graduates for entry-

level positions in their organizations, but recent visitors to journalism schools do not have any significant

preference for journalism graduates. To corroborate the findings, survey went beyond the editors’ perceptions

to what they actually did in the hiring process in their organizations and found that editors who majored in

journalism were significantly more likely to hire journalism graduates than their non-journalism major

counterparts would. But recent visits to a journalism program by an editor did not have any significant impact

on editors hiring of journalism majors. Again, editors who had been journalism majors showed a marked

difference in commending the general performance of journalism programmes in educating recent employees

when compared with editors who were not journalism majors.

4. RESULTS

This section is a presentation of the data gathered through the instruments employed in this study. Two

research instruments were used to collect data from the two sets of respondents. 186 copies of the

questionnaires designed for trainers were administered with 117 copies returned, while a total of 191 copies of

the questionnaires designed for editors were administered, with 128 copies returned. Data from the

questionnaires were computed into tables, while the personal interviews were transcribed from the audio

format. In analyzing the data, the tables were presented and analyzed, and the personal interviews were used

in discussing the observations from the tables.

Research Question

What are the perceptions of journalism trainers and newspaper editors on journalism graduates' performance?


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The above research question sought to find out what are the views of journalism trainers and editors on

journalism graduates performance. The relevant tables to this research question and the discussion follow:

Table 1: Degree of preparedness of journalism graduates to handle editorial positions

Trainers Editors

Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Not at all prepared 6 5 10 8

Poorly prepared 28 24 67 52

Fairly well prepared 81 69 49 38

Excellently prepared 2 2 1 1

Totals of questionnaires 117

100%

(N=117) 128

100%

(N=128)

Table 1 above shows the degree of preparedness of journalism graduates to handle editorial positions as

perceived by journalism trainers and editors of daily and weekly newspapers. From a total of 117 respondents

among trainers, 6 respondents, representing 5 percent think that journalism graduates are not at all prepared,

whereas 24 percent think that they are poorly prepared. The largest percentage of 69 think they are fairly well

prepared, while 2 percent think that they are excellently prepared. At best, “fairly well prepared” can pass for

an average assessment, thus suggesting that the trainers gave an average score to journalism graduates with

respect to preparation. These figures however differ from those representing the views of editors. Whereas

more trainers think that their products are fairly well prepared as indicated by the 69 percent number, to the

contrary, 52 percent of the editors think that products from the various training schools are poorly prepared,

and 38 percent think that the graduates are fairly well prepared. Writing on “The Gap between Educators and

Professional Journalists”, Dickson and Brandon (2000), alluded to the 1995 Jane Pauley task force on Mass

Communication Education at the Ohio State University, which compared the opinions of administrators of

college broadcast programs and TV news directors about the abilities of entry-level graduates. The study

found that “Administrators had a higher opinion of their graduates than news directors had of applicants on all

questions but one: ability to do math. The difference between the number of administrators and news directors

stating that most broadcast graduates were adequately prepared was greater than 20 percentage points for 16

characteristics and greater than 50 points for four of them.” The views of the editors need to be taken more

seriously because they are the actual users of these products. Through daily interactions with practicing

journalists, editors are able to determine the extent to which journalism graduates are suitable for the job.

According to one editor,

I don’t think they have the type of orientation that one would expect from them, they just come around and they think it’s all about

writing. No, there are specifics for journalists. You must be able to cover beats and in the beat area we are talking of politics, we are

talking of crime, sports, entertainment and all the rest of them, but I discover that most of them will tell you they want to write

entertainment but at the end of the day they know nothing about entertainment.


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Talking about orientation as noted in the observation of the editor above, it is taken that an average graduate

of journalism should be capable of doing basic journalistic writing such as news writing, features

commentaries and so forth. Where this is not the case, it leaves much room for stakeholders to worry. In

another response to the question on whether the Nigerian journalism graduate is prepared for the industry, an

editor responded this way:

They are not. Majority of them are not ready. I will say just about 2% of the fresh graduates we have today are ready for the industry.

Do you know the journalism industry still lacks qualified hands? There is still underemployment in the industry. That’s why we have

people who studied psychology going into journalism, people with engineering background telling you they want to be journalists.

The industry is still underemployed because it lacks good quality hands.

Another editor cautiously puts it this way:

Most journalism graduates are ill-prepared for the practical aspects of the job. No one expects a fresh graduate to come with much

experience but the curriculum can be packaged in such a way that a journalism student can have a newsroom-like classroom in order

to get them prepared for life outside the classroom.

This observation suggests that there is more to the preparation of the journalism graduate than one single

factor. Closely related to this is the comment by a trainer who believes that the adequate preparation of the

journalism graduate especially on the practical side is tied to the practical strength of the trainer. According to

him, “Lecturers should go for internship. Many lecturers are not committed to teaching when it comes to

practical courses; they pursue their interests instead of helping the obviously ill-prepared students.” The

passive admittance by this trainer on the ill-preparedness of mass communication and journalism students

could be an indication that viewed holistically; there is a large room for improvement in the training system in

order to have the desired impact on the performance level of practicing journalists.

Table 2: Identified areas of weakness of journalists

Trainers Editors


Basic grammar and spelling 17 50 38 49

Ignorant as to how paper works, operates 7 21 20 26

Lack of experience 21 62 27 35

Unprepared generally 2 6 27 35

Not motivated, poor attitude, no discipline 3 9 15 20

Unable to work under deadline pressures 8 24 15 20


100%

(N=58) 142

100%

(N=142)

Totals refer to sums of respondents. Figures in frequency and percent do not add up to 100 because respondents were asked to pick

more than one option where appropriate.


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Table 3: Areas in which the Nigerian journalism graduate is seriously deficient

Trainers Editors


News judgment 36 31 60 47

Reporting 22 22 39 31

Narrative and language 38 33 64 50

Analysis and interpretation 44 38 49 38

Visual literacy 4 3 10 8

Numerical competence 17 15 15 12

Technological competence 32 27 17 13

Cultural competence 3 3 7 6

Civic competence 4 3 7 6

Ethics 30 26 28 22

Totals of questionnaires 117 100%

(N=117)

128 100%

(N=128)



Table 4: Important courses for prospective journalists to takes at school

Trainers Editors


Political science 24 21 28 22

English language 91 78 95 74

Philosophy and logic 39 33 30 23

Economics 8 7 10 8

History 15 13 19 15

Sociology and psychology 2 2 0 0

Literature in English 2 2 0 0

Communication skills 2 2 0 0

Civic 1 1 0 0


100%

(N=117) 128

100%

(N=128)



Questionnaire item number two in the survey questionnaire requested those who think that journalism

graduates are not well prepared for the job market to indicate the areas where they think they are not prepared.

In this group are those who said they are not at all prepared and those who said they are poorly prepared. As

observed in table 2, of the 117 respondents among trainers, 58 answered this question with 50 percent of them

pointing to grammar as the most important area where preparation is lacking. Of the 128 respondents among

the editors, 77 of them answered this question with 49 percent (a close figure to that of trainers) pointing at

grammar and spelling as the area where preparation is most lacking. This position is supported by table 3

where editors overwhelmingly pointed at narrative and language as the area where most Nigerian journalism

graduates are most deficient. 50 percent of the editors and 33 percent of the trainers respectively flagged


16

narrative and language as their area of concern for journalism graduates. Same situation plays up in table 4

where both trainers and editors again subscribed to English language as the most important course for an

aspiring journalist to take. The English language factor could also be important when we think about the

writing skill of the journalist and it is a concern for some editors as shown in this comment:

From my experience spanning over a decade, I have observed that most candidates go into mass communication without adequate

knowledge, many see it as an escape route from numerical courses like accountancy and business administration not knowing that the

course is even more demanding. Most students also have poor/weak background in English language. Language use should be a

compulsory course at all levels.

Another editor sees it this way: “Most people who come into journalism can’t write and when they write,

grammatical errors are so visible in their work.” One trainer attempts to explain: “I’ve observed some

deficiencies in grammar, bad spellings, and irregular structures and so on. But I sometimes term it a factor of

the hurry to meet deadlines; even an individual talking makes such mistakes before he reverts to correct them.

In newspaper however, once the mistake is made, you can’t correct it, it’s out.”

The problem of English language and grammar is not peculiar to Nigerian journalists. The study by Dickson

and Brandon cited earlier further shows that editors in the American system have equally criticised products

of their journalism schools on same problem of grammar and language as reported thus by Dickson and

Brandson (2000):

The American Society of Newspaper Editors (1990) found that only four percent of editors gave journalism schools an "A" based

upon the quality of their recent hires, half of the editors didn't care whether their new hires had a journalism degree, and editors rated

recent journalism graduates the lowest in the skills editors considered most important: reporting, spelling and grammar, and

journalism ethics. (p. 50)

Language is a major tool of communication for the journalist and except the use of this tool is mastered,

effective communication might be difficult to achieve. This puts some burden on the training process to be

more creative in the teaching and researching on language.

Table 5: Extent of agreement or otherwise on the writing skill of journalism graduates

Trainers Editors


Strongly agree 43 37 18 14

Agree 24 21 63 49

Undecided 19 16 8 6

Disagree 20 17 30 23

Strongly disagree 11 9 8 6

Totals of questionnaires 117 100%

(N=117)

128 100%

(N=128)

The questionnaire item for table 5 says that some close watchers of journalism training observe that most

graduates of journalism cannot write and do not know what they should be writing about. Responses from the


17

editors show so much as 49 percent of them agreeing with this observation and 14 percent strongly

disagreeing with it. The views of the editors are similar to those of the trainers with 37 percent of them

strongly agreeing with the observation and 21 percent disagreeing with it. This finding supports a major

criticism by editors as noted by Dickson (2006) in which grammar was reported as a major issue of concern.

The finding also supports a similar report in a work titled Grammar Tops List: Newspaper Editors Point to J-

Grads Deficiencies, by Gordon Mills, Kenneth Harvey and Leland Warnick. The authors found that the most

problematic area of concern to editors about journalism graduates is basic grammar, spelling and writing

skills. Thirty-five percent rated this as a major headache for them. This is also supported by comments by one

editor of a daily newspaper who observed that

Many Mass Communication graduates seem to have taken to the profession in error. They just cannot write simple tenses much less of

weaving together a good story. Importantly, they do not know what an intro is to a story. Many write as if they were writing term

papers in school. Yet these are products for the journalism industry that should do better, than say a philosophy graduate coming into

the industry. Something fundamental is wrong. Imagine a polytechnic graduate that cannot spell or write the correct spelling of

polytechnic, the name of his/her school.

Table 6: Areas requiring improvement in order to produce better journalists

Trainers Editors


Admission processes 31 27 22 17

Curriculum 42 36 50 39

Quality of faculty 25 21 35 27

Internship 80 68 68 53

Collaboration between industry and

training institutions 1 1 0 0

Self development 1 1 0 0

Made to go to NIJ after graduation 0 0 3 2


100%

(N=117) 128

100%

(N=128)



Table 6 is a follow up to table 5 as the survey from which it was derived attempted to find out areas that

require improvement in order to produce better trained journalists. Here, trainers and editors agree that the

internship process needs to be strengthened. This view was expressed by 68 percent of trainers and 53 percent

of editors. Internships have evolved as a vital means for journalists in training to obtain initial professional

experience and also launch themselves into the field of practice. With the paucity of modern equipment for

practical learning in several journalism schools in Nigeria, the internship exercise is a veritable means to

equipping journalism students with the requisite experience to prepare them for professional practice.

As enunciated by Becker, et al,


18

"experiences"--including media internships--do seem to help predict a graduate's success in the field: "... the specialized training of the

universities and the provision of opportunities for role playing in the job through college media outlets and internships generally do

seem to have a payoff for the student" (Becker, Kosicki, Engleman, & Viswanath, (1991, p. 19).

Internships have several benefits. While some observers consider it a process that walks the student into the

field of professional practice one editor thinks “Internship training will close-up gaps envisaged by dearth of

experts/professionals.” Indeed, a well-organized and executed internship can provide a platform for

socialization for the trainee. This point was noted by Karen Sanders thus:

self-selection, including choice of a route through education, is an element of professional socialization in any career. By the time

journalism students arrive for this education, they already have formed ideas and views about news media roles, perhaps influenced by

internships spent with journalists. (p. 334).

Sander’s views are supported by those of a trainer who suggests that “the student journalist should be given

the opportunity of longer internship training in core media areas to make them well grounded in practical

experience.” Interestingly, the essence of internships is not only supported by trainers and editors alone. John

E, Getz, in his 2002 study on Journalism Students’ Perceptions of the Value of Internships found that

“students perceive the value of internships as highly valuable in their education and in their development as

productive citizens.” (p.365). The subject of internship will remain critical in journalism training and

education due to its relevance to all the stakeholders, particularly if the process is effectively and efficiently

planned and executed. Moreover, the lack of it may largely be a major factor in the several challenges that

confront the system. One of the high points of the study by Mills, Harvey and Warnick (1980) was that:

Some news executives, disappointed at the quality of journalism graduates, are turning to people from other majors to fill their

editorial positions. To reduce this trend might require J-schools to provide better basic training: more specialized training on VDTs,

photography, and production areas; tougher entrance or graduation requirements; and more in-field experience through internships,

perhaps even multiple internships (p.19).

Close to internship is curriculum. Thirty-six percent of trainers and thirty-nine percent of editors are of the

view that journalism schools should give more attention to their curricula in order to produce better

journalists. The importance of the curricula in the overall education process is immense. The curricula spell

out the deliverable knowledge content and the direction of the programme. They are equally a strong factor in

students subscription and choice of institution. In planning the curricula, there must be synergy between town

and gown in order to ensure that the products are relevant to the industry for which they are produced. The

curricula must equally integrate theory and practice and must be developed with a global view and orientation

in their subject coverage with the intent to producing globally-relevant graduates. This view is enunciated by

Wilkins (1998) in McDevit (2000) in these words:

, "Whether these courses are sufficient to induce reflective thinking about journalism itself is continual fodder

for debate in curriculum committees." Integration of theory with practice in the same course provides an


19

opportunity to apply a conceptual framework in the design of a news writing project. Such a course might

also boost journalism's standing in academia. (p.40+).

One editor says “We need to constantly update our curriculum to ensure students are properly trained.

Curriculum should focus on the essential ingredients for producing well-rounded journalism graduates. The

curriculum should be widened to ensure versatility. In other words mass communication undergraduates

should offer electives in different areas, even beyond their faculty.”

An interesting observation here is the comment of three editors that journalism graduates should be "made to

go to NIJ", that is the Nigerian Institute of Journalism after they have graduated from any other journalism

school. The NIJ is a specialized journalism training institution set up in 1979 to cater to the needs of aspiring

journalists in Nigeria. It is credited to have produced very many journalists in the Nigerian broadcast industry

including the CEOs and editors of several newspapers and magazines.

Table 7: Adequacy of journalism training curricula

Trainers Editors


Very adequate 15 13 7 6

Fairly adequate 60 51 52 41

Adequate 28 24 21 17

Not adequate 11 9 44 34

Not at all adequate 2 2 3 2


100%

(N=117) 128

100%

(N=128)

Table 7 addresses the adequacy of journalism training curricula. Here, editors and trainers think that the

journalism training curricula are fairly adequate with a 51 percent figure from the trainers and a 41 percent

figure from editors. This position is supported by an earlier table that is table 6 where curriculum comes up as

the second highest on issues needing improvement in journalism training. But whereas 34 percent of editors

are of the view that the curricula are not adequate, just 9 percent of trainers think that they are not adequate.

But it might be safer to go agree with the editors’ views since they are the end users of the services of the

products of the curricula. The same situation comes in a reverse order in the same table as 6 percent of editors

said that the curricula are very adequate whilst more than twice that number- 13 percent of trainers think that

the curricula are very adequate. The adequacy or otherwise of a curriculum is often a function of its content

and its capacity to meet the challenges of practice. Whenever graduates of journalism and mass

communication are found deficient in their ability to meet up with the intellectual demands of their work, the

curriculum of training should take a good share of the blame. Other factors to blame are the implementation

of the curriculum and the attitude of the students themselves. This view is exemplified in the opinion of a

trainer who said “our curriculum is good. I think the problem is how to implement the curriculum. I believe

that journalism schools should not admit as many students as they do now.” Another point to note is that the


20

content of the curriculum should have inputs from the industry for which the students are being prepared. It is

a poor marketing concept to prepare products for consumers without their inputs.

5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The above results and findings show a need for a re-evaluation of the journalism education process in Nigeria.

It equally underscores the need for a convergence of purposes and goals by all parties in the field of

journalism. As the fourth estate of the realm, the media are a vital element in the growth and development of

the human society. When there are deficiencies in the system that produces the operators of the industry, the

society is short changed but the major stakeholders get the flak. A major defect in the journalism education

system in Nigeria and indeed many developing countries is the absence of synergy amongst the various

stakeholders in the industry. Everyone adopts a loner's approach to the key issues in the industry. The

operators of the industry must have inputs in the curricula of the various journalism training institutions. They

must equally support the training process by offering to teach and providing space in their organizations for

journalism interns. That way, the journalism graduates would not be seen as the products of the journalism

training institutions alone but of all the stakeholders.

6. REFERENCES

Allen, R. and Miller, N. (1997). Reflective practice in journalism. Proceedings of the annual general meeting of the association for education in

journalism and mass communication. Chicago, Illinois, July 30-August 2, 1997.

Applegate, E. (1996). Print and broadcast journalism: A critical examination. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Bales, F. (1992). Newspaper editors’ evaluations of professional programmes. Journalism Educator. 47 ( 3), 37-42.

Becker, L. B., Kosicki, G. M., Engleman, T., & Viswanath. K. (1991). Finding work and getting paid: Predictors of success in the mass

communications job market. Paper presented to the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Boston, MA (1991, August).

Committee of Concerned Journalists. (n.d.). Competency in the Newsroom – Forum Summary. Retrieved December, 15, 2010, from

http://www.concernedjournalists.org/node/326.

Dickson, T. (2000). Mass media education in transition: Preparing for the 21st century. London: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Getz, J.E. (2002). Journalism students’ perceptions of the value of internships. Proceedings of the annual meeting of the association for education in

mass communication and journalism. Miami, Florida, August 5-8, 2002.

Haroldsen, E.O., and Harvey, K.E. (1979). Editors not pleased: Frowns greet new J-grads in magazine job market. Journalism Educator. 34(2), pp.3-8.

Kothari, C. R. (2009). Research Methodology: Methods and techniques. New Age: India.

McDevitt, M. (2000). Teaching Civic Journalism: Integrating Theory and Practice. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. 55 2).

Mills, G., Harvey, K., & Warnick, L.B. (1980). Grammar tops list: Newspaper editors point to J-grads’ deficiencies. Journalism Educator. 35 (2),

pp.12-19.

Sandars, J. (2009). The use of Reflection in Medical education: AMEE Guide No. 44 Medical Teacher, 31-8, 685-695.

Schön, D.A. (1996). Educating the Reflective Practitioner: Toward a new Design for teaching and Learning in the Professions. Jossey-Bass, Inc: San

Francisco

Ten Elements of Competency: http://legacy.poynter.org/research/compcred/comp_index.htm. Retrieved on 9th May, 2011

http://www.concernedjournalists.org/node/326

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Journalism Trainers and Newspaper Editors Score Nigerian Journalism Graduates Low on Job Readiness