Year

1996

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Graduate School of Journalism - Faculty of Creative Arts

Abstract

This thesis traces the history of journalism education and training in Australia until 1987. The focus is on the period from the formation of the Australian Journalists' Association (AJA) in 1910, to the start in 1987 of the transformation of Colleges of Advanced Education (CABs) into universities. However, significant moments in the development of journalism education and training prior to 1910 are also included, such as the first journalism lecture at Leipzig University in 1672. Also, developments in three other English-speaking countries -- America, Britain, and New Zealand -- are traced up to 1987 for comparison with the Australian experience. It is risky to describe anything as 'unique', yet it appears that Australia has developed a form of journalism training and education that is unique. It would be convenient to describe what happens in Australia as an unique 'system', but this would be inaccurate. One of the differences between Australia and most other developed nations is that by 1987 it has no uniform system. For instance, on-the-job training schemes are now rare and approaching extinction. Where they do exist they tend to lack structure and are far from comprehensive. Tertiary education institutions are taking responsibility for journalism training as well as journalism education. But the differences among the courses offered by 11 institutions in 1987 are so significant that as well as there being no uniform on-the-job training 'system' there is no typical journalism education 'system' in Australia. The fundamental cause of this shambolic state is that the initiator of most of both the on-the-job training schemes and the journalism education courses has been a trade union, the Australian Journalists' Association (AJA). This organisation's industrial priorities have often been in conflict with some of the processes necessary to realise the aspirations of many of its members for journalism to be a profession. Furthermore, although most journalists are members of the AJA, the union is too IV small to be able to monitor even the metropolitan-based training and education schemes. Hence, employers and tertiary institutions have been able to follow their own goals, which more often than not are very different from each other, and seldom coincide with those of the AJA.

02Whole_vol.1.pdf (8852 kB)
03Appendices.pdf (7336 kB)

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Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.