Asia Pacific Media Educator
Abstract
This paper reports on the changes Divine Word University in Madang, Papua New Guinea, is making to its journalism curriculum. It has taught journalism since 1979 mainly with an emphasis on journalism craft skills. This model has been replaced by an ideological model that identifies social justice and the need to provide a voice for the voiceless, while holding the powerful to account, as the central issues for journalists. This new mission is aspirational and much work still has to be done on the curriculum. This paper examines the new model and situates it in a number of contexts: the challenges facing journalism in the country; debates in the developed world on the true path for journalism education and the needs for journalism training identified from within PNG. It concludes with suggestions on what the new curriculum might contain to achieve the aspirations.
Recommended Citation
Rooney, D., Rethinking the journalism curriculum in PNG, Asia Pacific Media Educator, 14, 2003, 76-91.Available at:https://ro.uow.edu.au/apme/vol1/iss14/6
