GJA President Albert K. DwumfourThe modern newsroom is no longer the smoky chamber of ink-stained editors and clattering typewriters. It is now a battleground of breaking news alerts, live X feeds, multimedia storytelling and AI-assisted reporting. Yet, while Ghana’s media industry sprints into the future, some of its university journalism programmes still plod along at a measured, outdated pace. The result? A growing disillusionment among media organisations who complain, justifiably so, that many journalism graduates are ill-prepared for the complex, fast-paced demands of the 21st-century newsroom.
This disconnect is not unique to Ghana, but its consequences are particularly stark here, where the media continues to serve as a vital pillar of democracy, accountability and civic engagement. The question is no longer whether there is a problem. It is: what must be done, urgently and collaboratively, by both academia and the industry to bridge this persistent and widening gap?
The Roots of the Disconnect
At the heart of the issue is a classic misalignment: the rapid evolution of journalism as a profession is not being mirrored by a commensurate shift in how it is taught in academic institutions. The rise of digital platforms, data journalism, AI tools and cross-platform storytelling has radically reshaped the skills required in the field. Yet, many journalism curricula in Ghana remain anchored in decades-old pedagogical approaches that fail to reflect these changes.
Even more problematic is the human resource challenge. In some universities, journalism is taught by lecturers who, while academically accomplished, have limited or outdated practical experience. Without regular industry engagement or newsroom exposure, these lecturers struggle to bridge the gap between theory and the relentless practicalities of journalism today. Students, in turn, are equipped with abstract knowledge but left to navigate the real-world terrain of media practice on their own.
This structural fault line has consequences. According to several editors and media executives interviewed in Accra, Kumasi, Sunyani and other cities, fresh graduates often arrive at media houses without basic competencies such as effective interviewing techniques, story pitching, multimedia editing or even awareness of ethics in digital reporting.
What Academia Must Do
Academic institutions must first acknowledge that journalism education cannot be siloed from the industry it serves. A radical reform of journalism curricula is required, one that blends core theoretical modules with industry-relevant skill-building. This involves, at minimum:
Curriculum Revamp: Journalism schools should actively collaborate with media houses to design and update their curricula so they remain in sync with the fast-evolving media landscape. This co-development ensures that students are trained in the most relevant tools and practices. Core courses should now include mobile journalism (MoJo), podcast production, data visualization, fact-checking techniques and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in news production. These skills are essential for modern journalists to stay competitive and innovative.
Practical Training Integration: Academic programmes must go beyond theory by embedding hands-on training into their core structure. This can take the form of compulsory internships, live newsroom simulations or student-managed radio, TV or online news platforms. Institutions like the University of Media, Arts and Communication and Christian Service University can pioneer such models to ensure graduates hit the job market with both knowledge and demonstrable skills.
Faculty-Industry Rotation: Lecturers should regularly spend time working within media organisations through structured industry attachments or sabbaticals. These rotations would expose them to current newsroom practices, new technologies and editorial trends. The experience gained will help them deliver instruction that is not only academically rigorous but also practically relevant and updated.
Recruitment of Practicing Journalists: Journalism departments should purposefully include experienced, practicing journalists as adjunct lecturers. These professionals bring first-hand industry experience, insider perspectives and up-to-date knowledge of newsroom dynamics. Their involvement bridges the gap between theory and practice and provides students with mentorship and inspiration drawn from real-world practice.
Academic-Industry Joint Research: Collaborative research projects between universities and media organisations can generate vital insights into newsroom operations, audience preferences and emerging trends. Such partnerships support innovation, enhance teaching content and contribute to policy development and professional best practices within the media industry.
What the Industry Must Do
The responsibility, however, does not rest solely on academia. The Ghanaian media industry must shift from being a critic to becoming an active partner in journalism education. This means:
Structured Internship Programmes: In Ghana, many journalism internships lack direction and oversight, often leaving students with little more than observation experience. Media houses must create well-structured internship programmes with clear objectives, rotational assignments across departments and regular mentorship sessions. These internships should include performance evaluations and constructive feedback to help students develop critical reporting, editing and multimedia skills.
Industry-Academia Liaison Committees: To bridge the gap between classroom learning and newsroom demands, media organisations should form liaison committees with journalism departments. These advisory boards can review and suggest updates to curricula, ensure alignment with industry trends and facilitate guest lectures from practicing journalists. They can also coordinate newsroom tours and shadowing opportunities to help students better understand real-world media operations.
Training Scholarships and Fellowships: Media organisations, in collaboration with donor agencies or foundations, can offer scholarships or fellowships to outstanding journalism students. These opportunities should be merit-based and linked to practical newsroom attachments or special reporting projects. Such programmes not only reward academic excellence but also serve as recruitment pipelines for fresh talent.
Mentorship Networks: Veteran journalists have a wealth of experience to share and should be encouraged to mentor journalism students and young reporters. Formal mentorship programmes, either in-person or via digital platforms, can provide mentees with career advice, ethical insights and practical newsroom tips. These networks should be inclusive and nationwide, ensuring access even in remote areas.
Innovation Hubs and Labs: Forward-thinking media houses can partner with universities to establish innovation labs focused on the future of journalism. These labs can serve as collaborative spaces for students and professionals to experiment with emerging formats such as data journalism, immersive storytelling or mobile reporting. Projects like fact-checking platforms or civic engagement podcasts can emerge from such initiatives, preparing students for the evolving media landscape.
Mutual Accountability and Shared Vision
Both sectors must abandon the blame game and embrace mutual accountability. Universities must accept that outdated approaches are failing today’s media students. Media houses must acknowledge that talent pipelines do not develop in a vacuum. A shared vision, anchored in responsiveness, innovation and mentorship, is critical to preparing graduates who can thrive in today’s media ecosystem.
This realignment is also urgent in light of the global competitiveness of Ghanaian universities. Journalism and communication departments are increasingly evaluated not just on academic output, but on how well they prepare students for dynamic, real-world careers. If Ghanaian universities take this concern seriously, the implications for their reputation on the global stage are profound.
The Global Stakes
In a global higher education landscape where employability, innovation and interdisciplinary relevance are key metrics, Ghanaian journalism schools have a narrow window of opportunity. If they embrace this challenge boldly and systematically, they can position themselves as thought leaders in journalism education on the continent.
Such reforms would make Ghana a hub for practical, forward-looking journalism training in West Africa. This would not only attract students from neighbouring countries but also foster international collaborations with journalism schools in the UK, Canada, the US and South Africa.
Moreover, universities that demonstrate strong industry linkages and graduate employability often attract more funding, research grants and global partnerships. Institutions like the University of Cape Coast, University of Media, Arts and Communication, and Christian Service University could leverage this repositioning to deepen their global footprint.
In contrast, failure to act decisively risks marginalizing Ghanaian journalism education in global conversations. Students will increasingly seek training abroad or through online platforms. Media organisations will continue to hire based on internal training rather than university qualifications. And the country’s media ecosystem could suffer from a generational loss of rigorously trained, ethically grounded and digitally fluent journalists.
A Call to Action
In the end, journalism is more than a profession. It is a public trust, a cornerstone of democratic societies. If academia and industry allow the current disconnect to persist, they risk eroding not only the quality of the profession but also the credibility of public discourse in Ghana.
This is a moment of reckoning and renewal. The tools, the talent and the will exist on both sides of the divide. What remains is the courage to act, to reimagine journalism education not as an isolated academic exercise but as a vibrant, evolving collaboration between the lecture hall and the newsroom.
If Ghana rises to the occasion, it will not only close the gap between theory and practice. It will build a generation of journalists capable of holding power to account, telling Africa’s complex stories with nuance, and shaping the future of journalism on the continent and beyond.
The writer is a journalist, international affairs columnist and a journalism educator with a PhD in Journalism. Contact: [email protected]
