Journalism ClassA Profession at the Crossroads. Trust in journalism, once the bedrock of democratic discourse, is fraying at the edges. In the age of algorithmic echo chambers, coordinated disinformation and performative punditry, journalism faces a crisis not only of credibility but of relevance. Audiences across the globe are increasingly sceptical, questioning not just the facts presented, but the motives behind them. In this volatile media climate, journalism schools are being summoned to do more than teach ledes and nut grafs. They are being asked to restore faith in a profession that many believe has lost its moral compass.
This is not merely an academic challenge; it is an existential one. If the next generation of journalists cannot be taught to rebuild public trust through transparency, humility and a stronger connection to the communities they serve, then the future of journalism as a public good is bleak. Around the world, journalism educators are beginning to respond, not by doubling down on objectivity as a dogma, but by reimagining it through the lens of trust-building. From the hallowed halls of Columbia University in New York to the pioneering classrooms of the University of Cape Town and UniMAC in Ghana, journalism education is undergoing a quiet revolution. It is a shift from merely producing content to cultivating trust, from teaching neutrality to instilling purpose.
From Ethics to Engagement: Rethinking the Pillars of Journalism
Traditional journalism ethics: objectivity, fairness and balance, have long underpinned newsroom credibility. However, these values are increasingly seen as insufficient in addressing today’s nuanced challenges. The notion of “objectivity” often comes across as detached, even evasive, particularly in covering complex social justice issues or speaking truth to power.
“Journalism must evolve from a passive conveyor of ‘both sides’ to an active interrogator of truth,” argues Prof. Sheila Coronel, Academic Dean at Columbia Journalism School. Columbia has retooled parts of its curriculum to focus on transparency over unattainable objectivity. Students are taught to document their reporting processes and reflect on their own biases, a practice now embedded in investigative courses and explanatory journalism labs.
Similarly, the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Film and Media Studies is pioneering efforts that bridge journalistic rigour with advocacy for social justice. In a country where race and inequality still define access to information, students are challenged to reconsider how their positionality affects their storytelling. The school has recently incorporated modules on critical media literacy and community journalism as core parts of its teaching philosophy.
At UniMAC (University of Media, Arts and Communication) in Ghana, journalism ethics remain foundational, but new pedagogical approaches are being piloted. Lecturers are blending the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Code of Ethics with real-time discussions on misinformation, political capture of media houses and the growing influence of social media. UniMAC’s faculty is also integrating audience engagement strategies and digital verification tools into its ethics and newswriting courses, a significant departure from the rote learning models of the past.
Teaching Trust: Strategies that Go Beyond the Classroom
One of the most promising developments in journalism education is the adoption of solutions journalism, a method that goes beyond reporting problems to also investigate credible responses. At Columbia, students in the Toni Stabile Centre for Investigative Journalism are trained to not only uncover wrongdoing but to explore how communities are solving public challenges. This approach reframes the journalist as a constructive participant in civic life, not merely a critic on the sidelines.
The Solutions Journalism Network has also made inroads into African journalism schools, including UniMAC, where select instructors are incorporating this model into long-form writing and broadcast courses. Students are encouraged to produce feature stories that highlight innovations in education, climate resilience, and public health in local communities, reporting that moves audiences from despair to possibility.
Explanatory journalism is another trust-building tool gaining traction. In the United States, the New York Times’s “The Daily” podcast and Vox’s explainer pieces have demonstrated that audiences are hungry for clarity, not just headlines. Columbia’s curriculum now includes “Explainers and Guides” workshops where students produce multi-format content that demystifies complex issues such as immigration law, vaccine policy or economic inequality.
UniMAC is beginning to experiment with similar formats through partnerships with local radio stations, allowing students to translate national policy developments into digestible content for rural listeners. These pilot projects demonstrate that transparency, explaining not just what is happening, but why and how, is essential in closing the trust gap.
Verification is perhaps the most immediate weapon against the disinformation deluge. The University of Cape Town’s “Verification Bootcamp” course is a standout, teaching students how to use open-source tools like InVID, TinEye and Google Earth to verify user-generated content and satellite imagery. Students are trained to treat viral content with suspicion and to walk audiences through how a piece of information was validated or debunked. Such transparency in process invites trust, not because it claims perfection, but because it models honesty.
Reaching the Margins: Building Trust from the Ground Up
Public trust cannot be rebuilt solely in urban newsrooms or elite universities, it must be cultivated in the places journalism has historically neglected. Marginalized communities, whether due to race, geography, language or socioeconomic status, are often underrepresented or misrepresented in mainstream media coverage. Journalism education must therefore train students not just to speak about these audiences, but to speak with them.
At the University of Cape Town, the Community Media Project places students in township media houses for six-week residencies. Here, they produce content with, rather than for, marginalized populations, stories in isiXhosa, pieces addressing informal settlement housing rights or features amplifying youth-led initiatives. This not only builds empathy but exposes students to alternative news values and grassroots accountability.
UniMAC has launched similar community reporting initiatives, sending students to Northern Ghana and the Volta Region to report on issues from the ground. These assignments are paired with workshops on linguistic inclusion, cultural sensitivity and participatory journalism. Students learn to co-create content with community members and treat audiences as collaborators rather than passive recipients.
Columbia’s Tow Centre for Digital Journalism takes this further by partnering with underserved communities in New York to test audience engagement strategies. Students design participatory reporting models using WhatsApp, community bulletins and hyperlocal surveys to ensure their storytelling aligns with audience needs and values. Trust, they are learning, is not granted by credentials but earned through connection.
Are Traditional Ethics Enough?
The short answer is no. Traditional journalism ethics are necessary, but no longer sufficient. In an age where trust is eroded not just by bad journalism but by perceived indifference, news organizations and by extension, journalism schools, must cultivate a deeper form of ethical awareness. This includes:
Reflexivity: encouraging students to reflect on how their identity and institutional affiliations shape their coverage.
Contextual objectivity: teaching that impartiality does not mean moral equivalence between the oppressor and the oppressed.
Relational ethics: emphasizing listening, humility and sustained engagement with communities.
These concepts are slowly entering journalism syllabi, but a more radical reimagining is needed. Instead of merely upholding principles like “balance” and “neutrality,” schools should centre values such as transparency, humility and truth-seeking in ways that reflect the lived experiences of their audiences.
Conclusion: Journalism’s New Compact with the Public
Rebuilding trust in journalism is a generational project. It will not be accomplished by slogans or self-congratulation. It requires rethinking what journalism is for, who it serves and how it operates in a fragmented and skeptical world. Journalism schools have a critical role to play in this transformation, not by abandoning tradition, but by interrogating and adapting it.
Columbia, Cape Town and UniMAC are charting paths that others can follow. They are equipping students not just with skills, but with philosophies that recognize journalism as a public service and a public trust. Through solutions journalism, verification, community reporting and participatory ethics, they are laying the groundwork for a journalism that is both credible and compassionate.
As journalism faces mounting pressures, from market forces to political manipulation, the imperative is clear: teach not just how to inform, but how to earn trust. The future of journalism and indeed of democracy, may depend on it.
The writer is a journalist, international affairs columnist and journalism educator with a PhD in Journalism. He is a member of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the Centre for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ) and the African Journalism Education Network (AJEN). Contact: [email protected]
