Journalism Education: Missing the Democratic Connections

Abstract

Numerous studies examine public journalism efforts through the practitioner's lens, but scholars, for the most part, have ignored an important aspect of the journalism reform movement -- how journalism educators teach public journalism. David Kurpius, an associate professor of journalism at Louisiana State University, helps bridge this gap in his study of journalism education. In this Kettering Foundation report, Kurpius interviews journalism professors deemed most likely to include public journalism instruction in their syllabi and classroom teaching. He argues that public journalism poses a serious challenge to journalism educators, with many professors missing the democratic connections that are necessary building blocks for students to understand and practice public journalism