Jaz između teorije i prakse u obrazovanju novinara: studija slučaja Odseka za medijske studije u Novom Sadu
The Gap between Theory and Practice in Journalism Education: the Case Study of the Department of Media Studies in Novi Sad

Summary/Abstract: The paper considers the application of theoretical and practical skills of journalism education in the contemporary media environment. For quite some time the trend of tabloidization is shrinking the space for quality information and critical discussion about key topics of public interest, and additional problems, arising more prominently in recent years, are fake news, censorship and self-censorship. Media manipulation puts into question truthfulness and ethics of reporting, as well as the very role of a journalist as a corrective of social affairs and protector of public interest. This media situation largely undermines the approaches, thought in academic programmes, which treat journalism as a humanistic profession. Further, the development of communication technologies has brought new logics of media production and enabled distribution of content on various platforms. Following these observations and using in-depth interviews with the fifteen graduates of journalism studies at the Department of Media Studies, Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, the aim of this paper is to identify graduates’ attitudes based on their work experience in different Serbian media and to establish the level of applicability of journalism theory and technique gained at faculties, in the Serbian media practice. On the basis of analysis several recommendations for journalism education are formulated: programmes should clearly respond to the demands of the contemporary media production and social flows, practical education should be enhanced by rising the technical capacities of faculties and reorganizing in-house media practice, teachers should have higher professional and scientific competences, the course in media literacy should be introduced at the earlier stages of education. The gap between the theory and market practice, on which contemporary media industry is based, cannot be bridged, and the battle with technological development cannot be won, but university education must remain the basis for journalism as a humanistic profession and guardians of democracy.

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