On Wednesday 14 January, something special happened at the EUR Community for Learning and Innovation on the campus of Erasmus University Rotterdam: the Journalism Café. Students from the Master's programme in Media & Journalism sat around the table with heavyweights from the world of journalism and public relations for a lively discussion. The focus was on one theme: journalism on the front line of democracy.
Dynamic discussions
The initiative for the Journalism Café came from lecturers on the Master's programme. Their aim is to give students the best opportunity to participate in the world of journalism and to introduce them to professionals from the field. The guests for the evening were Hans van Soest, political reporter for the AD newspaper, Annelies Lacor, spokesperson for Hugo de Jonge (King's Commissioner in Zeeland), Diane Nahon, spokesperson for the Mayor of Rotterdam Carola Schouten, Eric Smit, founder of Follow the Money, and Ewoud Kieviet, reporter in The Hague for the NOS.
Students were able to engage in conversation with the guests in three rounds. This created a dynamic atmosphere in which abstract concepts from the lecture halls became concrete. Theories such as “watchdog function”, “news values” and “platform logic” suddenly became tangible. ‘I even substantiated my arguments on the spot with course literature,’ says student Lina. ‘I hadn't thought of that myself!’ The lecture hall was temporarily exchanged for a miniature version of the real journalistic arena.
Clashing visions
Not only the students, but also the guests themselves did not always agree with each other. This regularly led to clashing visions and heated discussions at the table. ‘It was entertaining to see how they could debate with each other,’ says student Emma. Lina confirms this: ‘There were certainly differences of opinion, but that encouraged us to continue thinking critically.’
A discussion about the intertwined nature of political reporters and The Hague revealed that journalists are by no means always on the same page when it comes to what constitutes good journalism. Are journalists in The Hague too close to politics, and does this prevent them from reporting objectively? And is objectivity in journalism even possible? Eric Smit (FTM) offered an interesting counterbalance to the traditional objectivity of the NOS by arguing for journalism with a clear mission and backbone.
The students not only gained insight into the work of journalists, but also into that of spokespersons, who work closely with journalists. ‘As a spokesperson, you have to find a balance between your loyalty to the administrator and your duty to inform citizens properly,’ says Annelies Lacor, spokesperson for Hugo de Jonge. ‘I definitely wouldn't want to do that myself,’ responds student Charlotte. In this way, the guests' experiences allowed students to reflect on their own position in this profession.
Bridge between education and practice
The Journalism Café is a fine example of how practice and academic education are intertwined within the Master's programme in Media & Journalism. Not only does such an initiative help students to experience academic theory in practice, it also gives them an opportunity to network with big names in the field of journalism. Discussions that are lively in the lecture halls also prove to be lively in the newsrooms. ‘It gave us a glimpse into the professional field – the struggles, but also the fun,’ says Lina. In this way, the café serves as a bridge between education and professional practice.
During the master's programme, students develop a critical view of the field of journalism. But that can be difficult if there is a gap between the lecture hall and the newsroom. The Journalism Café makes abstract theories tangible with the help of various cases presented by the guests. This proved to be inspiring not only for students, but also for the guests. ‘Your input also gives me new ideas,’ Eric Smit (FTM) tells the students.
The Journalism Café has therefore proven to be a crucial part of the professional development of students and offers a space to share opinions with each other. The Café demonstrates the benefits of contact between students and professionals in the field – an approach that could also be inspiring for other university programmes.
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This article was written by students Tess Hendriks and Iza Meggelen.
Read more about the master specialisation Media & Journalism (note: this is a Dutch master's programme).
