A freelance-based foreign exchange programme: Tasmanian students’ professional development on WORLDREP | Intellect Skip to content
1981
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Australian Journalism Review
  4. Volume 41, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 41, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 0810-2686
  • E-ISSN: 2517-620X
file format pdf download PDF

Abstract

In the context of rapidly changing newsrooms and a constriction in entry-level positions for graduates, the Europe and Australia in the World (WORLDREP) programme seeks to prepare students by pairing freelance journalism with overseas training and exchange. However, the entrepreneurial focus of the course must be weighed against the challenges and idiosyncratic hiring criteria that graduates face on their return home. This article discusses interviews with former Tasmanian participants to compare what the students felt they acquired during the course with perceived barriers and challenges post-graduation. We find that the programme’s freelance focus cultivates a range of applied skills, an extensive publication portfolio and professional confidence. However, interviewees also reported that a lack of local newsroom contacts – traditionally provided through newsroom internships – constitutes a hurdle on their return home. This prompts a discussion about how to complement exchange programmes with local networking and professional development initiatives that can ground what students have learnt overseas in local journalism practice.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Australian Government’s Department of Education and Training
© 2019 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/ajr.41.1.85_1
2019-06-01
2024-04-20
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/ajr/41/1/ajr.41.1.85.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1386/ajr.41.1.85_1&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Anon. ( 2017a), interviewed by Lynette McGaurr, Hobart , 23 May.
  2. Anon. ( 2017b), interviewed by Lynette McGaurr, Hobart , 14 June.
  3. Anon. ( 2018a), interviewed by Donald Reid, Hobart , 27 March.
  4. Anon. ( 2018b), interviewed by Bill Dodd, Hobart , 11 July.
  5. Anon. ( 2018c), interviewed by Bill Dodd, Hobart , 12 July.
  6. Anon. ( 2018d), interviewed by Donald Reid, Hobart , 6 April.
  7. Austin, J., and Cokley, J.. ( 2006;), ‘ The key hiring criteria used by journalism employers. ’, Australian Studies in Journalism, 17:December, pp. 74–89.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Baines, D., and Kennedy, C.. ( 2010;), ‘ An education for independence: Should entrepreneurial skills be an essential part of the journalist’s toolbox?. ’, Journalism Practice, 4:1, pp. 97–113.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Baines, S.. ( 1999;), ‘ Servicing the media: Freelancing, teleworking and “enterprising” careers. ’, New Technology, Work and Employment, 14:1, pp. 18–31.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Benson, R.. ( 2006;), ‘ News media as a “journalistic field”: What Bourdieu adds to new institutionalism, and vice versa. ’, Political Communication, 23:2, pp. 87–202.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Benson, R.. ( 2013), Shaping Immigration News, New York:: Cambridge University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Benson, R., and Neveu, E.. ( 2005), Bourdieu and the Journalistic Field, Cambridge:: Polity;.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Bourdieu, P.. ( 1977), Outline of a Theory of Practice, vol. 16, Cambridge:: Cambridge University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Bourdieu, P.. ( 1991), Language and Symbolic Power, Cambridge:: Harvard University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Bourdieu, P.. ( 1998), The State Nobility: Elite Schools in the Field of Power, Stanford, CA:: Stanford University Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Bourdieu, P.. ( 2005;), ‘ The political field, the social science field, and the journalistic field. ’, in R. Benson, and E. Neveu. (eds), Bourdieu and the Journalistic Field, New York:: Cambridge University Press;, pp. 29–47.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Bourdieu, P.. ( 2011;), ‘ The forms of capital. ’, in I. Szeman, and T. Kaposy. (eds), Cultural Theory: An Anthology, Chichester:: Wiley-Blackwell;, pp. 81–93.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Calhoun, C.. ( 2003;), ‘ Pierre Bourdieu. ’, in G. Ritzer. (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to Major Contemporary Social Theorists, Malden, MA:: Blackwell Publishing;, pp. 274–309.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Cohen, N. S.. ( 2015;), ‘ Entrepreneurial journalism and the precarious state of media work. ’, South Atlantic Quarterly, 114:3, pp. 513–33.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Cullen, T.,, Tanner, S. J.,, O’Donnell, M., and Green, K.. ( 2014;), ‘ Industry needs and tertiary journalism education: Views from news editors. ’, Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Teaching Learning Forum, University of Western Australia, Perth, 30–31 January.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Culver, K.. ( 2012;), ‘ How journalism educators can train students for jobs that may not yet exist. ’, Poynter, 26 June, https://www.poynter.org/news/how-journalism-educators-can-train-students-jobs-may-not-yet-exist. Accessed 29 October 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Deuze, M., and Bardoel, J.. ( 2001;), ‘ Network journalism: Converging competences of media professionals and professionalism. ’, Australian Journalism Review, 23:2, pp. 91–103.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Deuze, M., and Witschge, T.. ( 2018;), ‘ Beyond journalism: Theorizing the transformation of journalism. ’, Journalism, 19:2, pp. 165–81.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Elmore, C., and Massey, B.. ( 2012;), ‘ Need for instruction in entrepreneurial journalism: Perspective of full-time freelancers. ’, Journal of Media Practice, 13:2, pp. 109–24.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Exam Project Examples ( 2018;), ‘ Europe in the world. ’, Exam Project Examples , https://europeintheworld.com/?page_id=670. Accessed 29 October 2018.
  26. Forde, S., and Johnston, J.. ( 2013;), ‘ The news triumvirate: Public relations, wire agencies and online copy. ’, Journalism Studies, 14:1, pp. 113–29.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Frith, S., and Meech, P.. ( 2007;), ‘ Becoming a journalist: Journalism education and journalism culture. ’, Journalism, 8:2, pp. 137–64.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Fulton, J., and Scott, P.. ( 2013;), ‘ Tilling the field in journalism education: Implications of a systems model approach for journalism education. ’, Journalism Education, 2:1, pp. 62–74.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Ganser, T.. ( 1998;), ‘ Metaphors for mentoring. ’, The Educational Forum, 62:2, pp. 113–19.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Grieves, K.. ( 2011;), ‘ Transnational journalism education: Promises and challenges. ’, Journalism Studies, 12:2, pp. 239–54.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Van der Haak, B.,, Parks, M., and Castells, M.. ( 2012;), ‘ The future of journalism: Networked journalism. ’, International Journal of Communication, 6, pp. 2923–38.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Hirst, M.. ( 2010;), ‘ Journalism education “Down Under”: A tale of two paradigms. ’, Journalism Studies, 11:1, pp. 83–98.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Hunter, A.. ( 2015;), ‘ Crowdfunding independent and freelance journalism: Negotiating journalistic norms of autonomy and objectivity. ’, New Media & Society, 17:2, pp. 272–88.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Kvale, S.. ( 2008), Doing Interviews, London:: SAGE;.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Lester, E., and Munk, I.. ( 2014), Application for Australian Applicants, Canberra:: ACT;.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Longhurst, R.. ( 2003;), ‘ Semi-structured interviews and focus groups. ’, in N. Clifford,, M. Cope,, T. Gillespie, and S. French. (eds), Key Methods in Geography, London:: SAGE;, pp. 143–56.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Miao, S. Y., and Harris, R.. ( 2012;), ‘ Learning and personality on study tours abroad. ’, Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 17:4, pp. 435–52.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Moring, T.,, Zilliacus, K.,, Rupar, V.,, Treadwell, G.,, Jørgensen, A. S.,, Larsen, I. K.,, Munk, I., and Matheson, D.. ( 2017;), ‘ Global interaction as a learning path towards inclusive journalism. ’, Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 6:3, pp. 485–506.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Munk, I., and Touwen, C.. ( 2015;), ‘ Your study guide to Europe in the world. ’, Info for UTAS Students , http://www.worldrep.eu/info-for-utas-students/. Accessed 29 October 2018.
  40. Neidorf, S. M.. ( 2008;), ‘ Wanted: A first job in journalism – an exploration of factors that may influence initial job-search outcomes for news-editorial students. ’, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 63:1, pp. 56–65.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Örnebring, H.. ( 2009), The Two Professionalisms of Journalism: Journalism and the Changing Context of Work, Oxford:: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism;.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Powers, M.,, Zambrano, S. V., and Baisnée, O.. ( 2015;), ‘ The news crisis compared: The impact of the journalism crisis on local news ecosystems in Toulouse (France) and Seattle (US). ’, in R. Kleis Nielsen. (ed.), Local Journalism: The Decline of Newspapers and the Rise of Digital Media, London:: I. B. Taurus & Co;, pp. 31–50.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Schultz, I.. ( 2007;), ‘ The journalistic gut feeling: Journalistic doxa, news habitus and orthodox news values. ’, Journalism Practice, 1:2, pp. 190–207.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Solomon, E. F.. ( 2016;), ‘ How freelance journalists can help shape journalism education. ’, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 71:2, pp. 241–47.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Stitsworth, M. H.. ( 1989;), ‘ Personality changes associated with a sojourn in Japan. ’, The Journal of Social Psychology, 129:2, pp. 213–24.
     [Google Scholar]
  46. Tartu Declaration ( 2013;), ‘ European journalism training association. ’, Tartu Declaration, http://www.ejta.eu/tartu-declaration. Accessed 29 October 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Tenore, M. J.. ( 2010;), ‘ New CUNY program to equip students to start journalism-based businesses. ’, Poynter, 22 September, https://www.poynter.org/news/new-cuny-program-equip-students-start-journalism-based-businesses. Accessed 29 October 2018.
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Tunstall, J.. ( 1996), Newspaper Power, Oxford:: Clarendon Press;.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Vos, T. P., and Singer, J. B.. ( 2016;), ‘ Media discourse about entrepreneurial journalism: Implications for journalistic capital. ’, Journalism Practice, 10:2, pp. 143–59.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Wahl-Jorgensen, K.. ( 2013;), ‘ The strategic ritual of emotionality: A case study of Pulitzer Prize-winning articles. ’, Journalism, 14:1, pp. 129–45.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Zelizer, B.. ( 2004), Taking Journalism Seriously: News and the Academy, London:: SAGE;.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Dodd, B.,, Konkes, C.,, Reid, D., and Lester, L.. ( 2019;), ‘ A freelance-based foreign exchange programme: Tasmanian students’ professional development on WORLDREP. ’, Australian Journalism Review, 41:1, pp. 85–102, doi: 10.1386/ajr.41.1.85_1
     [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1386/ajr.41.1.85_1
Loading
A freelance-based foreign exchange programme: Tasmanian students’ professional development on WORLDREP
Australian Journalism Review 41, 85 (2019); https://doi.org/10.1386/ajr.41.1.85_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ajr.41.1.85_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ajr.41.1.85_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): Australian journalism; entrepreneurial journalism; freelance journalism; habitus; journalism education; social capital; the journalistic field

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error