Preston hasn't only been at the forefront of UK journalism
education and training for more than 50 years. It's also become the place where
journalism leaders worldwide learn.
Since the
Journalism Leaders Programme was established by
François Nel in 2006, we've engaged with hundreds of editors and
senior journalists from many of the UK's leading media houses, including
Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror, Guardian Media Group and Cumbrian Newspapers,
as well as others around the world through a wide variety of activities - from
non-academic workshops, conferences, seminars and training courses, to postgraduate
certificates and diplomas.
|
JLP graduate Laurice Taitz-Buntman |
But last December five talented editors from South Africa, Bulgaria and the UK
became the first to earn the Master of Arts in Journalism Leadership award from
the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, home the UK's oldest
journalism programme.
Alison Gow,
Dilyan Damyanov,
Laurice
Taitz-Buntman (left) Paddi Clay, and
Steve Matthewson were the first ones to have pressed through to the end.
We wanted to find out about just why they invested in the experience. Here are the
views of
Laurice Taitz-Buntman, the
former managing editor of the Times Online (now TimesLive) in South Africa, who
heads the
iSchoolAfrica Youth Press
Team programme that is working with 21 South African schools, corporate and government
sponsors and broadcast partners to train secondary school students to create
newsworthy video content for television.
Traditionally, journalists have moved up the career ladder
by learning all they can from the person on the rung above them. Why did you
choose to participate in the Journalism Leaders Programme?
Journalism is changing, and more than at any other time
journalists are being confronted with the impact of global and technological
shifts, the dissolution of traditional boundaries between the work and the
business of journalism, and the audience and our role as purveyors of news.
When I entered the programme I was working as a senior manager at one of South
Africa's largest newspapers, in an organization grappling with transforming the
newsroom from a purely print-based organisation to one more able to cope with
the demands of a digital age. The kinds of changes being experienced had little
precedent and it was clear that a new skillset was demanded. I chose the
Journalism Leaders Programme because it combined a management programme with a
focus on digital journalism.
The Journalism Leaders Programme offers non-academic routes
for those who just want to attend residential sessions, as well as an academic
route with exit points at postgraduate certificate, post graduate diploma and
Master of Arts levels. Why did you keep going to the end – including writing a
research dissertation – even though you already have a MA degree?
At the time of enrolling in the programme I had worked as a
journalist for more than 10 years but had never studied journalism. My MA was
in African Literature and while it served me well as a journalist in terms of
giving me a more nuanced understanding of African politics, society and writing
I grew increasingly hungry for a more in-depth perspective of my chosen
field. Each residential session stirred greater interest and a desire to find
answers to particular questions. Completing my MA degree allowed me to focus on
an area of journalism culture in an in-depth way which I found highly
satisfying. Journalists are expected to master many subject areas and to do so
with a weekly or even daily deadline in place. Taking the time to do in-depth
research felt like an enormous privilege but also an opportunity to add
knowledge to a profession I feel so strongly about.
How would you summarise your JLP experience?
Some of the words that come to mind are challenging,
fulfilling, a little maddening but mostly incredibly exciting. The residential
weeks fired up electrical circuits in my brain with fresh ideas, debate and
provocative discussions. My fellow students, media professionals with
wide-ranging experience internationally, and the outstanding faculty led by
Francois Nel made each visit to
Preston precious time in which to be inspired and intellectually refueled. The
JLP provided not only the big ideas, but ways to think about practical
implementation. In addition, the opportunity to step outside the newspaper's
deadlines and speak to and hear from journalists with diverse skills and to gain
a global perspective was an invaluable experience.
Earlier we also posted conversations with Alison
Gow , editor of the Daily Post in Wales; Dilyan
Damyanov, Editorial Director of Information Services at AII Data
Processing in Sofia; and Steve Matthewson, Managing Editor: News, BDlive and Business Day in South Africa. We plan to post conversations withthe other graduates over
the coming weeks.
The first and only programme of its kind in the UK, the
Journalism Leaders Programme continues to work with innovating publishers from
around the world, such as News International, to provide custom courses that
help equip exceptional talent for leadership. For more information, contact
François Nel at FPNel @ uclan.ac.uk .