Martin Samuel says forget half baked media courses
Posted
by
Owen Amos
on 3 April 2009
at 09:40
Tags: Journalism
Martin Samuel, the Daily Mail sports writer and columnist, has today criticised “half-baked” media courses, urging aspiring journalists to pursue academic subjects instead.
In a piece on vocational courses, Samuel – who, as well as being chief sports writer, writes one news opinion piece per week – said “traditional subjects” are more useful.
“I am often asked if I know a good course for someone who wants to be a journalist,” he wrote. “And I do. English. Or history, or politics, or economics.
“Traditional subjects. Not some half-baked media studies class, because there is not much point having a journalist who knows his subdecks from his crossheads but thinks Iran and Iraq are the same country (believe me, it happened).
“Academic education broadens horizons and experiences; premature emphasis on vocation narrows them.”
Tags: Journalism
