Journalism Students and digital library

Journalism Education

UNESCO’s work on journalism education is based on a conviction that professional journalistic standards are essential to bring out the potential of media systems to foster democracy, dialogue, and accountability. Issues of quality, impact, and credibility of journalism have never been more important.

IPDC’s special initiative for Journalism Education tackles challenging topics such as migration, gender, terrorism, and disinformation. It provides journalism schools with a range of practical tools, including model curricula and specialized handbooks, to enhance teaching in this area.

These cutting-edge resources can support journalism educators in providing essential skills to the next generation of media professionals. 

Education is an antidote against fake news.

Peter Cunliffe JonesDirector Chevening African Media Freedom Fellowship
Young women in front of online library - Handbooks for journalism Educators

Our Action

Professional news media acts as a guardian of public interest. Citizens cannot exercise and enjoy their citizenship in the absence of crucial information and knowledge, which well-trained journalists are best placed to provide. 

The UNESCO’s Series on Journalism Education is a crucial repository for journalism curricula and trainings. It is open access and available to be used as an entire course or in bespoke ways to suit local media landscape and journalism students' needs. 19 handbooks in more than 30 languages have been published by the IPDC. 

UNESCO’s collaboration with the World Journalism Education Council (WJEC) has successfully been promoting education and training in journalism at a global level since 2004 and continues to stand by the Sustainable Development Agenda and its Goal 16.10 on “public access to information and fundamental freedoms”.

Moreover, the 2020 Paris Declaration on Freedom of Journalism Education emphasized UNESCO’s core mission in Journalism Education by outlining the “fundamental role that journalism education has to play towards more inclusive societies and the United Nations’ 2030 development agenda”.

Excellence in Journalism Education in Africa

The initiative supported by Google News Initiative and coordinated by the Wits Centre for Journalism and the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University (South Africa), invites 30+ universities and training centres across the continent to help develop criteria for excellence in journalism education.

Journalism ED in Africa