Radio journalism training and the future of radio news in the UK

Abstract

For nearly 20 years, the majority of radio journalists in the UK have been trained on courses which both the BBC and the commercial sector have endorsed. Radio news was seen as having certain constant and essential elements – whether it was broadcast on a three-minute bulletin on a tiny independent local radio station in Scotland or on a BBC network flagship news programme. But competition now means that journalists in both sectors are operating in an increasingly market-focused culture, having to adapt to new definitions of what interests the public and what the public needs to know, and it appears that the consensus on news values may be breaking down. Using original data collected from radio news editors and radio journalism trainers in the UK, this article looks at what type of journalist will be needed in the future. It analyses the skills and knowledge required for the job and what personal qualities are deemed essential. It argues that journalism training courses are caught in the middle of a divided and fast-changing industry where long-held ideas about public service and the function of news are being challenged both internally and from new media and that their own move towards increased professionalization is adding to the confusion.