Funding to journalism courses facing the axe
A move by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson ordering universities to redirect money away from journalism and related courses has angered both the Society of Editors and the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). Currently, journalism courses benefit from a stream of funding known as the Strategic Projects Grant (SPG) distributed by the Department for Education. But Ms Phillipson wants universities to depriortise journalism courses, following a £108 million cut in funding for higher education, and re-direct money towards subjects such as engineering, IT, pre-registration nursing, agriculture, forestry and food science.
In a letter to the Office for Students, Ms Phillipson said she recognised that journalism and media courses were valued by the universities that delivered them, and the students that took them, but her decision had been taken in view of the “challenging fiscal context” that the Government had inherited.
The SPG funding stream – worth about £17 million to journalism courses – is not the only available source of cash but the cuts will reduce the resources universities can draw upon to support journalism programmes at a time when many are already under financial strain.
Backing a campaign to oppose the cuts – already supported by Association for Journalism Education (AJE UK), the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC), the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA), and the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) is Dawn Alford (pictured), executive director of the Society of Editors, which has written to Ms Phillipson arguing that the move will harm efforts to encourage more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into journalism.
She said: “High quality journalism education not only equips future reporters with the skills required to carry out this essential public service but high-cost subject funding has historically provided essential support to those for whom a career in journalism would otherwise be out of reach.
“At a time when the traditional route into journalism through the regional and local news industry is facing significant challenges, the decision to reprioritise funding used to support and encourage journalists into the industry from under-represented backgrounds and communities is deeply concerning.
“A vibrant and diverse media sector is the cornerstone of our democracy and enriches coverage and we urge the Department for Education to reconsider this guidance which not only sends a worrying signal as to the value the government places on journalism and verifiable news and information but also risks fatally undermining the sincerity of comments made by the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary over recent months.”
NCJT chief executive Joanne Forbes said: The targeted withdrawal of funding suggests the government’s value and support for journalism is diminishing at a time when trusted, well-trained journalists are more essential than ever. Rather than narrowing the path into journalism, we should be widening it. These cuts risk reducing the accessibility, quality and diversity of journalism education, and threaten the future health of journalism in the UK.”
