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The role that the media industry should play in JE&T was also raised at some of the conferences. Wasserman (2005:164), for example, argued that, whilst it was ideal for JE&T to work in consultation with industry, this, however, did not mean that journalism educators should wait for industry to set the standards for academia. He expressed concern at the prevailing system in South Africa in which the accreditation process for media and journalism programmes is driven by the Sector Education and Training Authorities in collaboration with industry in the form of SANEF (representation of training institutions is minor). What this means is that the normative standards for media and JE&T in South Africa is set by the industry and a statutory body (Wasserman, 2005:165).

The downside of allowing industry to set up the normative standards for JE&T is that journalism schools might end up being “a factory for big business” (Tomaselli cited in De Beer, Tomaselli, Burger & Grobler, 2004:368) or as Wasserman (2005:164) describes it “a production line delivering a work force for industry”. Once that happens, the university’s critical function would cease. University programmes, by their nature, should produce intellectuals who contribute to their societies by being critical of the prevailing status quo. If JE&T merely produces journalists who fit media requirements as suggested (as cited in Wasserman, 2005:164), then journalism would not be able to address the challenges posed by transformation in post-1994 South Africa. Journalism educators, therefore, should wrestle the role of setting normative standards for JE&T from industry so that they can produce journalists with the ability to critique the status quo, both in society and industry. Such a journalist would contribute to the rejuvenation, revitalisation and transformation of the media industry itself.

However, whilst there is some discomfort amongst scholars of JE&T in them playing second fiddle to the media industry, journalism educators and trainers have never lost sight of the importance of the industry working together with journalism schools. Wasserman (2005:164), for example, acknowledges the fact that it would be pointless for journalism schools to transform and produce journalists who are expected to do things differently from industry’s

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expectations. It is for that reason that both Wasserman (2005:164) and Rabe (2005:23) argue that industry should also transform itself so that it could also benefit from these “‘transformed’ journalists”. The two (academe and industry) have to work together to effect transformation in both journalism schools and industry. Rabe (2002:118) adds that a synergy between academe and the media industry would ensure that the minds (conceptual skills) and the hands (practical skills) are fully developed. She argues that journalism curricula should be a result of a “triumvirate of role players, namely the industry, the teachers and media publics” (Rabe, 2005:23).

Rabe (2005:23) also insists that journalism schools should interact with community media so as to make students aware of the primary task of journalism, which is “to give a voice to the voiceless”. Amner (2005:20) takes this argument further when he argues that the current structure of JE&T prepares students for mainstream media, which is serving a dominant public. The subaltern, that is the formerly disadvantaged and marginalised people of South Africa, have no media platforms from which they can articulate their interests and concerns. Whilst accepting the presence of community media in South Africa, Amner questions whether journalism schools really train students to work in this type of media. He, however, acknowledges that students are not keen to work in community media because of the poor remuneration packages they offer as well as the “stigma” associated with them.

The point that Amner (2005:20) raises is fundamental to the attempts by journalism schools to produce journalists who will play a critical role in promoting South Africa’s democratisation process. Journalism, as already observed earlier by Wasserman (2005:164), is expected to play a fundamental role of upholding and strengthening South Africa’s democracy. However, the voices of South Africa’s majority or the subaltern are not represented in the mainstream media. The only possible platforms where their voices can be heard, the community media, do not appear to promote these voices (Amner 2005:19). According to Amner, these community media serve a general public sphere, which tends to be dominated by dominant groups. To ensure that journalism plays its role of fostering democracy in South Africa, it is important for journalism schools to teach different journalistic approaches and practices, and not just those which would feed the mainstream media. There is thus a need to teach students to also handle “alternative” or “oppositional” media, which is where the voices of the subaltern are most likely to be represented.

79 3.4.6 Summary

In this section, the review of related literature revealed that prior to 1994 the major emphasis in JE&T was on teaching practical skills. Not much was said about educating and training journalists to be critical thinkers nor were the epistemological foundations on which JE&T were rooted interrogated at the 1979 conference. After 1994, emphasis shifted from a practical skills-oriented curriculum to one which integrated theory and practice. Journalism educators and trainers argued that for journalists to contribute effectively to South Africa’s transformation, they needed to be equipped with both skills.

The review also revealed that there is a general concern by South African scholars about the dominance of Western epistemologies in the country’s JE&T curricula. Thus calls have been made by many South African JE&T scholars that the curricula should be de-Westernised so as to make it relevant to South Africa’s socio-political environment. However, some scholars were quick to note that this does not mean a complete disregard of Western philosophies. They warned against regressing into nativism.

Another key issue which emerged from the literature is that journalism schools should work closely with industry. However, some cautioned against allowing industry to set up normative standards that should prevail in the education and training of journalists.