Arguing the case of the ‘Janus element’ in journalism education: Journalism history as essential element in journalism curricula in developing democracies

Abstract

Abstract This article argues the case for the inclusion of an essential element in Journalism curricula in post-colonial countries struggling to deepen a democratic dispensation: Journalism History. The article contends that what the author calls the ‘Janus factor’, namely a layered understanding of the past as it presents itself as the present, and the ability to think inclusively by facing inward and outward at the same time, is essential as a conceptual or higher-order tool to enable journalists to report with insight on political, social, cultural and economic realities for their various audiences, taking into account continuous interactions between politics, economics, culture and technology. This is especially crucial in one-party-dominated ‘democracies’ and in order to fulfil the role of the media as a ‘public trust’. In these fragile democracies, contested histories are significant factors having an impact on daily narratives. Added to this, the impact of the current disruptive digital (media) economy, which causes understaffed newsrooms, further hinders comprehensive reportage in fragile post-colonial democracies, such as South Africa, and hence the need for journalists to have an understanding of their own profession and its role in past and present realities.