Journalism Education as an Agent of Positive Change in the Arab World

Abstract

Since the launch of the first Arabic-speaking journalism education program in Egypt in the late 1930s, this academic sector has made slow, yet significant headways into supporting the development of professional journalistic practices in the Arab world. While some Arab world journalism programs have managed to secure international accreditation, others have earnestly enhanced learning outcomes through stronger engagement with the media industry and the accommodation of digital features into their curricula. But an online survey of Arab world journalism education programs carried out by the author in 2019 suggests that this academic sector remains hugely underdeveloped in both curricular contents and professional methodologies. The author argues that for journalism education to successfully serve as an agent of positive change across the Arab region, it has to embrace four key standards: integral interdisciplinary knowledge, balanced theory and practice, strong engagement with the media industry, and socially and culturally relevant ethical and professional values.