All together now: Why the future of Canadian journalism education needs collaboration – and lots of it

Abstract

Many journalists were trained in a milieu where competition, often fierce, was the norm. But recently, in the face of urgent technological, economic and existential crises, newsrooms are collaborating with former competitors and other civic organizations in ways they may not have previously considered. Similarly, Canadian journalism educators are leading collaborative efforts on large and small scales. There is no clear road map yet for these partnerships, but there is a growing body of research and practice that suggest collaboration can help with the quality of investigative journalism and connect with communities in new and liberating ways. For educators who wish to incorporate real-world collaboration in their classrooms, there are resources available to help with both the theory and skills needed to work well with others.

Keywords

• collaborative journalism
• partnerships
• pedagogy