RIYADH: The world of media faces critical challenges in today’s digital age due to eroding public trust, financial instability due to shifting advertising models, audience shifts to social media, and the need for adaptation in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, according to the dean of a leading US journalism school.
These challenges impact the quality of information, the sustainability of news organizations, and the health of democratic discourse.
Battinto Batts Jr., who serves as dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, spoke to Arab News about how the school is adopting innovative and hands-on methods to ensure the next generation of journalists can succeed.
The school utilizes a “teaching hospital” model, similar to how medical students train, in which students work in professional, real-world media environments under the guidance of award-winning professionals.
“We believe very much in experiential education, where our students learn by doing hands-on learning. Really practicing journalism, media, mass communications. We think that that best prepares them for careers,” Batts said.
The school of journalism offers immersion programs and provides off-campus experience through a news bureau approach.
Batts, who is in Riyadh for the Saudi Media Forum until Feb. 4, added: “So, we’re not just doing things that are on-campus, but we really are part of the communities that we serve in, not only the greater Phoenix area. We have a bureau in Washington; we have students in Los Angeles. So, we really take a broad approach to giving our students the best experience possible to give them the skills that they need.
“It’s not only in our curriculum, but also with all of our student media organizations that we have at Cronkite.
“Students actually get as many what we call reps as possible, practicing what they learn and really testing and trying things and being innovative.”
The media landscape has changed over the past few decades and Batts said that Arizona State University attempts to keep up with media trends by imposing an adaptive learning environment that enables students to test new things.
He said: “For example, we’ve launched a streaming platform called Cronkite Plus that enables our students to produce a newscast.
“They could do a three-minute newscast if they wanted to. They can practice producing content for social platforms, whether it’s, you know, WhatsApp or Instagram or Snapchat.
“All our students are prepared to be able to produce content across all platforms.
“So, wherever the audience is, our students are going to learn where to be.”
He explained that audience engagement was a crucial factor in terms of the school’s curriculum.
Batts said: “Audience engagement is fundamental to it, and how do we build relationships with audiences? How are we on the platforms where the most eyeballs or ears are and where people are tuning in and then adapting the types of content that we produce for those platforms to match the consumption habits?”
He added: “Now, our students help to provide coverage out of Washington, for the state that’s picked up by news organizations there.
“So, that’s a real service-oriented approach to it, helping to provide coverage that perhaps otherwise wouldn’t be there.
“Again, learning by doing, trying experiential education, teaching hospital, serving in need while also learning is our approach.”
Batts has served as dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since July 2021. He is an award-winning journalist and educator with experience in philanthropy and nonprofit administration.
