Course interest welcomed

Press, 30 January 1988, Page 5

Course interest welcomed

Graduates in law, science and agriculture are showing a welcome interest in journalism as a career, says the head of the University of Canterbury’s school of journalism, Mr Jim Tully. “The many applications from non-arts graduates for our 1988 intake augurs well for the news media. Journalists with a background in the law, sciences and agriculture have knowledge and skills of great value to the industry,” he said. “While the general reporter will always be the backbone of the news media the need for specialists in an ever more complicated world is growing.”

The proliferation of a variety of specialist magazines and the big increase in business news reporting underlined this trend. Mr Tully said journalism training courses had to recognise changing industry needs. The 20 students selected for the university’s Diploma in Journalism this year included two law graduates, three science graduates and an agriculture graduate. The course will have 11 women and nine men. The . greater-than-usual number of men reflected a much higher calibre of male applicant than in most previous years, Mr Tully said.