Journalism in Open Societies MA

Facts about Journalism in Open Societies

Qualification	MA
Duration	Full time: 1 year Part time: 2 years
Attendance	Varies
Assessment	Coursework including a five-day attachment in a media industry workplace; portfolios of publishable articles for individual modules; and a major research project, incorporating a case study, to be conducted in the student's home country, applying knowledge and analytical tools acquired at Kingston
Course structure
Please note: applications for September 2013 entry on this course have been suspended while we revalidate this programme for September 2014 entry.

Choose Kingston's Journalism in Open Societies MA

This MA course – the first of its kind in the UK – is aimed at journalists or aspiring journalists in emerging democracies and developing countries who wish to gain an understanding of how the media operates in established open societies.

The course aims to offer individuals and media organisations from non-OECD countries access to Kingston's established expertise in journalism practice and education. It fosters knowledge and understanding of the functioning of journalism in civil society that participants can apply to their own professional practice. Key features of the course include:

hands-on tuition by professional journalists with extensive experience of reporting both at a national level in the UK and in developing countries;
a professional work placement at a national media organisation of your choice in Britain, under the oversight of an academic supervisor;
the chance to study in a dynamic learning environment equipped with leading-edge industry-standard software, hardware, and online resources;
external visits to the British Parliament, and other major political institutions and media organisations; and
the opportunity to undertake an extensive and inductive practical project and apply the skills and awareness gained from your learning at Kingston to a real-life journalistic environment in your home country.

Course programme

The course, designed and delivered by experienced journalists, is intended to produce alumni who can shape the future of global journalism.

It asks questions such as whether there should be limits to freedom of expression? How is journalism influenced by money in the capitalist system? How does media management by politicians and political parties in a democracy compare and differ to that used in totalitarian or less plural states? How can reporters relate ethically to the political, legal and commercial establishment? Does plurality of media ownership necessarily translate into plurality of voice? Should journalists and media organisations always remain neutral, or is it legitimate for them to take a stand and campaign on certain issues? Is neutrality merely a matter of reporting conflicting viewpoints on a story? How do we define public interest?

These are familiar questions in established democracies (though not, of course, ones with simple answers) that now confront journalists across the globe.