Media students worry about finding stable journalism jobs

By Brodie Hunter, RNZ Intern

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photo: Vietnam National Police/Irra Lee

Students are hesitant to pursue a career in journalism due to the many uncertainties they face.

Students may be giving up on pursuing journalism careers as recent layoffs at major news organizations have sparked concerns about employment.

In April last year, Warner Bros. Discovery Channel announced the closure of Newshub and the loss of 294 jobs, and Television New Zealand (TVNZ) also announced layoffs.

News Center The newspaper closed on Friday after 35 years of providing daily news briefings..

Auckland University of Technology senior lecturer in communications Dr Gregory Treadwell said it was a difficult time for the industry and students were right to be concerned.

“It’s a complex situation right now, especially with students worrying about whether journalism is the right career to pursue. If the health system is under pressure, fewer people will want to go to medical school; if the media industry is facing problems, fewer people will want to become journalists.”

According to the 2018 census, the number of people in New Zealand who listed their occupation as journalist was approximately 1,635.

Ben McQueen, a final year journalism student, said he was unsure if he would have a chance in the industry.

“As a media student, I do worry about what the future holds. In the internship I’m currently doing, no one on the team has a full-time contract. I find this worrying and I don’t see how a budding student can get a good start.”

Dr Treadwell said it was disappointing that interest in journalism was declining. He said journalists played an important role in a democracy and more needed to be done to train the next generation.

“We need more journalists in this country, our media is not big enough. Journalism plays an important role in our society and is necessary for the public good.

“When I started teaching 20 years ago, there were dedicated journalism schools all over the country, and now those schools are gone. There are only a few schools left that teach journalism, and that’s not enough.”