Journalistic Training in Germany

The debate on what a journalist is, what good journalism is, and how independent and neutral journalists should be, is still going strong.

“Every good journalist is a reporter. Reporters are neither artists, nor politicians, nor scholars,” wrote Egon Erwin Kisch (1885–1948), a role model for many journalists to this day. For Kisch, reporters were all those who reported. “They should be unbiased witnesses and bear unbiased witness,” demanded Kisch, who liked to refer to himself as a “fanaticist of facts.” For the great sociologist Max Weber, “a truly great act of journalism needs just as much esprit as any scholarly achievement.”

Information, criticism, and monitoring – Journalism as a career

Journalism as a profession has never enjoyed legal definition in Germany. Contrary to most qualified occupations, journalists are not required to follow a certain formal course of study. In fact, then, anyone can work as and call themselves a journalist – even though professionals particularly in this industry carry a heavy responsibility. The press is charged with supporting and monitoring the three branches of government, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. It is hence often referred to as the “fourth branch” or “fourth estate.”

The German Journalists Association (DJV) defines a journalist’s occupational profile as follows: “By providing comprehensive information via all public media journalists ensure that each citizen can recognize the forces at work in society and participate in the decision-making process. This is the prerequisite for a functioning democratic state.”

To fulfil this ambitious objective, journalists need to develop a wide range of skills and gain many different qualifications. Besides a sense of social responsibility, empathy, creativity and writing skills, the DJV counts broad education among the essential competences a journalist should have. It therefore recommends that journalists be educated to Abitur or equivalent level, and hold a full university degree.

In addition, recommends the DJV, journalists should…

• …master media-specific reporting and writing techniques,
• ...be able to design journalistic products,
• …master a range of research and investigative methods,
• …have a basic knowledge of media law,
• …be aware of the competitive framework and the media landscape.

Through the qualification jungle – Journalistic training in Germany

Considering the heavy responsibility journalists carry and the qualifications they need, it is more than astonishing that in a country where nobody can claim to be a hairdresser, baker, joiner or car mechanic without having undergone three years of practical and theoretical training, training for journalists is not governed by any official rules whatsoever. No wonder that there are many ways to qualify for the profession:

• Traineeship with a newspaper,
• A university degree in journalism,
• A degree gained at a college of journalism.

What may explain this surprisingly relaxed way – for Germany – of defining a profession are in particular two issues that are highly relevant to people working in this sector. For one, any over-regulation in terms of journalists’ training will limit the freedom of the press. For another, journalists need to have a talent for the job.

Shadows of the past – Journalism training and freedom of the press

When the Basic Law came into force on May 24, 1949 the freedom of the press in Germany was enshrined in the Constitution. Article 5(1) of the Basic Law states that “Every person shall have the right freely to express and disseminate his opinions in speech, writing, and pictures and to inform himself without hindrance from generally accessible sources. Freedom of the press and freedom of reporting by means of broadcasts and films shall be guaranteed. There shall be no censorship.” Even before the Nazis seized power, the right to a free press was never part of the constitution. During the “Third Reich” the press was used exclusively as a medium for propaganda and was the main channel through which the Nazis’ ideologies were disseminated among Germany’s population. A major role in this context was played by the passing of the Schriftleitergesetz, or Editors’ Law, that governed access to the profession (see box).

“An editor must be a national of the German Reich, be in possession of his civil rights and be authorized to assume public office, be of Aryan descent and not be married to a person of non-Aryan descent, be at least 21 years of age, be capable of contracting, have the required training, have the qualities required to take influence on public opinion.” (Article 5 of the Editors’ Law)

After the Law came into force, journalism began to be regulated by instructions to the press and so-called Tagesparolen, or daily watchwords. By the end of 1943 over 900 newspapers had been disappropriated. At this point the 352 newspapers run by the Nazi party accounted for 82.5 per cent of all newspapers in circulation.

Against this backdrop it becomes clearer why it is considered so important to refrain from regulating access to the profession in Germany. The DJV’s opinion in this matter is clear. “In our opinion the legislator has no business getting involved in the profession. To some extent, the quality of the journalists and above all the employment of qualified journalists is a matter governed by the labour market. There are simply very many qualified school-leavers and graduates – more than there are vacant jobs. Publishers and broadcasting companies hence tend to pick out those who are most highly qualified. I don’t see a danger of people who call themselves journalists but do not actually have a clue getting on the gravy train and playing any kind of role in the media,” states Hendrik Zörner of the DJV.

Journalism –Occupation or vocation?

By tradition there has always been a very tenuous link between writing and journalism. Heinrich Heine, Siegfried Lenz and Martin Walser are just three of a long list of renowned individuals who were highly successful writers as well as excellent journalists. Just like with writers, for a long time the assumption was that journalism was purely a talent issue. According to the origin of the German word, Begabung, a talent is something that is given – it cannot be acquired. Accordingly, journalism practitioners tended to advise against journalism degrees and instead recommended gathering relevant experience in other academic disciplines. That approach has become outdated. “What is now the standard way to gain a qualification, and the only chance – if at all – of gaining viable employment, is a journalism degree coupled with a traineeship. That is what is usually done these days,” says Hendrik Zörner.

Online journalism: Multitalented professionals for multimedia journalism

The astronomic spread of the internet gave rise to a new form of journalism: online journalism. Considering the rise in the absolute number of web users, the number of people consuming news on the net has risen dramatically. In other words, a large market for online journalists has developed that is set to grow even further.

While in the early days of online journalism technical skills were the main requirement – so much so that some even asked whether what was produced back then could even be called journalism – the field has become a significant part of the curriculum for journalism students. Several aspects of the job, such as the selection of a subject, research, content production and editing, are identical to those in offline journalism. The degree course in online journalism offered by the University of Darmstadt offers both: journalistic skills development and a focus on the interactive, multi-media characteristics of online media. Among the subjects taught are image, audio and video editing and content management. Students are also familiarised with the area of interactive (digital video and audio) broadcasting.