ABSTRACT

Based on interviews with 15 newsroom interns, this article examines aspiring journalists’ experiences with their mandatory internship and how the findings relate to wider journalism education and training in Central Asia. This study contributes to scholarship on this aspect of Asian journalism by expanding knowledge about why journalism becomes no more appealing for aspiring journalists once they land in professional settings. This study took place in Kazakhstan where there was a recent public call to close all journalism programs because they are perceived to fail to prepare qualified professionals and because no single media outlet fully meets professional standards [IREX 2019. Media Sustainability Index: Development of Sustainable Independent Media in Europe and Eurasia. Washington, DC: IREX]. Kazakhstan universities expect news outlets to provide their students with practical experiences, while media outlets expect to receive ready-to-work interns. In this context, aspiring journalists receive little or no professional mentorship, and that has serious negative practical implications for the profession and for democratization efforts in the region. Citing the lack of a “near-real world” internship experience, the majority of interviewed students plan to switch to other professions. The study discusses the findings in relation to symbolic interaction theory and implications for the profession and journalism education.

摘要

本文基于对 15 名新闻编辑部实习生的采访，考察了有抱负的记者在强制实习中的经历，以及调查结果与中亚更广泛的新闻教育和培训之间的关系。这项研究通过扩展有关为什么新闻业对有抱负的记者在进入专业环境后不再具有吸引力的知识，为亚洲新闻业的这一方面的学术研究做出了贡献。这项研究在哈萨克斯坦进行，最近有公众呼吁关闭所有新闻项目，因为他们被认为未能培养合格的专业人士，而且没有任何一家媒体完全符合专业标准 [IREX 2019。媒体可持续性指数：可持续独立的发展欧洲和欧亚大陆的媒体. 华盛顿特区：IREX]。哈萨克斯坦的大学希望新闻媒体为学生提供实践经验，而媒体媒体则希望接收准备工作的实习生。在这种情况下，有抱负的记者很少或根本没有得到专业指导，这对该专业和该地区的民主化努力产生了严重的负面实际影响。由于缺乏“接近现实世界”的实习经验，大多数受访学生计划转向其他职业。该研究讨论了与符号交互理论相关的发现以及对专业和新闻教育的影响。