The crisis of World War I, including the challenges of reporting from the fighting front, sparked public discussion about the reliability and status of journalism. In response, unprecedented changes to the education of journalists were introduced around the world, including in Australia. By the 1920s, the majority of Australian universities offered a Diploma in Journalism, developed in collaboration with the Australian Journalists’ Association (AJA). Yet despite the AJA’s commitment to developing professional standards, by 1945 these courses were either defunct or struggling. This article explores the introduction and subsequent failure of tertiary journalism education in the context of discussions within the AJA about educational ‘relevance’, and whether journalists required improved ‘thinking’ or improved ‘skills’. Analysis of the establishment of these university courses highlights debates around the professionalism, status, and ethical practice of journalism in the interwar years, at a time when the newspaper industry was expanding.

第一次世界大战的危机，包括从前线报道的挑战，引发了关于新闻业的可靠性和地位的公众讨论。作为回应，包括澳大利亚在内的世界各地都对记者的教育进行了前所未有的变革。到 1920 年代，大多数澳大利亚大学都提供了与澳大利亚记者协会 (AJA) 合作开发的新闻学文凭。然而，尽管 AJA 致力于制定专业标准，但到 1945 年，这些课程要么不复存在，要么陷入困境。本文在 AJA 内部关于教育“相关性”的讨论背景下探讨了高等教育新闻教育的引入和随后的失败，以及记者是否需要改进的“思维”或改进的“技能”。