UEW journalism students call for practical media studio

The Journalism and Media Studies Department at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) is facing pressure from its students to construct a state-of-the-art media studio. While the department imparts essential theoretical knowledge in radio and television production, news writing, reporting, presentation and media production, students lament the lack of a dedicated space for hands-on learning.

Many of their training involves lectures and discussions about media programme production, leaving opportunities for practical experience in broadcasting and production limited. A properly equipped studio would enable students to practice skills including news presentation, radio and television production, interviewing, podcasting, camera operation, sound recording and programme production.

This practical training would also allow students to make mistakes, receive corrections from lecturers and improve their skills before entering the professional world. With media organizations now expecting graduates to possess practical skills alongside academic qualifications, the students believe a functional studio would bolster the Journalism and Media Studies programme at UEW.

The facility could serve as a practical laboratory where students create news bulletins, radio programmes, interviews, documentaries and other media content under lecturer supervision. The Communication and Media Studies Students Association (COMSSA) could also facilitate a platform for students to communicate with the department and university authorities on this matter and explore potential solutions to enhance practical training.

While acknowledging the importance of theoretical knowledge, the students argue that theory and practice must be integrated. Classroom lessons impart the principles and concepts of journalism, but practical training equips students with an understanding of how those principles function in real media scenarios. For UEW Journalism and Media Studies students, the demand is not merely for a new facility, but for increased opportunities to practice the profession they are being trained to enter.

A well-equipped media studio could thus help bridge the gap between learning journalism in the classroom and practicing journalism in the real world.