Studies Show How Nigerian Newsroom Employers Boycott Journalism Degree During Recruitment Process
- Nigerian researcher and journalist Kemi Busari has surveyed how approximately 58% of journalists in selected Nigerian newsrooms did not have academic backgrounds in journalism or related media fields
- Busari's recent research examined how newsroom employers excluded a formal degree in journalism from their recruitment criteria
- The research, titled "Beyond the Degree: Examining Hiring Criteria and the Role of Journalism Education in the Recruitment of Journalists in Nigerian Newsrooms", won the top prize at the AEJMC conference
San Francisco, USA — Research conducted by Nigerian journalist and academic researcher Kemi Busari indicates that, in selected newsrooms in Nigeria, approximately 58% of journalists did not have academic backgrounds in journalism or related media fields.
Source: Twitter
The results of the research were presented at the National Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in San Francisco for the 2025 edition, as reported by Daily Trust.
Presented across two sessions, the findings examined the broader aspects of the debate surrounding journalism professionalisation and how journalism education impacts the field's practice.
Busari used Nigeria as a case study to investigate the main criteria utilized by newsrooms and editors when recruiting journalists, as well as the experiences of those journalists without formal journalism degrees.
Both of Busari’s manuscripts were adjudged top-referred papers. Top-referred papers in a conference presentation are the highest-scoring submissions based on peer reviewers’ evaluations.
Study on hiring criteria
Busari employed a mixed-method approach in the initial study to determine the primary criteria editors and newsrooms use to recruit journalists.
This includes examining the role of journalism education in recruitment and how newly hired journalists are integrated into the newsroom.
This study, titled “Beyond the Degree: Examining Hiring Criteria and the Role of Journalism Education in the Recruitment of Journalists in Nigerian Newsrooms”, was presented on Friday, August 8.
Examining reporter job ads and interview data shows six key "ultimate criteria" that serve as factors in journalist recruitment. These include passion for the field, ethical adherence, and writing skills, among others.
Such criteria persist despite variations in newsroom culture and recruiter preferences.
There are other “adaptable criteria,” which are subject to changes depending on the peculiarities of the newsroom and the recruiting editor. These include critical thinking, age, experience, and others.
The paper also reached a verdict about the importance of a journalism degree in the recruitment process, as well as the socialisation models employed by newsrooms for new journalists.
The paper won the top paper prize in the Scholastic Journalism Division of AEJMC. The award certificate and cash prize were presented in a separate event on Saturday, August 9.
Journalists without degrees in journalism
The second presentation, also a top-referred paper, was titled “The Paradox of Journalism Degrees: Exploring the Motivations and Job Perceptions of Journalists Without Formal Journalism Education.”
The study, presented on Saturday, August 9, utilised demographic surveys along with interviews to reveal the professional experiences of journalists without formal education in journalism.
According to the survey data, journalists without journalism backgrounds make up 58% of the workforce in the four newsrooms chosen for the study. The other 42% had studied journalism or courses related to media.
Interestingly, 13% of the 58% studied pure science courses like physiology, botany, and biochemistry.
The study finds that journalists who didn’t study journalism ended up in the newsroom mostly unintentionally.
Source: Twitter
Survey reveals inflation shrinks Nigerian's purchasing power
Legit.ng previously reported that as inflation continues to shrink the purchasing power of Nigerians, surveys are revealing an even wider income disparity.
According to the Nigerian Consumer Outlook Report 2025 by the SEID, only about 5% of Nigerians have a monthly income of N500,000 or above. This figure includes about 0.4% who earn above N1 million naira, and 4.9% who earn above N500,000 monthly. The survey reveals that this group of individuals are mostly entrepreneurs, high-level professionals, and Nigerian residents who earn in foreign currency.
This shows an almost non-existent middle to upper class, as financial vulnerability deepens in the country. The report also shows that technical and in-demand skills unlock the potential for higher earnings, career mobility and access to opportunities, and underemployment is sometimes connected to a lack of these skills.
Survey shows employers' lack of understanding of AI risk and rewards
Legit.ng also reported how the majority of corporate executives across leading economies believe artificial intelligence will be a "game changer" for their industry, but admit their leadership teams lack the knowledge to understand Artificial Intelligence's risks and rewards, a study showed Friday.
Adecco, the world's biggest temporary staffing agency, and Oxford Economics surveyed to see how companies are preparing for a technology that is growing fast but also raising concerns about what it means for jobs.
Around 2,000 CEOs, chief financial officers and other executives in companies across nine countries were surveyed between October and December. The poll found that 61 per cent believe AI is a game changer for their industry, with the figure rising to 82 per cent in the tech sector and 51 per cent among automakers. But 57 per cent "lack confidence in their leadership team's AI skills and knowledge", the report found.
Source: Legit.ng
