A reporting and election conference of the European Journalism Training Association (EJTA) closed at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona), among the participants of which were Dean of the Faculty of Journalism of the SUSU Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities, Doctor of Sciences (Philology) Lyudmila Shesterkina, and Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Candidate of Sciences (Philology) Anna Krasavina, along with representatives of the leading schools of journalism from Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Greece, and other European countries.
In his report the Association’s President Nico Drok mentioned South Ural State University among the first organizations, as an example of efficient work of universities within the Association’s activities. Since 2016 SUSU is an institutional member of EJTA. Over that period of time, under the aegis of the Association, Communication Leader of the 21st Century International Scientific and Educational Forum was held twice at the university, at which President Nico Drok delivered his presentations on new competencies of modern journalists, held master classes on the future of the world journalism for students, and exchanged experience with lecturers from the SUSU’s Faculty of Journalism.
At the forum Nico Drok was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus of the SUSU’s Faculty of Journalism. In October of 2017, following the EJTA’s invitation, SUSU took part Science-to-Practice Conference on Journalism Education without Limits, at which Dean of the SUSU’s Faculty of Journalism Lyudmila Shesterkina participated as a speaker. The collected papers of the conference in English included a publication “New Professional Borders of Journalism” by the employees of the Faculty of Journalism of the SUSU Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities. In January of 2018 SUSU took part in a new big-scale research project of the European Journalism Training Association on the Role, Values, and Qualifications of Journalists in the Era of Digital Technologies.
The next step forward in the SUSU’s activities within the European Journalism Training Association was the EJTA Board’s decision on holding the next EJTA conference at South Ural State University in 2020. For that purpose a working group on conference preparation started forming, which will comprise a professional journalist, head of a journalism school from Lucerne (Switzerland), Member of Board of the European Journalism Training Association Alexandra Stark; lecturers from universities of Belgium, Russia, and other countries.
The possibilities of creating an “Asian Wing” in the European Journalism Training Association, and of the Asian universities, collaborating with SUSU, becoming members of EJTA. A project part of the international scientific forum was outlined. The Association’s Secretary Nadja Wissers (Belgium) agreed to participate in EUCHECK, international project of the SUSU’s Faculty of Journalism. Vice President of the European Journalism Training Association Deborah Wilson David (Great Britain), supervising students’ academic mobility, suggested certain plans on organizing this activity for SUSU.
At the international conference on journalism training in Barcelona the topical issues of “fast” and “slow” journalism were also discussed, as well as new tasks of journalism training. In the end of the conference the delegated of 70 European schools of journalism elected a new board of directors, and Nico Drok was elected President of EJTA once again. Before the end of this year the EJTA Board’s working group will have to develop the program of activities of the European Journalism Training Association at SUSU for 2020.
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