‘Journalism changes – but it endures’ – the message behind the AJE Summer Conference 2025 at Derby
The importance of local journalism, the power of the press in a world of misinformation and the value of investigative reporting were among topics explored at the annual Association for Journalism Education (AJE) UK Summer Conference 2025, held at the University of Derby.
Scores of journalism educators and practitioners from the UK and beyond descended on the university’s Markeaton Street campus for the two-day event (on June 26 and June 27) to discuss the theme of “celebrating journalism” – exploring why both journalism and journalism education matters in a rapidly changing world. A clear message underpinning the conference was how journalism may evolve but how it also endures in the face of a range of different economic, technological, political and social challenges.
The keynote speakers were Franz Wild, editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and Tony Harcup, Emeritus Fellow at the University of Sheffield.
More than 30 speakers presented their ideas, research and practice during the two-day event, which covered a range of topics within both the media industry and journalism education. To see the full schedule, visit the programme here.
And follow all the updates from the conference as they happened across our range of articles below:
Session 1 – Embracing technology in journalism education practice
Session 2 – The relevance of the local to journalism education
Session 3 – Democracy, investigation and the power of journalism in a world of disinformation
Session 4 – Meta journalistic discourse – perceptions of journalism
Keynote 2 – University of Sheffield Emeritus Fellow Tony Harcup’s reflections on journalism today
Session 5 – Passion and creativity in journalism teaching and practice
Session 6 – Building care, representation and resilience into journalism practice and training
Session 7 – Revisiting and redefining journalism in a changing world