Coming to Journalism: A Comparative Case Study of Postgraduate Students in Dublin and Amman

This article presents findings from a pilot study of postgraduate journalism students in Dublin and Amman. The study compared professional outlooks and social characteristics of students in both contexts and examined institutional settings. The study finds that journalism students in Dublin and Amman have very similar views on the profession, although the students in Amman have a somewhat more activist outlook and less of a commitment to neutral or objective reporting; they also appear modestly more interested in effecting political and social change. We believe this has significant implications for journalism education across the region and for cross-cultural exchanges.