The announced Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism sounds like an excellent idea, a way to bridge the gap between the newsroom and academia. Though that gap has become more narrow in recent years, it’s still there. That’s not always and not only the fault of the media.

There are many ways to structure the relationship between media and education institutions. In Norway the journalism schools are almost all part of the state-funded university/college system. Newspapers and television contribute only through guest lecturers and some internships. Too modest – wouldn’t it be in their best interest to improve the standards of journalism and media education? Germany is a good example: There the media groups are directly involved in education. Hence you have the Henri-Nannen-Journalistenschule financed by Gruner+Jahr and Die Zeit, and a similar Axel Springer school.