Learning Journalism Beyond the Classroom

Looking back at all the field trips and reflections throughout this course, I realize that my understanding of professional journalism has shifted profoundly. What initially seemed like a profession centered on reporting facts has gradually revealed itself as a complex system of institutions, practices, technologies, and social responsibilities. Through visiting media organizations, educational institutions, and knowledge spaces, I learned that journalism is not only about producing news, but about how societies communicate with themselves and with the world.

Professional Journalism as an Institutional Choice

My first lesson came indirectly, through absence. Missing the visit to Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) left me with a strong sense of regret, but also an unexpected opportunity to reflect through my classmates’ experiences. Learning about BR’s history—from its founding in 1929, its reconstruction after World War II, to its rebirth in 1949 as a symbol of free media—made clear that journalism in Germany is deeply connected to democratic reconstruction.

What impressed me most was not a specific program, but BR’s funding model. Being financed through public broadcasting fees rather than government budgets or advertising markets allows it to prioritize public interest over ratings or political pressure. This made me realize that journalistic independence is not only a matter of professional ethics, but also of institutional design. Freedom of the press is built structurally, not assumed.

Communication as Participation, Not Transmission

This understanding expanded further during the guest lecture by the Munich Science Communication Lab (MSCL). Their focus on “planetary health” initially sounded abstract, yet the way they practice science communication made the concept tangible. Rather than treating communication as one-way instruction, MSCL emphasizes dialogue, workshops, and community engagement—such as their heatwave discussions involving retirees, students, and families.

Here, I encountered a model of communication that overlaps strongly with journalism: information is not simply delivered, but co-created. This challenged my previous assumption that expertise must always speak from above. Instead, I learned that media and science become more powerful when they speak with people rather than to them. Journalism, in this sense, functions as a bridge between knowledge, lived experience, and public understanding.

Tradition and Innovation in Journalism

The visit to the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) printing house provided a striking contrast. Entering a massive press hall that produces around 450,000 copies a day, I was surprised by how few people were present. Automation, precision machinery, and highly optimized workflows now dominate print production. Despite an annual circulation decline of 7–8%, SZ’s strategy is clear: if print journalism survives, it must evolve technologically without compromising editorial quality.

What stayed with me was the coexistence of innovation and tradition. While SZ invests heavily in digital platforms—apps, audio news, and online services—it continues to value the tactile experience of print: paper texture, layout, and even the distinctive smell of newspapers. This visit showed me that the future of journalism is not a simple shift from old to new, but a hybrid model, where technology enhances rather than replaces journalistic values.

Learning Media by Doing

Media School Bayern offered yet another perspective—this time from the angle of education. What I encountered there felt less like a school and more like an early entry into the media industry. Students do not simulate media work; they produce real radio programs, videos, podcasts, and broadcasts for real audiences.

What impressed me most was not the equipment—often smartphones and compact cameras—but the emphasis on problem-solving. Technical breakdowns, unstable conditions, and last-minute changes are treated as learning opportunities. Media education here is not about mastering ideal processes, but about continuing to work when reality becomes messy. This visit reshaped my understanding of what future journalists need: adaptability, collaboration, and responsibility across the entire production chain.

Journalism Beyond Newsrooms

Finally, the visit to the Deutsches Museum challenged my perception of where journalism and communication take place. Rather than presenting objects alone, the museum tells stories—about scientific methods, technological evolution, war, aviation, and even everyday topics like food and meat classification. Knowledge is organized through timelines, spatial design, and narrative contrast.

This experience made me realize that explanatory and educational communication shares many principles with journalism: contextualization, clarity, and relevance to daily life. Science, history, and technology are not isolated domains—they are embedded in culture, politics, and society. Journalism, similarly, is not confined to breaking news, but extends into long-term explanation and public education.

Academic and Personal Reflection

Academically, this course helped me connect theory with practice. Concepts such as public interest, media responsibility, institutional structure, and audience orientation became tangible through field experience. I learned to analyze journalism not as a neutral transmitter of facts, but as a socially embedded practice shaped by history, funding, technology, and education.

Personally, these visits changed how I consume and evaluate media. I became more attentive to how information is framed, who it addresses, and under which conditions it is produced. As an international student, I was particularly sensitive to how German media culture emphasizes public trust, education, and long-term responsibility.

Farewell

This final blog post marks the end of a learning process that extended far beyond individual visits. Journalism revealed itself to me not as a fixed profession, but as a living system constantly negotiating between society, technology, and ethics. Rather than offering final answers, this experience taught me how to ask better questions—and how essential responsible communication is for the future of democratic societies.