ADIE JOINS PAXMAN IN WAR AGAINST MEDIA STUDIES

By Stephen Portlock

Kate Adie has followed in the footsteps of Jeremy Paxman by criticising media studies courses on Tuesday.

Ms Adie, the renowned war correspondent, expressed misgivings to Westminster News Online at the Media Society’s Journalism Awards, about the career openings created with a media studies degree.

She said: “There are several very good media courses, but I rather suspect that some of those that have low standards are basically turning out secretarial fodder for all kinds of peripheral media business.”

Ms Adie was less critical than Jeremy Paxman, who two weeks ago described media studies as “a bogus subject”, by calling them “hugely variable”. She felt that courses can be divided into those offering practical training and those that are more theoretical, with the weakest falling between the two.

Ms Adie suggested that too many students enter university not knowing exactly what they want to do so would benefit from a more traditional degree. She was unable to comment specifically on the media studies course at Westminster University.

Ms Adie alleged that she was misrepresented in her comments about young, good-looking television presenters. She claimed that television has always been attracted to beauty, but “a great number of people in society don’t get represented in the media”.

Jenni Murray, a presenter on Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, said: “I would love a woman on television who looked as lived-in as Peter Sissons.” She added that women face less of an uphill struggle to reach managerial roles in the radio than in the past.

The awards, held at the Savoy Hotel, were to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Media Society. The prize of a silver salver was presented to Tom Glocer, Chief Executive of Reuters.