The value of accreditation of journalism programmes: A New Zealand perspective

Doubts have been raised in both the United States and the United Kingdom about the merits of accrediting university-based journalism programmes. The accrediting agencies in those countries have been accused of being inflexible and focussing on the old world of print journalism. Accreditation of the three university-based journalism programmes in New Zealand has been through a similarly controversial period, but recently a new accord was reached allowing for a more flexible, non-intrusive form of accreditation. This article discusses how this new regime developed. It notes that the new accord is based on three main factors-the importance of accreditation to the journalism programmes, the power relationships existing between the accrediting agency and the schools, and the personalities of those involved.