Abstract:
Journalism education and training is changing due to the rapidly evolving information communication
technologies. These technological developments have transformed the media environment leading to new ways
of communication. As a result, there has been concern about the impact of digital technologies and consequently,
appropriateness of journalism training in Kenya. The purpose of the study was therefore to establish the perception
of digital media training in four selected universities in Kenya. The study was guided by the diffusion of innovation
theory which highlights the need for learners to acquire appropriate knowledge for the purposes of employment
and career development. The study adopted a survey research design targeting a total population of 223. Mixed
research approach with quantitative as well as qualitative techniques was used in the study. The findings show
that the study digital media training is essential in giving hands on training to graduates and empowers them with
adequate competencies and skills that they can use in the market such as in the process of collecting, processing
and packaging news in the right way. The findings also revealed that journalism programs are too conceptual and
spend little time on practical journalistic skills such as online reporting, computer applications, digital editing among
other courses. Time spent on theory classes especially in teaching practical oriented courses is not useful for the
daily lives of journalists. It is recommended that universities should review journalism training and integrate their
curricula with digital media courses required by the market. Furthermore, the study recommends that journalism
departments need to identify and provide resources that enhance the quality of digital media training.
