'Save Quality Journalism Education': Why the Government needs to reverse planned cuts to journalism education

Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding is being withdrawn from journalism, media studies and publishing courses for 2025-26. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has instead instructed the Office for Students to redirect this cash to other ‘high cost’ subjects like engineering, IT, pre-registration nursing, agriculture, forestry and food science.

Industry leaders have branded the move ‘irrational and misguided’ at a time when trusted news and the provision of more well-trained journalists is needed more than ever.

This website - and all our sister titles across National World - is supporting the Save Quality Journalism Education campaign, which is being spearheaded by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). We have long-established links with the NCTJ and many of the reporters who have provided your high-quality, accurate, ethical and trusted journalism over the years will have been through one of its accredited courses.

We work closely with the NCTJ in ensuring today’s trainee journalists join our newsrooms with the skills we need and with the knowledge they will continue to support them as they learn and develop with us.

A recent survey by the NCTJ showed that 81% of working journalists hold a journalism qualification, with 84% saying it helped them secure their first job. We believe journalism education is essential infrastructure for democracy and deserves proper funding.

NCTJ chief executive Joanne Forbes said: “The targeted withdrawal of funding suggests the government’s value and support for journalism is diminishing at a time when trusted, well-trained journalists are more essential than ever. These cuts risk reducing the accessibility, quality and diversity of journalism education, and threaten the future health of journalism in the UK.”

The SPG is not the only source of funding for journalism courses, but it will reduce the resources universities can draw upon to support journalism programmes, at a time when many are already under financial strain.

The campaign is backed by the New Media Association (NMA), which represents national, regional and local publishers, and the Society of Editors. NMA chief executive Owen Meredith said the funding cut was 'contrary to the government’s stated policy of creating and supporting an environment in which local and national journalism can thrive’.

He added: “At a time when we need trusted news and information more than ever, this misguided and irrational move risks undermining the pipeline of talent into the industry and restricting access to journalism as a career choice. The Education Secretary has got this one wrong and needs to think again.”

The campaign is also backed by the Association for Journalism Education, the Broadcast Journalism Training Council, the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association and the Professional Publishers Association.

If you’d like to make your voice heard and show you support for the campaign as a reader, you can write to your MP. Let them know what you think about the importance of journalism education funding using the NCTJ’s pre-written letter template here - or write your own.