Das Volontariat

Eine Geschichte des Journalismus als Auseinandersetzung um seine Ausbildung

Abstract

Journalism education regulates the access to the occupation and therefore influences which topics and whose opinions gain public visibility. In Germany, the Volontariat has remained the most important education for journalism. This in-house training has endured political and media change and has been part of the selection and socialization of journalists under varying circumstances. Against this background, the analysis investigates why the Volontariat has been established and how it developed in view of different interests from 1870 until 1990. It draws on the theory of actor-structure-dynamics as well as the concept of professionalization. A category system derived from theory and the state of research systemizes the selection and criticism as well as qualitative content and document analyses of published and archival source material. The analyses reveal that the Volontariat in particular secured control over education for those actors that were in control of media in general. Until 1990 the Volontariat was basically a breaking-in that was respectively complemented by theoretical courses regarding political or technical knowledge.