5 Winning Journalism Thesis Topics To Use

Writing a journalism thesis can be a very important part of a journalism student’s academic career. It can also be an important part of getting a good job in journalism in the future, particularly if the student’s thesis is unique and of publishable quality. After all, journalism is based largely on research and writing skill—just as a student’s thesis is. So, while many students in academic disciplines may find their theses to be important, it’s especially vital for journalism students to choose strong topics for theirs as they directly reflect on their professional capabilities. Here are five great thesis topics for journalism students to explore:

1. Historical Topics

By historical we are referring to topics which occurred decades ago and are not much investigated at the current time. This may seem to be a strange choice for a journalism student, as journalism often deals with current events. However, it’s an award winning choice for the great journalism student, because journalists are detectives as well as reporters—and being able to draw new conclusions from old evidence is a great journalistic skill. Imagine being able to break open, for example, the death of Jimmy Hoffa due to one’s investigative journalism skills.

2. New Perspectives on Contemporary Topics

Contemporary topics refer to those which have occurred in recent decades and are still under intense scrutiny. The events surrounding September 11th, for example, are prime material for a journalism thesis topic, but they’re only considered winning topics if the student can bring a new perspective to the information.

3. New Trends in Journalism

Instead of investigating an event or news item, a student can investigate journalism itself. One winning way to go about this is to choose a cutting edge trend that is currently changing the way journalism works. For example, one might look at the manner in which blogs are changing how journalists do their jobs.

4. Historical Trends in Journalism

Just as new trends are good material for a thesis, old trends can be too. For example, a journalist could investigate the reasons for yellow journalism becoming popular in its era, and what effects it had on society.

5. The Future of Journalism

This is the most ambitious topic, but it also provides the student with a great way to showcase their talent and skills in researching and supporting their arguments. While they can’t “prove” their predictions, they can write a convincing thesis to support them.