Abstract News media reporting on sustainability and environmental (S&E) issues is seen as a form of informal environmental education. For journalists to play such an educative role, prior education on these topics appears necessary. By assessing a trial introductory-level journalism module on sustainability, this case study strengthens the argument for the inclusion of sustainability in journalism curricula as necessary for improving media coverage of related issues. A one-group pre-experimental evaluation illustrated immediate impacts of the module on students' understanding of sustainability and their interest in reporting related issues. Unintended impacts were their realization that sustainability was a topic that could be incorporated in various news areas, and their increased sensitivity to the need for enhanced media coverage of sustainability in order to enhance public awareness. In addition, a longer-term assessment showed the potential for impact on students' work outputs as journalists. However, our study also finds that only two institutions in New Zealand offer distinct journalism courses on S&E topics. This indicates the need for a restructuring of journalism curricula. This study provided insights into an important area for development in journalism education and identifies issues that may assist the development of future journalism courses on sustainability.
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