Last Updated: December 29, 2000
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Journalism education
Journalism educators seeking partnerships
Professors discuss ways to bridge the gap between classrooms
and newsrooms to better prepare students for the quickly changing world
of journalism
By John Irby
Some old-school newspaper journalists probably never imagined that trash-can-kicking
editors and hardcore cop reporters would, in this new millennium, be doing
television stand-ups. TV folks were the focus of jokes. They weren’t considered
professional equals.
Nor would many industry old-timers have guessed today’s reporters would
be providing shorter, alternative stories for online Internet consumption
— even before the daily was published.
Yes, we’ve come a long way, but not far enough.
That’s what a group of journalism educators learned this summer at the
American Press Institute. As most in the newspaper industry know, API’s
mission is to “provide training of the highest quality for newspaper men
and women and to help them improve the quality of their newspapers.” Journalism
educators are included in an annual seminar.
The evolution of American newspapers is constant, but change accelerated
in the 1990s in a revolutionary way. API, like many newspapers, has been
re-thinking the very nature of journalism.
At the journalism educators’ gathering, grappling with media convergence
was a constant theme. It was a new topic with fresh interest, a marriage
of sorts many in the media are embracing.
“I think most print journalists have expected this for some time,” said
Al May, journalism program director of the School of Media and Public Affairs
at George Washington University, in Washington, D.C.
“Clearly the invention of the Internet as a new distribution of news
is the impetus. And for print journalists, I don’t see that as much of
a departure, because, so far, Web journalism is pretty print oriented.
The real culture clash is with television and my suspicion is that television
will get more out of this than print will.”
Media convergence, however, wasn’t the only topic. Others included strengthening
writing, computer-assisted reporting, ethics, newspaper design, diversity,
credibility, quality, the First Amendment, readership and journalism education.
Discussion focused on the current state of affairs, information that is
critical for educators who may not have worked in the industry in recent
years, or may have little hands-on experience.
Many questions remain. Has inferior journalism education contributed
to the newspaper industry’s greatest sickness — eroding credibility? Are
universities and educators effectively preparing students for the work
force? Do educators understand what newspapers are looking for in future
reporters and editors?
Does the newspaper industry have a responsibility in the division between
educators and professionals? Are journalism educators “discounted” by professionals
who believe those who teach couldn’t succeed in newspapers?
Serious questions with no simple answers.
“I find it very frustrating that journalism educators and working journalists
don’t do a better job of working together to support each other,” said
Kim Walsh-Childers, an associate professor of journalism at the University
of Florida in Gainesville.
Walsh-Childers said working journalists often complain that journalism
educators don’t have enough professional experience or recent professional
experience, so students don’t understand what the “real world” of journalism
is like. But, she said: “ ... I see very few newspapers actively developing
professor internship programs, and even fewer who are willing to foot the
bill to pay professors a reasonable salary ...”
The journalism professors at API didn’t attempt to discuss all the questions.
But educators did break into three clinic groups with two main assignments:
1) Prepare an ideal curriculum, keeping in mind media convergence. 2) Determine
ways to extend the seminar experience. A bonus assignment was given: What
do journalism educators want editors, publishers and group owners to know?
The bonus topic generated much discussion. Some suggestions were obvious.
Some were not. All should be considered. Following are four areas with
general comments.
Pay, pay and pay
It is difficult – nearly impossible — to convince students to
major in journalism and plan newspaper careers when most other careers
requiring a university degree offer greater entry-level salaries and long-term
financial satisfaction. Many of those careers are within our own communication
schools.
Educators understand we can’t tell newspaper editors and owners what
to pay journalists. We were even strongly told so by a seminar presenter.
Still, we believe salaries are too low.
Earnest L. Perry Jr., an assistant professor of journalism at Texas
Christian University, who spent several years as a working newspaper journalist,
said: “We are losing good people to PR/advertising and law school. Even
the business world is taking our grads because of their writing skills.
“Newspapers can’t expect us to continue to sell our students on the
glory of working in newspapers when they can make more elsewhere and have
better hours and benefits.”
Support journalism education
Take editorial positions. Encourage op-ed pieces. Lobby state legislatures
for proper funding. Augment faculty salaries. Support endowed chairs. Provide
paid summer newsroom employment, part-time positions, job shadowing and
internships for journalism educators seeking to refresh hands-on skills.
Provide laboratory equipment.
It isn’t productive to blame either group — educators or professionals
— for the problems facing newspapers. Determining how to right industry
wrongs — or problems — is much more complex than pointing fingers. Educators,
however, don’t often feel there is adequate support, just as professionals
might not always feel education is adequate.
Walsh-Childers, of the University of Florida, said: “I’m also frustrated
that, even in college towns, the newspapers often don’t seem very inclined
to editorialize in favor of greater legislative support for higher education.
Journalism schools — as well as other areas of the university — often have
many more good program ideas than they have money to fund.”
Make journalism attractive to students
Restore the credibility and esteem newspapers once held. Demonstrate
the relevance of the product. Emphasize substance over numbers (annual
profit margins could be reduced a few points and still be the envy of most
businesses). Do more to show the media’s role in a free society. Communicate
the fun and rewards of journalism.
Educators, admittedly, need help in “selling” journalism as a profession.
This isn’t a Woodward-Bernstein Watergate era of unbridled student interest
in journalism. The best and brightest are often leaving for careers that
have more prestige, and aren’t ranked in the public’s eye equal to or lower
than used-car salesmen.
Offer multi-media opportunities
May, of George Washington University, said: “I spent 23 years working
at newspapers. I appeared on radio and television periodically. I had no
training and I never really felt like it was part of my job. Just a fun
thing to do, and I didn’t take it very seriously.
“I do think print journalists now have to take it seriously ... Clearly,
journalism
educators are going to have to re-evaluate, and probably modify, the separate
track approach in training print and broadcast journalists.
“I’m not sure we have to offer all “multi-media” editing and reporting
courses. There is still a need for specialization. But I tell students
now to take both broadcast and print courses, and I tell them that computer
literacy is as crucial as the old-fashioned kind.”
In conclusion, educators want editors, publishers and owners to know
we are interested in a partnership. We want to bridge the gaps that exist.
Irby is a journalism professor at Washington State University. He
was a newspaper editor and publisher and spent more than 25 years in the
industry.
