The digital media age has transformed the news business, and journalism schools must keep pace. But change can be hard in the ivory tower of academe, and in recent years many journalism programs have struggled to find the right balance between training students in new technologies while not losing sight of the fundamentals. Here you'll find stories about the tough choices facing journalism programs and the professors who work in them.
With News Business in Crisis, What Do Journalism Professors Tell Students?
Boston University
Falling ad revenue. Plunging profits. Layoffs. Downsizing. Bankruptcy filings. The news in the news business can’t get any worse. Some days it seems as if those who write the first draft of history have little in the way of a future. So what are journalism professors, those charged with grooming the next generation of reporters, editors and producers, telling their students these days about the news business in general, and print journalism, that seemingly most endangered of species, in particular?
Is There Too Much Tech Training at the Nation's Journalism Schools?
Jena Heath
For years, journalism schools nationwide have been bulking up on courses designed to prepare the next generation of reporters for the brave new world of digital media. No longer is it enough for students to master writing, interviewing and editing; these days they must blog and design websites, shoot digital video and use Twitter. But some journalists and educators alike are starting to wonder if lessons in the fundamentals of newsgathering are being pushed aside in favor of an ever-expanding array of tech-related classes.
A Teacher From the Old School Worries About the Future of Journalism Education
Picture of the 12th edition courtesy McGraw Hill Higher Education.
It's been two decades since Melvin Mencher alternately terrified and inspired students at Columbia University's graduate school of journalism. The gruff professor whose withering critiques sent more than one charge running from his classroom in tears is now retired, though he keeps busy updating his enormously influential textbook, "News Reporting and Writing," now in its 12th edition. But even at age 83, the man who mentored several generations of aspiring journalists - many of whom went on to work at the nation's top newspapers, magazines and television news divisions - has not mellowed. If anything, Mencher is as feisty and angry as ever, particularly about the state of journalism education.
So Why Did U of Montana J-School Make Public Affairs Reporting an Elective?
Recently I wrote several stories (found here and here) about concerns that tech-oriented courses were taking over journalism programs. In those articles I mentioned two cases that have spurred debate on the issue: the University of Colorado's announcement that it might dismantle its journalism school, and the University of Montana j-school's decision to remove public affairs reporting from its list of required courses. Peggy Kuhr, dean of the Montana j-school, responded to those articles with a letter sent to me...
Closing the University of Colorado Journalism School was the Wrong Move
It's hard to know what to make of last week's decision by the University of Colorado to close its journalism school, beyond the fact that it makes no sense. News reports suggest a variety of issues were in play - accreditation problems, an outdated curriculum and budget pressures, to name a few. But it's difficult to see how closing the school entirely is better than fixing it. And with some 700 students in the program, it's a mystery to me as to how financial problems could have been a factor.
Should You Get a Journalism Degree?
Getty Images
Moving From The Newsroom To The Classroom
Jere Hester
