{"id":90808,"date":"2007-05-10T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2007-05-10T05:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2007\/05\/10\/how-j-school-students-see-the-future\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T04:16:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T09:16:34","slug":"how-j-school-students-see-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/journalism\/2007\/05\/10\/how-j-school-students-see-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"How J-School Students See the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">When it was released last fall, University of Georgia professor Lee Becker\u2019s annual study of journalism graduates entering the job market contained some counterintuitive\u2014if not downright surprising\u2014news. Despite revenue and circulation problems, job cuts, and budget slashing in many newsrooms, 73% percent of 2005 print journalism graduates found full-time employment in their industry. That was the highest percentage in six years and a four-point increase over 2004.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Becker says those numbers make sense when you consider that most starting journalists are not looking for jobs at the big metro newspapers, the category that has been hit hardest by the industry\u2019s financial ills. The more local and small-town newspapers, which have fared better, are offering recent grads their first jobs, he says.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">That relatively rosy picture is, to a substantial degree, borne out by PEJ online interviews with 14 journalism and communication students from six schools.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Even as the students acknowledge that their chosen profession is in the throes of dramatic and uncertain change, they also project a pretty sturdy sense of optimism about their careers and the future of journalism. And despite the perception or theory that journalists are driven by a reformist desire to change the world, many of these students say they were motivated primarily by their love of writing. On the subject of journalism education, a majority of our sample say their hands-on experience at school papers or professional newsrooms was more beneficial than course work in preparing for a career.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">And that one core skill that many of them fear they still haven\u2019t mastered after their college years? The art of the interview.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">The students came from Columbia University, Georgetown University, Michigan State University, University of Missouri, Northeastern University, and Ohio University. Eight of the 14 were seniors or MA candidates graduating this spring; one is an MA candidate graduating next year; four were underclassmen; and one graduated in December 2006. Each student was emailed nine questions asking about their education, career aspirations, and the future of journalism.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why journalism?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Half the students we interviewed say they are heading into the journalism field primarily because of their love of writing. Several indicated that they had spent earlier years writing poems and fiction before focusing on a career in journalism studies.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI always loved writing. I\u2019ve been writing stories, poems and essays since I was seven,\u201d says Chelsea Petersen, a junior<strong> <\/strong>at Northeastern<strong>.<\/strong> \u201cSince creative writing isn\u2019t the most lucrative of fields, I figured I would try journalism.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI&#8217;ve loved writing and sports since I was a little kid,\u201d adds Christopher Estrada, a Northeastern sophomore. \u201cThis is my gift from God and I intend to use it to tell stories about great feats and great people.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Four of our interviewees say they were attracted to journalism as a life-long learning opportunity, offering the chance to better understand interesting people and the major social and political issues of our time.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI like meeting new people and learning what they are passionate about. I like that each story is a mini education,\u201d explains Lauren Phillips, a Michigan State senior. \u201cFor example, I knew nothing about horses and hadn\u2019t even seen one up close until I wrote a story about a 4H team.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">The crusading instinct to change the world does not have a particularly strong hold on our student sample. Only three of them mention the idea of journalists serving as watchdogs on the powerful forces in society.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI\u2019m attracted by both the selfish desire to break important investigative stories and to better people\u2019s lives,\u201d said Benjamin Poston, a master\u2019s student at the Missouri Graduate School of Journalism. \u201cIn too many instances, the only way corruption is exposed or bad guys brought down is through reporting.\u201d<em> <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What they learned. And didn\u2019t learn.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">About two-thirds of our students say they are working for their school paper or interning at a professional media organization while they complete their course work. For them, this practical experience has generally proven to be a more valuable teaching tool than classroom academics<strong>. <\/strong>Without actually getting a chance to work in a newsroom, many say they would be ill-prepared to thrive in a professional, full-time capacity.<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tom Keller, a Michigan State senior<strong>, <\/strong>credits his experience at the school\u2019s daily paper, The State News, as a key factor in his education. \u201cIt was really about those day-to-day news decisions that taught me what journalism is about,\u201d he says. \u201cMy courses were a good supplement, but without practical experience, they\u2019re like a meal of side dishes that wouldn\u2019t have provided me with all the training I needed.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cMost of what I know about journalism I learned on the job at the Missoula Independent,\u201d which is an alternative weekly in Montana, echoes Mike Keefe-Feldman, an MA student at Georgetown. \u201cMy co-workers often commented that my work experience taught me more than I would have learned in J-school.\u201d<em> <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cA lot of [my preparation] came from hands-on experience done through internships and co-ops. Journalism is a field that most greatly benefits from these types of experiences,\u201d adds Glenn Yoder, a senior studying at Northeastern.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Three students did single out a particularly inspiring professor or class that they feel will make them better journalists after they have entered the workforce.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cOne of my journalism professors at Brandeis also inspired me to go into journalism,\u201d explains Elana Margulies, a student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. \u201cIn all the courses I took with him, he challenged me, and would not let me settle for anything less than 150 percent. Now, three years after I graduated from Brandeis, I still consider him an invaluable mentor.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever they learned in and out of the classroom, five students of the 14 canvassed say they are still deficient when it comes to interviewing skills. In an era when journalists are increasingly emailing questions to sources and subjects, these students express considerable anxiety about conducting telephone interviews<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cInterviewing! I am so terrible at it! I\u2019m a pretty shy person to begin with, so I dreaded every assignment that involved cold calls,\u201d says Northeastern\u2019s Petersen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI think journalists should receive either empathy training or training in how to be able to face people that automatically don&#8217;t like you because of the fact that you&#8217;re a journalist at a paper that has wronged them before and still be able to interview them effectively,\u201d adds Steve Babcock, who graduated from Northeastern in December 2006.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Three students also wish they had done more coursework in multi-media training. They say the ability to produce video or shoot photos for a news organization\u2019s website is increasingly regarded as an essential skill in a rapidly digitizing journalism universe.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI absolutely wish I knew more about shooting my own photos and video. Some of my younger colleagues are learning this stuff, but it seemed to come up in classes more as I was on my way out,\u201d says Ellie Behling, senior of Ohio University. \u201cIn the future, I will probably try to train as a photographer.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Their Career Hopes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the students happened to be interested in careers in either print or online journalism, fewer in television and radio. Very few say they would be willing to work in other fields where their journalism degree may be applicable, such as public relations or advertising.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Three of the students say they will begin full-time, permanent jobs once they\u2019ve completed their studies<strong>. <\/strong>Several, however, have been offered internships for the summer, at both traditional media organizations (The San Diego Union-Tribune) and more niche-based media properties (MLB.com).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">Despite understandable anxiety about their futures, 10 of the students in our sample feel relatively optimistic about careers in their particular area of academic concentration. Two are fearful that they would not find jobs in journalism<strong>. <\/strong>The remaining two students, both of whom had already landed jobs, did not elaborate on the issue.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI\u2019m certain something good will come. The only anxiety is that I don\u2019t know how it will come,\u201d says Michigan State\u2019s Keller. \u201cThis MLB.com internship originated almost by happenstance; what leads me to something after that could be just as unpredictable. I\u2019m confident that I\u2019ve worked hard enough to this point to have that opportunity.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cSome days I\u2019m very confident. Other days I wake up in a cold sweat with nightmares of being a cashier,\u201d adds Alisa Hofsess of Missouri\u2019s Graduate School of Journalism. \u201cOn the whole, though, I would say I\u2019m pretty confident that I\u2019m going to find something where I\u2019m going to be putting this degree to good use. It might not be what I planned on when I started, but I keep telling myself that the first job out of school isn\u2019t the job I\u2019m going to have for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Ashley Traupman, a sophomore at Northeastern, is not as sanguine. \u201cEvery day I worry that once I graduate and it is time for me to find a job there will be none available,\u201d she says.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>And the Future of Journalism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to the expectations they have about their individual careers, we asked the students to take a step back and evaluate the future of the profession they hope to enter. Virtually all acknowledge that journalism is changing dramatically. They point out that technology, namely the Web, is producing more and more content, but not necessarily making the citizen better informed. Furthermore, they see the emergence of so-called \u201ccitizen journalism\u201d as a competitor to traditional journalism, forcing media companies to adapt and innovate in ways they may not be sufficiently prepared to do.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">While most students remain fairly confident the profession will weather the storm and remain an educational force in American society, they demonstrate varying degrees of optimism. And some of them offered their ideas on how journalism needs to change to remain relevant.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">There was certainly a sense among some that the journalism profession must shed any reluctance to change and move briskly into the new media environment.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>\u201c<\/strong>Journalism is at a crossroads,\u201d says Ohio University senior Molly O\u2019Hare. \u201cNew technology and new methods are changing the way people want to get their news, and traditional journalism is losing its prominence. That said, media outlets have the opportunity to adapt and become a vital part of this revolution. If people in the industry can stay ahead of the curve and not get stuck in old ways of doing things, there is no reason why journalism should not continue to be an influential and valuable component of future society.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\" style=\"margin-top: 0in\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">\u201cI don&#8217;t think the ship is sinking as much as we&#8217;re led to believe,\u201d says Northeastern\u2019s Yoder. \u201cI think journalism is changing for sure, but that we just have to be prepared to steward it to its next phase. Fighting the future is fruitless in a lot of ways. It&#8217;d be much more productive to embrace the changes (as difficult as that may be right now, with staff reductions and the like) and try to make sense of the new technologies and means of reporting. Besides, society stands to prosper from this, as long as great storytellers remain.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">And at least one student says the industry\u2019s success may hinge on its ability to stay ahead of the new wave of user-generated content.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI am afraid for the profession because if we don&#8217;t make the right shift and include the digital aspect into newspapers we will definitely run out of subscriptions and readers,\u201d adds Bessie King, a junior at Northeastern University. \u201cWe need to figure out a way to keep making money but become innovative enough to avoid getting run over by citizen journalism, YouTube, and others.I do think, though, that people will always want information to be delivered to them, so in one way or the other, reporters and journalism will survive.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"MsoNormal wp-block-paragraph\">\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the news business in transition, fragmentation, and turmoil, many veteran journalists wonder about their careers. What about those preparing to first enter the field? 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