Comments on: J-Schools: Breeding Ground for Fertile Failure

By: Brendan Watson

Brendan Watson — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:23:45 +0000

I like what you say in part. But I still think it suffers a bit from what has hadicapped journalism schools (and journalism research) for too long. In medicine, engineering, etc., academia tries to keep ahead of the current professional knowledge in cutting-edge research. Journalism schools wait for the industry to pose the problem (and often provide the answer). How many times have you heard a school ask the industry, “What should we be teaching our students?” If the industry new what the journalist of the future would be, they wouldn’t be in such a state of crisis. Instead of following this model which just ensures journalism schools fall even further behind where the industry is, journalism schools need to shed a history of being pre-professional training programs and focus more on rigorous research and innovation, which can put the schools out front and lead the industry in defining the future, much as other researchers do, especially in the sciences. I think you provide some great ideas for collecting data, but your proposal is still too reliant on industry to provide the leadership instead of the other way around.

By: David Johnson

David Johnson — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:44 +0000

smart post as always, ryan. tracking back and linking up.

By: Bryan Murley

Bryan Murley — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:22:17 +0000

Not that campus news organizations are all dying to damage their brands, but their transitory audience makes small failures much less costly over the long run — failure artifacts don’t aggregate at campus news organizations the way they aggregate at professional news organizations.

I think you’re vastly overestimating the willingness or manpower needed for most campus news organizations to do this type of work. That’s just from my (admittedly limited) experience with these things.

By: Bill Brody

Bill Brody — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:53:01 +0000

I’m in wholehearted agreement. Contemporary economic constraints at many schools today have created added burdens, however, especially for junior faculty. They’re now more highly focused than ever on tenure and promotion requirements that may or may not by sympathetic to the sort of efforts described here.

Administrators, take note!

E.W. Brody, Ed.D.
Professor Emeritus
Department of Journalism
University of Memphis
Memphis TN 38152

By: Mo Krochmal

Mo Krochmal — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:43:25 +0000

My experience as a journalist covering innovation in information technology and in biotech for over a decade has led me to understand that in those fields, industry doesn’t innovate, but commercializes innovative technology.

I think that holds true for journalism. As an assistant professor of journalism at Hofstra University, I teach digital. There are basics that are critically important and top priority, and then there is the innovative side. I don’t know that industry is ever going to share funding/support with a small program like mine — it will go to Columbia, Missouri, Northwestern, Berkeley.

So, with a small core of dedicated and passionate students, we try new stuff all the time and publish to Nassaunewslive.com and serve our community. But, I’m open to any suggestions and always looking for help — or a rich conversation.

Sincerely,
Mo Krochmal
Assistant Professor of Journalism
Hofstra University
Hempstead, N.Y.

By: RickWaghorn

RickWaghorn — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:57:22 +0000

Which is why I was so delighted to team up with Richard and Paul at Berkeley last month…

http://outwithabang.rickwaghorn.co.uk/?p=291

For if we are all going to have a future as journalists, perhaps it is high time that we all started to learn how to sell as well as story-make.

All the best, etc