Jtm-pnw-session-academia-news
Participant list is incomplete. If you were in this session and you are not listed, please include your name and title. --Jessica Durkin
Jessica Durkin (moderator), InOtherNews.us, and Wiki notes poster; Jacqui Banaszynski, Poynter contributor and Reynolds Journalism Institute instructor; John Hamer, director Washington News Council; Mike Fancher, ASNE, and retired Seattle Times executive editor; Tim Gleason, dean, University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications; Lawrence Pintak, dean, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University; reporter (don't have name) from Xconomy.com; Maureren Skowran, Albuquerque, N.M., Poynter contributor, JTM steward, etc. The discussion was videotaped by CJ. Captured on iPhone.
Started the session with key question: Why are students applying for j-schools? With fewer traditional media jobs on the horizon, are journalism schools, especially the expensive ones, doing "educational malpractice," as has been referred? What are journalism schools teaching?
Notes -- Educators need to be incubators: Communicate in ways that enhance the public discourse. NIE of the future? Civics in journalism. Is their value in this a disappearing animal? Teams of students professionalize journalism. Needs: money; fitting new classes into the curriculum; emphasize the mind set, then the skill set. Students need to know: how to report, write, interview, and to be able to do those things quickly; have an area of expertise. J-schools need to teach the soul of journalism, not just journalism practices, but journalism underpinnings. There is a tension/debate at schools about how to prepare tomorrow's journalists. Should they be taught for the job market, or fundamental journalistic values about writing, critical thinking, storytelling, researching?
Other discussion -- A recent Ph.D graduate from the Missouri school talked about the frustration with the gap in communication theory and practice. Others seconded her comments. Someone brought up bringing back a Freedom Forum-type group, where news companies or other entities create a location for theorists apply theories to practice. There was lament about only writing for academic audiences in communications journals. One person proposed taking journalism faculty sabbaticals in newsrooms.
