Comments on: Is J-school relevant? (#wjchat)

By: Naomi

Naomi — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 21:28:34 +0000

Here is editor Rob O’Regan’s advice to his daughter as she headed off to j-school: http://emediavitals.com/blog/17/tomorrows-journalists-must-embrace-their-inner-geek

By: Sam Tongue

Sam Tongue — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 06:02:47 +0000

While I think it’s important for students to take internships or ‘apprenticeships’ as some called them, I do think the journalism school aspect is important. The key word here isn’t ‘journalism,’ but rather ‘school.’ When students are put into environments that are not only rich in journalistic skills but also in world affairs, I believe that’s when they really thrive.

I feel that the biggest problem right now isn’t our journalism education, but rather the emphasis on having only a journalism education. There needs to be more focus on educating students of the social, political and environmental issues that exist today.

The world of journalism coverage may be changing, but the general issues journalists have been covering have been the same for centuries. Once we are aware of these, our education at Journalism school becomes vastly more valuable and important.

By: McAdams: Journalism Educators to Contribute

McAdams: Journalism Educators to Contribute — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:56:20 +0000

[...] Biography Mindy McAdams joined the faculty of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida in August 1999 as the Knight Chair for journalism technologies and the democratic process. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in online journalism. She is Professor of Journalism, College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida. She also maintains a blog, where she feeds into debates such as ‘Is J-School Relevant?’ [...]

By: Cool Links #91: The One About Graduation 2010 and More « TEACH J: For Teachers of Journalism And Media

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:10:58 +0000

[...] – Mindy McAdams at Teaching Online Journalism brings forth a debate: Is Journalism School Necessary? or Worth It? I’m of two minds. I think there have been a number of great journalists who never went or [...]

By: Internships must play key role in journalism education « Hi. My name is Adam.

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 23:19:00 +0000

[...] school for? (Jeff Sonderman) • J-stuents totally unprepared for journalism (Rachel Kauffman) • Is j-school relevant? (Mindy [...]

By: Mindy McAdams

Mindy McAdams — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 18:10:42 +0000

I’ve reviewed five or six of the 25 “interest areas” in Missouri’s new curriculum plan. I think that as a student, I would like it. But when I was about 19 years old, I might have pigeonholed myself if offered this set of options.

I admire the folks at Mizzou for spending the time to put these specific listings together for their students. It would be very time-consuming to update lists such as these at my university, because other colleges and departments are changing the game plan all the time, and so we would have to revise all the recommended outside courses each year!

By: Editer

Editer — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:32:37 +0000

I’m glad someone asked about the Missouri J-school’s new curriculum. I think you called it “confusing”. I’ve been thinking about it the past week or so, and I’ve come to believe that MU is doing it right.

One common complaint about J-school grads, going back decades, is that they don’t know much about any subjects besides “how-to-report/edit/photograph”. And in the day of the entrepreneurial journalist, understanding a topic and making it one’s own is a crucial skill.

It appears MU is addressing these challenges in an innovative way with lots of potential. Much depends on execution, of course, but I really like the approach.

Thanks for your work on #wjchat! One of these times I’ll be able to participate live.

Brian B