Why DID we major in journalism?
It has almost been five months since I graduated from Washington and Lee University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications. And as that anniversary is fast approaching, I ask myself the question I once thought of as redundant. Why did I major in journalism? It’s hardly the first time I’ve faced this question. More or less distant relatives would often make snarky comments under their breath about my chosen career path at various family gatherings. I always chose to welcome their snark with a confident smile and a speech about my love for writing and traveling, my tiresome curiosity and my desire to tell stories that would otherwise remain untold. But how much of that passionate speech is nothing but my romanticized perspective on a career that, to me, is becoming increasingly inaccessible every day?
Not everyone who majors in journalism wishes to become a journalist, and that’s O.K. But I did. And so did Cameron. Yet our future in journalism – as employed media professionals - remains uncertain.
“Does anyone care enough to do any of these things?” Cameron asked me in an email she sent this week. The subject of that email was what I later decided to use as a title for this post. The “things” she referred to were public sources of support enumerated in an article in The Washington Post. According to this article and a report commissioned by the Columbia University Journalism School, a new model for news reporting could be established with support from various public sources, including philanthropists, local governments, local communities and Internal Revenue Service tax regulations. An excerpt from the Washington Post article:
American society must now take some collective responsibility for supporting news reporting — as society has, at much greater expense, for public education, health care, scientific advancement and cultural preservation, through varying combinations of philanthropy, subsidy and government policy. It may not be essential to save or promote any particular news medium, including print newspapers. What is paramount is preserving independent, original, credible reporting, whether or not it is profitable, and regardless of the medium in which it appears.
So, will anyone care to do any of these things?
beckybratu
steelecs
People have supported non-profit news for years in the form of National Public Radio. One has only to think of Joan Kroc’s $200 million gift to NPR upon their death. And, at Charlottesville Tomorrow, we’re hoping to take that same model and make it work to support our mission of informing people about the ins and outs of local government.
We’re able to get money from donors because we’ve demonstrated that we can be trusted. It’s taken quite a bit of sweat equity, a lot of dedication, and a little luck.
Don’t give up. Dream big and make it happen. Become experts on what you can become experts on, and become a generalist for everything else.
Think of it – what are some of the stories that you think would not be told otherwise? Create partnerships with other media outlets to make sure that you’re being heard. Find your niche through experimentation. Experiment, innovate, don’t be afraid to fail. Be on as many platforms as you can, but tell the best possible story you can.
I got the job at Charlottesville Tomorrow in part because of my experimentation with the Charlottesville Podcasting Network. I created that site in 2005 because I was looking for a way to expand my freelance public radio career into something a bit more substantial. And, in that time, we’ve created an expectation that we’re going to be around, doing what we do.
But, really, don’t give up.
Sean Tubbs
October 28, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Sean, thank you for your kind words. I appreciate the encouragement. I wrote this post in a moment of frustration, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get discouraged often.
NPR is a good example for what the WashPo article refers to. But I think journalism needs more organizations/media outlets like NPR and Charlottesville Tomorrow. Great website, by the way. Cameron and I hope our Chronicle will one day grow up into something like that.
beckybratu
October 29, 2009 at 2:48 pm
[...] BBCNews.com seonir editor joins NowPublic.com Vancouver-based NowPublic.com is making news again, with the appointment of BBCNews.com seonir editor Rachel Nixon as its Global News Director to lead its editorial operations. (tags: bbc web2.0 social+media) [...]
Carl
February 2, 2012 at 7:41 am