Top newsroom executives answers crucial question: Why study journalism?

By Len Arminio

"Why Study Journalism?"--The title of a seminar this past weekend at the Radio Television News Directors Association of Canada had some answers.

Despite the economic crises many media outlets face... mass layoffs...closures...restructuring..."There has never been a more exciting time to be a Journalist." Those words from Wendy McCann, the Ontario bureau chief for The Canadian Press. McCann told a group of broadcast news leaders the opportunities are there for those who embrace change. And CP, the venerable cooperative started by newspapers decades ago, has today, according to McCann, become the largest provider of online content in Canada.
McCann played a video diary of Calgary-based CP sports reporter Donna Spencer who has become the consummate multi-media journalist. Recording audio, shooting video, creating print content, along with radio TV and online versions of her stories.
"People want more content not less," said McCann, "That's why we are training and hiring young journalists." CP currently has five job openings for multi-media reporters.

The educators on the panel agreed. Yvonne Colbert of Nova Scotia Community College said all but one of her 25 graduates this year have some sort of job in the media. She admitted, not many of them are permanent, but they are jobs none-the-less.

Her colleague, Connie Monk of the British Columbia Institute of Technology said her students want to be story tellers and love doing the multi-platform tasks required these days. "Our students multi-track stories and file items for radio, TV and online. "We teach communications skills", she added, "which can be transferred to other jobs." And they are getting jobs. Her grads this year have found full or part-time jobs all over the West Coast and elsewhere. Some are actually working multiple part-time jobs in different media.

Recent Fanshawe College grad Russ Courtney told the group he has already "heard what's been said here from my teachers in school." He recently was hired by CKNX radio in Wingham.

The final participant was Stacey Woelfel, the Chairman of RTNDA International. Stacey is both a professor of Journalism at the University of Missouri (PhD in Political Science) and the News Director of the university-owned NBC affiliate in Columbus, Missouri KOMU-TV. The station is a lab for journalism students, much like the radio station,online, newspaper and TV operations at Loyalist College.
He said one reason to study journalism is to counter the influence of those who "imitate journalists". The "citizen journalists", who CBS correspondent Morely Safer recently said were akin to "citizen surgeons". Those untrained in journalism, who don't know the standards of corroboration, attribution or ethics.
Woelfel said while journalism is becoming more "performance based", it is still necessary to learn and practice the journalism skills one learns in J-schools.