I'm not even sure that stable employment is good for young journalists. Journalists exercise power. Ideally, they exercise that power on behalf of the powerless. If they know nothing about what it is like to be powerless themselves, they may come to exercise their considerable power on behalf of the already powerful.
As to the conventions of story form and lingo that are often taught in journalism school, and as to the many artifacts and customs that make up our lore, we are tradespeople and we are proud of what we know how to do. We like our tools and our lingo. But we must be smart and nimble, and if we remain sentimentally attached to the artifacts of our trade in the face of massive technological change, then we are no better than GM.
So I do not think it is such a terrible thing that your journalism students are entering an uncertain world. It's the kind of world that is ripe for enterprising journalists. It is the kind of world that needs to be reported on and explained.
The whole thing is worth a read.
I'm a communication major and minoring in journalism and my parents have nagged me about changing my major several times due to the same doubts as "Feeling Existential" is feeling.
ReplyDeleteI have refused because it is a field that sparks my interest.
"Leave it to your students to create new modes for the buying and selling of this information. Their generation will do this. I feel confident about that."
I agree with this statement. It is a field that requires brainstorming and creativity and with that I have no worries as to where I will be with my career due to what I have decided to major in.