2008-01-22T13:10:00.000-08:00

Journalism is an evolving field. As newspapers go out of print on a regular basis, journalism students, especially those interested in print, are having to reevaluate what their futures hold.

Universities are beginning to see that not only do the students face a dilemma, but so do they. Curriculum is going to have be altered, the accreditation process updated and the print industry as a whole has shifted toward online readership. Now students, educational institutions and the newspaper industry are going to have to start looking to each other to figure a way out of the crisis that is facing all three.

Without the proper education students face the harsh reality that an already saturated, overworked and underpaid workforce is fighting an identity crisis. Universities are stuck trying to find a way to stay ahead of the game so they can attract new students to their programs. And students have to stay ahead of both institutions so that their skills can be marketed to the best suited school or employer.

The newspaper industry is on the downturn. As Scripps and Gannett unload newspapers by the dozens across the country, there is little anyone without millions, if not billions, of dollars to spend to bail the industry out, so there is little any individual can do to change the trend. Universities should be given some credit for their efforts in trying to attract competitive students who will vie for a position in the classroom. But still colleges have much more to sort out than trying to stay ahead of an industry that doesn't bring in a lot of money for research like the sciences. So, this leaves most of the responsibility for sustaining the industry on the backs of future journalists.

There it is, the solution lies in the hands of those who have the least amount of experience, knowledge and skills to find a way to perpetuate a respectable medium that is evolving at a pace that is hard to keep up with. Hopefully, this being a dire situation, this will attract people who are willing to work to keep journalism a viable professional industry.

Downs' Blog