There used to be a time
when journalists used to belong to different background – engineering, banking,
literature and even social science – would be a part of the print industry only
because he/ she had the flair for writing. But does this trend still continue? Or
is the industry seeking for a particular background for the profession of
journalism? Here is Shreya Giridhar who takes a trip through the industry to
see the changing times.
Journalism is a
profession and discipline of knowledge that has different roles and importance
in the present-day world. Journalism being a process of communication has to
perform different roles and responsibilities for the sake of right to information
and freedom of expression, and the importance of it come from the people's
right to opinion and expression.
Journalism is a social
institution as well as an industry. Being called as the fourth estate and being
considered as an institution in its own rights, it acts as the ‘voice of the
voiceless’ and also plays the role of a ‘watch-dog’ in the society. It is journalism
that raises the issue of voiceless and marginalizes people to bring the equality
and harmony in the society. Thus the peoples have easy access with the
concerning authority in democracy because journalism creates the bridge between
them. It has massive responsibilities upon human society. It plays an important
role to bring change and prosperity of human life because it provides all the
special needs of human being in their lives including information,
entertainment, education, health awareness etc. It is because of this that many
people give emphasis on journalism as it strengthens the democracy of a
country.
Speaking much about the
need and importance of journalism in the society, we often forget to think
about those journalists who are the real carriers or mediators of the
information. All that we are bothered about is in attaining news and
information from the press. With the journalism industry blooming than never
before, there are millions of people who are dying to make journalism as their
profession. But is it that easy to become a journalist? True that the demand
for the profession has led numerous institutions to provide journalism discipline
as well as journalism schools to come up. But the age old question has cropped
up again, but this time with a digital angle, does a journalist today still
need a degree in journalism? Journalism educators and professionals aren’t
necessarily on the same page agreeing about what journalism students need to
know to succeed or whether students even need a journalism degree.
According to a new
survey released by the Poynter Institute’s News University, journalism
educators and professionals think differently as said earlier about the effect
of a journalism degree on the job preparation of graduates, and about whether
journalism education is keeping up with dramatic changes in the industry. That
difference of opinion might point yet again to the need for innovation in
journalism education.
Journalism isn't a mere
school for talented people who know how to put a few words together. Journalism
is a way of thinking, and its bedrock values are dedication to informing the
public and accuracy in published works. Those values should be implanted in
every budding journalist headed into the news or writing businesses from the
classroom and the best Journalism school educators strive for that level of commitment.
These schools focus on training over scholarship, but journalism is already an academic
effort, suited for those people who have the nose for curiosity. News savvy is
important in our world today, and what better place to learn it than from a
journalism school? Therefore it is true that journalism degree is valuable, if
not for the degree, for the skills. The ability to write well is valuable in a
number of industries. The ability to report is also valuable to all sorts of
different interactions including learning how to ask the right questions is
part of any college experience. Young people will have a practical mindset as
an advantage of their environment, and will naturally help bridge the cultural
divide between print and digital, a source of debates in many newsrooms. And in
today’s world where college is treated as more of an investment and less of a
learning experience, they might need a bit of idealism from the students who
choose to study journalism.
But on the contrary,
there are many who disagree to the point that only if one goes to a journalism
school or does a related professional course, can he be called a professional
journalist. “A background for journalism is not needed. All one requires is a
nose for news and presenting it in a way which can be understood by a layman”,
said Manish Raj, Reporter (Trainee Journalist), The Times of India. He also
mentioned that there is no difference between those who go to a J-school and
those who don’t, as journalism is more about hands-on- experience in practical
settings rather than a theoretical approach where there is a rigid way to
approach reporting. At present, the farther one is away from the conventional
norms –such as 5 W and H in the lead- the more creative is the story.
There are many who
comments that journalism is not rocket science and one doesn’t have to waste
three to four years spending lakhs of rupees on such a course. In fact in 2011,
journalism topped The Daily Beast‘s list of 20 most useless degrees
(www.dailybeast.com). What a journalism school teaches in three years could be
learnt in a few months in a newsroom. And if it was about laws and ethics all
they need to do is read books related to it.
But nowadays newspapers
organizations do prefer pass out from these journalism schools as they feel
that a student is better equipped for reporting and editing. However, this has
more to do with competition as one have an edge over others with no training.
So the real questions
of do journalists require a journalism degree or not can’t quite clearly be
answered as there are mixed opinions between the educators and professionals
themselves. It is up to an individual to decide on getting a specialized degree
in this field. Of course, joining a journalism school trains the individuals to
be sucked by the media organizations soon as they pass out, but it is never a
must as journalism is more about on the job training and less about theoretical
old school knowledge.
In short, it is all
about enticing the reader, presenting news in a way which a common reader finds
interesting. And if one, be it a degree holder or any other person who has the
flare for writing and the nose for news, is prepared for a prolonged struggle
in the field, success will definitely be
the result. As Henry Ward Beecher says, "Newspapers are the schoolmasters
of the common people", it is up to these schoolmasters to decide if they require a degree or not.
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