The world of journalism is rapidly changing. The requirements of a reporter today are nothing like they were 30 years ago or even 5 years ago. Today, reporters are expected to not only get the story and write good copy, they must take the picture, shoot video, record audio and then incorporate these elements into their stories, edit those stories and load them into various media platforms. But as the media changes, some things remain constant, ethics and values are the still the bedrock of good journalism.
This was the message from Christopher Callahan, Dean of the Arizona State University, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Callahan stated that teachers have to teach students to function in a mulimedia world without losing the ethics. He went on to say that journalism programs should be build around the traditional news values of past journalist such as Walter Cronkite.
It is evident that Callahan takes the issue of ethics and values very seriously in the way that the "moral sins" of journalism - fabrication and plagiarism are dealt at the school. "We have a zero tolerance policy. Students are expelled from the school without discussion, debate or appeal". Callahan says he realizes that some may fine this a bit extreme, however it sets the standard and it is used as a learning experience. "If you do it," says Callahan "You get the death penalty".
Alma A. McDonald
Hattiesburg High School
Hattiesburg, Miss.
Posts
I like the idea that journalism is moving away from specialized niches and expecting reporters to be more diverse. And if your newsrooms are anything like mine, students are already getting that experience. My staff simply isn't big enough to have students who just focus on one thing. The kids, editors especially, have to be able to wear many hats and switch gears simultaneously.
ReplyDeleteDean Callahan's talk reassured me. I'm doing what I can to teach kids how to me a journalist, but I also see the passion in them. I see their eyes light up when they are excited about an assingment. I see them looking for opporturtunities to write and learn more, from sources other than just myself. Knowing that the drive and passion they already possess is something that a well-trained eye like Callahan defines as paramount is, in a sense, a great relief. I can teach writing, editing, page design and all of that, but I can't teach someone to love something they simply have no interest in. The challenge then becomes finding that interest in students who claim it's not there.
If your schools are anything like mine, journalism class often becomes a dumping ground for kids with holes in their scheduled or who are short on elective credits. I was lucky in that my kids that got dumped into The Musket this year turned out to be awesome. Many of them said they had no interest in journalism initially, but by the end of the year they were eating lunch in my room, hanging out after school and finding great stories, right alongside my core group of original Musketeers.
Jessica Young
Orange Glen High School
Escondido, Calif.
Jessica: I like the way your comment advances this fine post.
ReplyDelete