What is the future of journalism?

This is an impossible question, but a possible solution was presented in this article from insidehigher.com.The article suggested that students could be a possible solution to the journalism industry’s economic woes.

Here are the facts from State Of The Media about newspapers in 2009.

• Newspaper circulation declined, loses accelerated to 4.6 % daily and 4.8% Sunday, in the six months ending September 30, 2008, compared to the same period a year earlier.
• Newspapers took in $49.5 billion in advertising just two years ago. In 2008, it was about $38 billion, a 23 % decline.
• The Tribune Company, burdened with the huge $13 billion debt taken on a year earlier in real estate mogul Sam Zell’s acquisition of the company, filed for bankruptcy reorganization in December.

When you look at the numbers, it seems as if it is a win-win situation. Free labor for struggling companies, and specialized training for young reporters. But some in the industry don’t agree.

“Some believe journalism schools are exploiting students by maintaining high enrollment levels despite the contraction of the market for professional journalists — a system that guarantees a large population of out-of-work, debt-addled graduates.”

As a young journalist, I could not agree more with universities joining with local publishers to train students. I have waited my whole life to work in journalism, it is something I have always wanted to do, why wait to start learning. Also, by working with professionals and doing the work, how could young journalist not become better? But allowing students to start younger, as an industry couldn’t we grow and improve?

Allowing students to also be professionals is something my school, The University of Missouri, has done since it’s start. The Missouri Method is why my school has been so successful. Journalism students are the staff at KBIA, KOMU, MOJO, VOX, The Columbia Missourian, among other outlets. MU does not partner with these companies, staff students to be actual reporters, writers, editors, etc. MU has produced countless successful journalists through this method. Having students working at professionals is not exploiting them, its training them. This type of training has been done with teachers for years.

Whether students will save journalism remains to be seen. But it is possible that students could be the future of our industry.

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