Journalism Schools & New Media

I feel that there should be more emphasis on classes that teach new media at journalism schools. It seems more and more jobs in both mass media fields as well as other fields want applicants to have, at minimum, a basic understanding of various computer programs. There are fewer jobs where one can get by without such knowledge. Why would one assume mass communication would be any different?

Professors and administrators in schools of journalism and mass communication need to look beyond basic computer knowledge and focus on more advanced skills. New media is ever growing. More people turn to the Internet as their primary source of news and even entertainment. Those working in mass communication need to be able to compete online for readers.

There are fewer and fewer people who read hard copy newspapers. Online newspapers and online television news is much more convenient for many to access. Therefor, it only makes sense that journalism schools should teach more new media classes as more careers are moving online.

The future of advertising is also related to new media growth. With less hard newspaper readership comes less advertising in newspapers. Even if one watches TV, with today's technology of DVR and TIVO, it is so easy to record and skip past ads altogether. Or, if watching live TV, one can pause and then fast forward through the commercials. However, when one is online they are bombarded with ads. Sure, there is pop-up blocker. But there are ads on many web pages that can't be blocked. So, even if trying to avoid ads, some of the messages still get through.

These are just a few examples of why there is a need for journalism schools to teach mass media. As Mary Lynn Jones mentioned in the Mind the Gap article, some schools are meeting this need by offering more mass media classes and increasing funding for such programs. However, she also mentions that some schools are slow to change and continue to only teach traditional journalism classes.

Yes, traditional journalism and mass media classes are important to give students a fundamental knowledge. However, in order for students to look to the future and hopefully get a job upon graduating, they should have skills in new media.