Raising the craft of journalism; undergraduate critique

This is something I wrote recently for an in-class final exam. I thought you would like to read it, as it seems to make a little more sense now that I've quickly read it again. Maybe you'll agree, especially you journalism students out there.

 The topic is of something very important to me as a journalist, and something I'll always study further. The changing game of the journalist. I'll keep you posted on news from the field.

And so the question was posed.....What is a journalist?

Daniel wrote:
A dictionary definition of a journalist and a scholarly search for ‘what is journalism?’ will present one with several different technical descriptions. What is taught in journalism school matches a traditional description for the journalist and journalism - a journalist being one that reports, writes, edits, photographs and broadcasts the news, or conducts a news organization on a business model.

Another definition of the journalist and the field of journalism state that the reporting and writings in this profession are bursting of superficial thought and research, popular slant and hurried composition.

Both these descriptions mirror the conventional role of the journalist and her or his craft and how they are both seen in popular thought. What is not referenced in these descriptions is that the field of journalism is perhaps undergoing one of the greatest changes and revolutions as a craft, if compared to other major professions and practices of modern society.

Journalism today covers everything imaginable, and has become so broad that topics reported on can be so general, irrelevant to some, and ‘non-news worthy’ to others. Journalists have also been losing credibility and self-worth for many years as well, perhaps, as the popularity and money in online media organizations that steal and borrow news feeds increases.

On top of that, journalists are under threat in terms of relevance from the advances of technology, the fast-moving and articulate cycle of the blogosphere, and empowered witnesses and citizen journalists with camera phones, wireless devices and websites.

The journalist coming out of undergraduate university study today, I believe, has to be much more rounded and experienced than ever before. Jobs do not seem to be readily available in the field, and often the requirements of attaining such jobs are simply met by the basic journalism skills or writing, reporting and editing.

These days, one also has to be a master of technology and a jack of all trades. A journalist today needs to be a master of new media - be that Twitter or other social media, blogging or pirate broadcasting - technology and advanced research.

Editing, reporting and technical writing are still the base skills that must be mastered, and that’s what I’ve learned in my time as a journalism student. What was not taught in the degree program previously is perhaps exactly what was touched upon in lecture and discussion in this seminar.

Taking the basic and mandatory skills of a journalist – mastered of course, as I described – one must be able to become a specialist in many topics, and also be able to pair his or her skills with a successful business and marketing model. As a professional, one is going to have to be able to present oneself as a professional writer, communicator and researcher, and will need an immaculate CV laden with descriptions of one’s technology and research skills.

We as undergraduate journalism students should be taught more about marketing ourselves as multi-faceted writers and reporters, mostly as freelancers for many publications, professional journals, and corporate publications, instead of being taught to apply for jobs as reporters, most of which will not exist for long.

We are taught that the traditional role of the journalist is under threat, but the university is well behind in teaching the news model and skills-sets that many reporters at major publications already have, as I learned first-hand on my internship in Scotland this past summer.

Perhaps this has always been the case, where a journalist must be one that is with the times – immersed in popular culture, ahead of the game with a skill-set in advancing technology, and able to market oneself beyond applying for posted reporting jobs.

Now, however, I think it comes down to being able to survive and become relevant in a saturated, over-populated and misguided field of journalism. Journalism today, and the demand on the writers by consumer, is that the journalist be the most knowledgeable and trustworthy person reporting on the topic in discussion. On top of timely, original and concise reporting and writing, one must be able to do such better than others out there writing.

What journalism school does not set you up for is the reality of the field today. I think we are taught a great depth about the basic skills of the craft, but not enough of about pushing the limits of those skills, and using them for much more, be that in other fields or for raising the bar in journalism. We are also not encouraged to specialize or focus on topics of interest in which we will choose to cover and pursue in the future.

With the ability of people to pick and choose their news, up to the minute from anywhere on the planet, the journalist has to win over the news or specialty consumer with dazzling reporting and immense knowledge, as many people now are not just getting reading reports of watching news through a local publication or broadcast of default.

In the eyes of social media and citizen journalism, the journalist has to again make a name for the field, and continue with guided and consistent reporting of the highest interest and integrity. I also believe people crave to be privy to the personal experience and insight of the intellectual and well-rounded journalist to shine through.

It’s a question of ‘raising the craft.’ The traditional definition of a journalist still fits, and the skill-set required needs to be perfected, diversified and pushed more than ever before. This harkens back to a discussion we had in this course about information hierarchy, and the need for a journalist to gain insight and direction through peak experiences and moments of self-actualization.

In a time when journalism seems pensive and stagnant to many outside observers, budding and established journalists are rapidly taking charge of the industry again, embracing the medium of blogging to grow the reach and depth of their work and readership.

As was mentioned in lecture this fall, and as Maslow points out, starting to embrace this paradigm shift in medium will only help journalist self-actualize the power and wisdom they are capable of triggering. “When you get a new model, a new paradigm, a new way of perceiving, new definitions of the old words, suddenly you have an insight. You see things in a different way.”