Sunday, April 19, 2009

j schools, redux

Go here for yet another piece on j schools, this time from the NY Times, and how they are changing to adapting to the uncertain future of journalism.

Many are including classes on the business of journalism. (long overdue?) All are addressing multiple platforms. Most still focusing on the underlying principles of good journalism -- “' it’s the soup and not the bowl that provides the nourishment we need,” as Tom Fiedler, the dean of the College of Communication at Boston University, he is quoted in the Times piece. “We want to teach our students to make a great soup. What they serve it in matters little.”

Obviously, the bowl matters too. Which is why almost all J. schools are including classes in multi-media in their curriculum.

And which is why I teach our students, from day one of class one, that their mission, should they choose to accept it, is to be the architects of the change.

You'll find a long line of posts on this issue here on jlinx, especially over the past month. Search for journalism school in the search box. bk

2 comments:

Belinda said...

Hi Professor Kelley!

I was reading this blog post and it really got me thinking. As someone who's really into design and aesthetics, I'm very "bowl-centered", if you will, so thinking about the soup seems so alien. Sometimes I think I read the NYTimes over other online newspapers because I like the layout design better. I know, tragic.
So yes, I'd have to agree that the bowl definitely does matter, at least to some people, but it does make it all the better when the soup is delicious.

Belinda

Kristin S said...

I was just reading this story this morning, and was about to send it to you...but alas...you're too quick and you already have it posted. The reporter on that Times story was actually a student that started a blog on TV programming while in college, but the Times picked him up and now he's a media reporter. I guess it does pay to blog! Hope you're well!