| Author | Message |
Yuri Victor
(yurivictor)
Alumnus/Alumna
Purdue
Yuri's Personal Page
Joined: Jan 30, 2006
| Posted: Jan 30 2006, 1:49 pm
A Yale alumnus donated $1 million to the University to fund a program to train students in journalism and help them break into the field (http://www.courant.com/news/local/sr/hc-yalecourse0126.artjan26,0,6967780.story), saying "I think J-school is a giant waste of time. I think the idea of spending a year going over and over the tricks of the trade is not the best way to spend your time."
The Yale Daily News responded (http://yaledailynews.com/article.asp?AID=31507)
"If potential journalists are not swayed by the opportunities currently available at Yale, we do not believe the new initiative will steer them away from Goldman Sachs. For students who dismiss journalism for more lucrative careers, an unpaid summer internship with a cost of living grant still seems unlikely to trump one that pays thousands of dollars. We encourage Brill and the University to work with us and the rest of Yale's journalists in developing the program: we have been producing talented, committed journalists for more than 125 years."
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Tiffany Schwarz
(tiffatcw)
Undergrad
The University of Alabama
Tiffany's Personal Page
Joined: Jan 18, 2006
| Posted: Jan 30 2006, 6:14 pm
I'm not sure that it's too far off... I know at my school the J school doesn't teach you much but working for the radio or TV station or newspaper is how you learn everything. I think GPA shouldn't be so attached to internships either. I mean classes are nothting compared to actual experience.
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denny simmons
(dennysimmons)
Alumnus/Alumna
u. of missour-columbia
Joined: Feb 15, 2006
| Posted: Feb 15 2006, 7:13 am
Hey CFPers, I'm new to this group and will probably be a lurker, but I saw this thread and wanted to add my thoughts. I'm not an eloquent writer, but I hope you can catch my drift.
The one thing I learned most at school was ethics. That's one of the greatest benefits I received. "Tell the truth with a camera" was drilled into my head. I will concede I learned by leaps and bounds by making pictures in "the real world," but it's the ethics that provided my support. I've seen many photographers in the field who found it OK to set up images. I've seen many newspapers who condoned telling untruths with a camera. So to all of those who think J-school is a waste of time, quite simply, I think they're wrong.
One more thing. The atmosphere at a photojournalism school fosters growth. Creative as well as intellectual. Being surrounded by like-minded peers will do nothing but make you better in a hurry. Without school I may have made it in the photojournalism world, but I wouldn't have the solid ethical foundation I now possess. Thanks for hearing me.
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Joe Barrentine
(jbarrentine)
Alumnus/Alumna
Washington State University
Joe's Personal Page
Joined: Oct 1, 2004
| Posted: Feb 26 2006, 11:46 am
I agree with Denny that college is a great time and place to get a foundation in ethics and being with a group of people working and learning together is fantastic. I don’t think it is the only way to get the knowledge however. I firmly believe that if you work at the student newspaper, and take some other classes on the law and ethics, that your experience can be enhanced and the chances of getting a job can be better if you have a broader education. I’ve learned more working in newsrooms than in classrooms, but the foundation is important.
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Taylor Buley
(taylorwbuley)
Grad Student
Stanford University
Taylor's Personal Page
Joined: Apr 4, 2006
| Posted: Apr 11 2006, 12:41 pm
I think it boils down to simple experience. If you spend enough time interning at a decent newspaper I'm sure you can figure out what you need to know without going to journalism school. You don't see writers who skipped j-school ever "going back for more" do you?
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Robert Knilands
(wenalway)
Alumnus/Alumna
University of Illinois
Joined: Jun 10, 2007
| Posted: Jun 10 2007, 1:32 pm
It won't do much for you if you forget everything as soon as you're hired at a newspaper, and I see that a lot.
There's a reason why professors are harsh if you botch a name in a story or series. If you're just going to say, "The desk should have caught that" and go right back to poring over the SND annual, then you shouldn't have gone to J-school, and you shouldn't be in a newsroom.
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Mike Connors
(mike_connors)
Undergrad
St. Michael's College
Joined: Aug 4, 2007
| Posted: Aug 4 2007, 10:09 am
Hello all, I'm new around here.I feel that there is some merit to the points being discussed in this thread. I am fresh off an internship at The Day paper in New London, CT where I worked with the photo department. Everything I learned in that internship far surpasses the aspects of journalism that I have learned so far in school. My school has an excellent journalism program but by being out in the world and experiencing it all first hand was an experience that is very difficult to teach in a classroom.
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Jerry Fox
(jerryfox)
Faculty/Staff
st.patricks
Joined: Nov 17, 2009
| Posted: Nov 17 2009, 2:40 am
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