There are some things which just have to be said – in a very loud voice and with total conviction. You’ve probably heard the phrase “publish or perish” – the mantra of successful university professors since the first days of Gutenberg. Well now you have to add “advanced degrees”. And while studying under a professor with a string of initials after his or her name may make sense for a philosophy major – it makes no sense at all for a journalism or media student.
Journalism is a word game; you need to write with color and at least reasonably correct grammar. And today’s multi-fingered media world requires also that you learn to use a camera and a website uploader. And then there’s the ability to interview well. And craft a TV script. And act like an anchor on your live shot. And mixed in somewhere – you’ll need historical context and an understanding of ethics in covering the news. And long, blond, straight hair won’t hurt either.
Gee—I don’t see anything in that job description about an advanced degree.
And so – my ode to the acting Dean of my alma mater – as follows:
Dear Dean,
I have to take issue with the message in your letter -- which thanked me for a donation to the alumni fund -- and then promoted the quality of the current faculty. With the emphasis on "advanced degrees" and "highly regarded academics with doctorates in related fields". The working professionals who serve as adjuncts and guest speakers were more or less relegated to afterthought status.
As a working professional broadcaster without an advanced degree I believe it is academic bias like this that turns out J-school grads who haven't the foggiest notion about the real world or the needs of a real world job. I work all the time with interns and grads (many with Master's degrees) in their first jobs. Many of them have no contextual knowledge of history or its relation to current events, don't know how to write, and don't have any idea how to apply the lectures on ethics and the like. We even have one recent hire at my TV news operation who recently asked a colleague -- "What's videotape?" Now maybe that's not the end of the world -- but that’s from a broadcasting and communications graduate of a "good" school.
I have been fortunate to co-lead a number of journalism workshops for professionals in former communist countries. The participants range from quite young to seasoned journalists. I focus on the nuts and bolts -- the "how to's" and the "why's". Last July I was co-leading several business journalism workshops in Serbia. We worked on using the internet for research and information and on the basics of economic, financial and business practices in a capitalist society. We had real case studies suggested by our participants -- who are struggling to report intelligently on the privatization of everything from factories to the media. In the end I would have hired most of them gladly back here in the US. And some of them never made it past secondary school.
What I'm trying to say -- in what I realize is a somewhat wordy effort -- is that while some theoretical knowledge can be useful -- I would much rather learn my profession from someone who is IN that profession. If someone has a gift for teaching and cares enough about the future of our profession (and our world) to work with students - that person should be welcomed -- not pushed away because he/she hasn't an advanced degree.
I fully admit that the most influential professor of my time at the university was a Ph.D. But it wasn't his theoretical knowledge that drew me in. Murray cared. About the profession - yes. But most of all about his students -- about helping us find ourselves as people -- as well as communicators. He didn't need his Ph.D for that.
At some point down the road I may want to do some adjunct teaching. I have a long and varied career and a lot of knowledge which could help students. But letters like yours push me further and further away from even trying. Why even make the effort -- if someone is going to say - snidely -- sorry -- that advanced degree you didn't get 30 years ago is much more important than the decades-worth of knowledge every journalist of a certain age has absorbed.
I realize you have a Ph.D -- which you no doubt need to be even an interim Dean. So I'm probably wasting my words here. But that has never stopped me when I get really angry. And as a graduate of “our” school -- I'm really angry.
Journalism is a word game; you need to write with color and at least reasonably correct grammar. And today’s multi-fingered media world requires also that you learn to use a camera and a website uploader. And then there’s the ability to interview well. And craft a TV script. And act like an anchor on your live shot. And mixed in somewhere – you’ll need historical context and an understanding of ethics in covering the news. And long, blond, straight hair won’t hurt either.
Gee—I don’t see anything in that job description about an advanced degree.
And so – my ode to the acting Dean of my alma mater – as follows:
Dear Dean,
I have to take issue with the message in your letter -- which thanked me for a donation to the alumni fund -- and then promoted the quality of the current faculty. With the emphasis on "advanced degrees" and "highly regarded academics with doctorates in related fields". The working professionals who serve as adjuncts and guest speakers were more or less relegated to afterthought status.
As a working professional broadcaster without an advanced degree I believe it is academic bias like this that turns out J-school grads who haven't the foggiest notion about the real world or the needs of a real world job. I work all the time with interns and grads (many with Master's degrees) in their first jobs. Many of them have no contextual knowledge of history or its relation to current events, don't know how to write, and don't have any idea how to apply the lectures on ethics and the like. We even have one recent hire at my TV news operation who recently asked a colleague -- "What's videotape?" Now maybe that's not the end of the world -- but that’s from a broadcasting and communications graduate of a "good" school.
I have been fortunate to co-lead a number of journalism workshops for professionals in former communist countries. The participants range from quite young to seasoned journalists. I focus on the nuts and bolts -- the "how to's" and the "why's". Last July I was co-leading several business journalism workshops in Serbia. We worked on using the internet for research and information and on the basics of economic, financial and business practices in a capitalist society. We had real case studies suggested by our participants -- who are struggling to report intelligently on the privatization of everything from factories to the media. In the end I would have hired most of them gladly back here in the US. And some of them never made it past secondary school.
What I'm trying to say -- in what I realize is a somewhat wordy effort -- is that while some theoretical knowledge can be useful -- I would much rather learn my profession from someone who is IN that profession. If someone has a gift for teaching and cares enough about the future of our profession (and our world) to work with students - that person should be welcomed -- not pushed away because he/she hasn't an advanced degree.
I fully admit that the most influential professor of my time at the university was a Ph.D. But it wasn't his theoretical knowledge that drew me in. Murray cared. About the profession - yes. But most of all about his students -- about helping us find ourselves as people -- as well as communicators. He didn't need his Ph.D for that.
At some point down the road I may want to do some adjunct teaching. I have a long and varied career and a lot of knowledge which could help students. But letters like yours push me further and further away from even trying. Why even make the effort -- if someone is going to say - snidely -- sorry -- that advanced degree you didn't get 30 years ago is much more important than the decades-worth of knowledge every journalist of a certain age has absorbed.
I realize you have a Ph.D -- which you no doubt need to be even an interim Dean. So I'm probably wasting my words here. But that has never stopped me when I get really angry. And as a graduate of “our” school -- I'm really angry.
Posts
