The Issue: More journalists than ever, but no major at BC What we think: BC should create a journalism program
Last week, journalist Jill Carroll was released after being kidnapped for three months in Iraq. Her release is a relief for her family and for journalists in Iraq, who have faced a difficult battle.
Several groups have called Iraq the most dangerous place in the world for journalists, and the most dangerous war zone for writers since Vietnam. Reporters Without Borders reports that 86 journalists have been killed in Iraq and 39 others have been kidnapped since the war began in 2003.
Journalists are certainly not the most important individuals in the war in Iraq - that distinction would go to soldiers and other officials working to rebuild Iraq. But journalists do a service to the American people in reporting the events going on halfway across the world, regardless of claims of biased reporting.
As the need for properly trained journalists increases with the growth of the Internet and the lack of control that exists in the online jungle, it is time for BC to create a strong journalism program. Currently, students are only able to get training in journalism as part of the broad, and often diluted, communication major.
Though there are certainly fine journalism programs in the Northeast - Boston University and Syracuse University, to name two - there is currently only one accredited journalism program in New England (the University of Connecticut). In a media-saturated East Coast market like Boston, that seems like an odd contradiction.
This program would not require a divergence from BC's liberal arts mission, but would necessitate it. A liberal arts education is certainly valuable for a journalist: a writer with a good grasp on grammar and proper interview technique is worthless without an understand of the issues they are reporting on, and vice-versa.
But for the many students interested in journalism careers - newspaper, magazine, broadcast, radio, online, etc. - the communication major at BC is not as helpful as it could be. Students begin their major in theory classes, which have value, but do little to prepare students as for the rigor of working on deadline.
As such, a journalism major within the communication's department should be created along the following lines. Students would be required to take journalism-centered core classes: news writing, feature writing, investigative reporting, research techniques. After getting a base in being a reporter, students would then choose an academic focus, whether it be history, political science, sociology, etc. For a student who wants to report on affairs in the Middle East, a grasp of the issues encompassing that area is necessary to be a strong reporter.
Most journalism programs also stress the importance of experience - whether that be through a student newspaper, a local magazine, or a city-wide paper like The Boston Globe. As such, BC should integrate an internship and job programs with both student publications, and newspapers and magazines around the city.
A journalism program does not require a vast acquisition of resources, but more of a reallocation. With professors already at BC who have real world experience - from CBS 4 reporter Joe Bergantino, who teaches News Writing, to former Globe managing editor Tom Mulvoy, who teaches an Advanced Journalism class - there are already courses and resources in place to help facilitate the growth of the major.
This is also not to say responsible, talented journalists cannot be produced without a journalism program. BC has produced sportswriter Mike Lupica, former Sports Illustrated managing editor Mark Mulvoy, and many other journalists. Bob Woodward had no journalism experience prior to joining The Washington Post and eventually breaking the Watergate scandal; Tom Brokaw majored in political science.
But as journalism becomes more global and the ability for anyone to start up a blog and immediately become an "expert," the importance of training journalists like Jill Carroll in Iraq cannot be understated. BC should create a program that better helps prepare future journalists to do the best job possible.
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