Is Journalism Education an Oxymoron?
What Editors Say About College Preparation for Journalists
A Paper Presented to the Newspaper Division for Consideration
for the 1996 AEJMC Convention
Tom Dickson
Department of Communication & Mass Media
Southwest Missouri State University
Springfield MO 64804
417 836-5423
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
Is Journalism Education an Oxymoron?
What Editors Say About College Preparation for Journalists
Neal Copple stated in 1985 that "the communication age is pushing the
practicing professionals and journalism educators closer and closer together"
(Copple, p. 20). Less than a decade later, however, the Vision 2000 Task Force
in 1994 concluded that "the separation of journalism and mass communication
units from their industrial moorings becomes increasingly defensible" not only
because of a reduced interest by students in the traditional mass media careers
and because workers tend to shift between jobs in various media but because of
an increase in interest by students in studying the media in the context of a
liberal education (Vision 2000 Report No. 2, 1994, pp. 21-22). Whichever is the
case, the role of journalism education and even whether journalism education has
been or should be replaced by media education appears to be an area of
considerable importance for educators.
The importance of the relationship between media professionals and
educators was underscored by a 1994 study by the Associated Press Managing
Editors Association and recent AEJMC task forces on professional alliances and
on curriculum, which suggest the need for journalism educators to look again at
the basic assumptions of journalism education as well as how newspaper editors
view journalism education. A vehicle for doing the latter is a 1990 study by the
Committee on Education for Journalism of the American Society of Newspaper
Editors titled Journalism Education: Facing Up to the Challenge of Change. That
study suggested that media educators should be worried about their relationship
to the newspaper industry. Based upon its results the report's authors found
"signs of dissatisfaction that should be troubling to both ASNE and the
educators" (ASNE, 1990).
The concerns of newspaper professionals about education for
journalists is not new. In fact, two main questions that existed at the
beginning of journalism education appear to exist today, though they have
essentially merged. The first concerned whether a college education was
essential or even useful for journalists. The second concerned whether
journalism skills could best be taught in the classroom. Because of those
concerns, support for journalism education among journalism professionals has
been tenuous ever since the idea of journalism training in a college setting was
first proposed.
Studies Concerning Professionals' Views of Journalism Education
A few studies have looked at editors' opinions of journalism
education. Johnstone et al. (1976) reported that a majority of print and
broadcast professionals rated "substantive academic background" as a better
background for new hires than "professional training." Mills, Harvey and
Warnick (1980) concluded that editors were "disgusted" at journalism schools
graduates' lack of grammar, punctuation and spelling skills and thought that
journalism schools should provide students with training that better met the
needs of the newspaper industry. Shelly (1985) found that a course in applied
grammar and usage for writers was the elective that editors most wished
journalism students would take.
Several studies have looked at differences of opinions held by
editors and educators. Jones (1978) concluded that editors and college
journalism instructors in Pennsylvania agreed closely on what makes a good daily
newspaper employee. However, Gaddis (1981) found that journalism educators were
more likely than editors to report that skills of news-editorial graduates were
adequate for beginning reporters and that educators were more likely than
editors to report that journalism education should be organized on the lines of
law and medicine (as a graduate program).
Some research has looked at perceptions of journalism educators.
Vandermeer and Lyons (1978), for example, found that sixty percent of journalism
faculty members thought that less of journalism students' time should be taken
up with liberal studies. Weaver and Wilhoit (1988) found that twice as many
media educators favored an industry-based sequence approach over a "generic" (or
holistic) approach to curriculum with nearly half of the educators favoring a
combination.
Dennis (1988) stated that journalism education's "shaky status in
America" is due to what he called "The Ten Myths of Journalism Education."
Dennis (1990) reported on his study of articles concerning journalism education
covering a decade and compared them with critiques of other professional
schools. He concluded that all professional programs had their critics among
professionals but that journalism programs were attacked more harshly by their
critics than were other types of professional schools.
Mencher (1990b) stated that attacks on journalism education come from
four directions: from editors who don't like the quality of graduates, from
colleagues in other fields who consider journalism schools as trade schools,
from journalists who state that journalism education is not relevant to the
practice of journalism, and from other journalism faculty.
The attack on journalism education, Mencher stated, has been based
upon contradictions. Whereas some media professionals have charged that
journalism education is too broad and theoretical, academic critics charge it is
too narrow and trade-oriented. Faculty in other fields don't give journalism the
respect they give to other professional schools -- such as law, business and
medicine -- because it is seen as a technical trade. And media professionals,
while complaining about journalism graduates' inadequate technical skills,
usually admire journalism students for their ability to think and their work
habits.
Fred Fedler (1993) evaluated articles attacking journalism education
over a 20-year period. He found that professionals usually complain that
students cannot write or spell, don't read, and don't know much about
government, current events, technology, or how newspapers work. Instead of what
they are getting, they say they want graduates that "are more highly motivated,
dedicated, imaginative, precise, and curious" (p. 2).
Fedler listed the following eight major demands of media
professionals: (1) faculty members with more professional experience; (2) a
greater emphasis on good teaching; (3) a greater emphasis on the practical
skills needed to prepare students for work in the newspaper industry; (4) a
greater emphasis on the liberal arts; (5) more rigor; (6) less emphasis on
communication theory courses; (7) less emphasis on techniques that can be
learned on the job; and (8) less emphasis on Ph.D.'s and research as
requirements for the J-School faculty members (p. 2).
Fedler noted that research refutes professionals' charges that media
faculty members lack practical experience, that journalism graduates are not as
capable as earlier graduates, that too much emphasis is put on communication
theory and that media professionals prefer liberal arts graduates who can be
better trained while on the job. He noted instead that many journalism units
don't even offer a communication theory course, that most new media hires are
journalism graduates, and that little on-the-job training is provided new hires.
The ASNE Study of Journalism Education
The major findings of the 1990 ASNE report titled Journalism
Education: Facing Up to the Challenge of Change, according to its authors, were:
(1) editors would have liked job candidates to have had more liberal arts; (2)
recent journalism graduates don't rate high as far as writing, skills, spelling
and grammar; (3) editors don't think much of mass communication courses; and (4)
editors think hiring more media professionals would do most to improve
journalism education.
In his conclusions about the ASNE survey, Robert H. Giles, editor and
publisher of the Detroit News, noted that it gave strong support to the concepts
embodied in the accreditation system, particularly the emphasis on liberal arts
and sciences. He noted about the signs of dissatisfaction, however:
Such a conclusion can be drawn from the editors'
overall rating of journalism schools (only 4 percent grade them A
based on the quality of training their recent hires received),
from
the finding that half of the editors don't care whether their new
hires have degrees in journalism or liberal arts, and from the
inclination of editors to rate journalism graduates lowest in the
skills editors think are most important: reporting, spelling and
grammar, and journalism ethics. (ASNE, p. 1)
Dickson and Sellmeyer (1992) sent a questionnaire to heads of college
and university media programs based on the ASNE survey to determine whether they
held the same opinions as did editors concerning journalism education. They
hypothesized that a gap would exist over whether journalism education should be
practical or include more-theoretical elements.
Editors and administrators were in substantial agreement about six
statements concerning journalism education. Five of the seven issues for which
there was greatest disagreement were related to mass communication or the
interrelationship of the media or media-related disciplines.
Bales (1992) did a secondary analysis of responses to the ASNE study
by editors with journalism degrees and editors without such a degree. He
concluded that editors who had been journalism majors were significantly more
likely to state a preference for hiring journalism graduates for entry-level
positions. Moreover, editors with journalism degrees were significantly more
likely to hire journalism graduates. Editors with journalism degrees also were
more likely to see journalism skills courses as important. Those editors also
were significantly more likely to praise the performance of journalism programs
in educating their recent hires.
In his critique of the ASNE Study, Fedler (1993) noted that "(t)he
criticisms are clearly inconsistent." He wrote:
Some professionals insist that students should take
more courses in the liberal arts. Other professionals want
students to
complete more courses in the techniques of journalism. Still
others
believe that those techniques can be learned on-the-job. (p. 3).
Research Method
Previous research shows that journalism professionals don't like the
quality of their new hires for a variety of reasons, that a number of media
professionals apparently like nonjournalism graduates (particularly "liberal
arts" graduates) more than journalism school graduates, and that many media
professionals don't like the idea of liberal arts-based media courses. Though
Bales' analysis of the 1990 ASNE survey found that editors differ in their
assessment of journalism graduates based upon whether the editor has a
journalism degree, no research has looked at other aspects of the study.
Though anecdotal information suggests that a number of editors don't
approve of journalism education and the quality of journalism graduates, the
ASNE study provides data to determine whether that assumption is true. Moreover,
though critics of journalism education usually view editors as having similar
needs, evidence presented by Bales (1992), Fedler (1993) and others suggests
that that may not be the case. Most journalism graduates start out in smaller
newspapers. Only the best graduates start out at medium-sized newspapers or make
their way to larger newspapers after gaining experience at small newspapers.
Dennis (1988) noted about that situation:
While many big media companies do not hire directly
from journalism school, they all have large numbers of journalism
school graduates on their staffs. They may not know it, however,
because their employees were hired from other media
organizations. (p.
9)
The 1990 ASNE study provides an excellent means for determining
editors' attitudes about journalism graduates and differences in opinions of
editors at various sized media. The ASNE drew a disproportionate stratified
sample based upon circulation groups of the newspapers: 200 each from newspapers
under 25,000, between 25,000 and 100,000, and above 100,000. Though the ASNE
collected information based upon newspaper classification, it did not attempt to
analyze differences between editors based upon size of the newspaper.
The first research question for the present study was: "Do editors
overall rate the abilities of journalism school graduates differently than they
rate the abilities of non-journalism school graduates?" Despite media
professionals' criticism of journalism education, the researcher expected that
journalism graduates would be more likely to have the skills needed by
newspapers. Therefore, the first hypothesis was: "Editors will tend to rate the
abilities of journalism graduates above those of other graduates."
The second research question for this study was: "Are editors at
larger newspapers looking for different skills in new hires than editors at
smaller newspapers are?" The researcher suspected that most recent hires at
small newspapers would be recent college graduates in their first newspaper job
but that most new hires at large newspapers would have previous newspaper
experience. Therefore, the researcher thought that editors at smaller newspapers
would likely be looking for new hires with basic journalism skills, but editors
at larger newspapers would be looking for new hires with other abilities.
Thus the second hypothesis was: "Editors at small newspapers will be
more interested in graduates with basic journalism skills and will more likely
hire recent journalism graduates; however, editors at larger newspapers will be
more interested in new hires with a more broad-based background and will not be
as likely to hire journalism school graduates."
The third research question for the present study was: "Do editors at
newspapers of different sizes rate the abilities of their new hires
differently?" The researcher expected that the best college graduates would go
to larger newspapers, both at graduation and after their first journalism job,
because larger newspapers offer better pay and more prestige. Therefore, the
third hypothesis was proposed: "Editors of larger newspapers will be more likely
than editors at smaller newspapers to find their entry-level hires to be better
prepared."
The fourth research question was: "Do editors at newspapers of
different sizes have different opinions about what the curriculum of journalism
schools should be?" Because editors at different sized newspapers were thought
to have different expectations for new hires, it was expected that editors also
would have different opinions of what future journalists should be taught in
journalism school. Thus, the fourth hypothesis was proposed: "Editors at larger
newspapers will be more likely to favor less-technical courses for journalism
students, and editors at smaller newspapers will be more likely to stress the
need for `nuts and bolts' skills courses."
The ASNE study indicated that editors of large newspapers were less
likely to be journalism school graduates. Bales (1992) concluded that editors
who had been journalism majors were significantly more likely to state a
preference for hiring journalism graduates. Thus, a fifth research question was:
"Do editors at the largest newspapers rate the competencies of journalism
graduates lower than those of graduates in other fields?" The following
hypothesis was proposed: "Editors at the largest newspapers will rate the
competencies of journalism graduates lower than those of graduates in other
fields."
Analysis of the ASNE survey results was by the chi-square statistic
and Cramer's V, which can range from 0.0 (no association) to 1.0 (a perfect
association).
Findings
The answer to the first research question ("Do editors overall rate
the abilities of journalism school graduates differently than they rate the
abilities of non-journalism school graduates?") was "yes." Responses to
pertinent survey questions are given in Table 1.
* Most editors stated that a majority of their newsroom hires during
the previous five years were journalism school graduates. Nearly all editors
stated that they generally know if a candidate is a journalism school graduate,
but somewhat less than half stated that they generally know whether a job
candidate is a graduate of an accredited journalism school.
* Editors were significantly more likely to rate journalism graduates
strong or adequate in seven areas: spelling and grammar, knowledge of
newspapers, knowledge of media law, capacity for leadership, understanding
computers, knowledge of a second language, and knowledge of business and
economics.
* Nonjournalism graduates were rated higher in four areas: knowledge
of current events, having a broad perspective, problem-solving ability, and
being widely read.
* The difference between journalism graduates and other graduates was
not significant in six areas: writing ability, knowledge of geography,
commitment to a journalism career, knowledge of journalism ethics, gathering
information, and capacity for hard work.
The answer to the second research question ("Are editors at larger
newspapers looking for different skills in new hires than editors at smaller
newspapers are?") also was "yes." Responses to pertinent survey questions are
provided in Table 2. For nearly all questions, size made a statistically
significant difference:
* Editors at medium and large newspapers were significantly more
likely than those at small newspapers to state that a college degree is usually
a prerequisite for employment in the newsroom.
* Small newspapers were significantly more likely to hire recent
college graduates, medium-sized newspapers were more likely to hire an even mix
of recent college graduates and more-experienced people, and large newspapers
were more likely for nearly all hires to be more-experienced people.
* The larger the newspaper, the less likely the editor was to prefer
to hire journalism school graduates and the more likely the editor was not to
have a preference.
* The larger the newspaper, the lower the percentage of journalism
graduates to have been hired in the newsroom during the previous five years.
* Of editors who noticed a difference, the larger the newspaper, the
more likely the editor was to rate hires during the previous two years as better
than new hires five years before.
* The larger the newspaper, the more likely the editor was to state
that he/she wished that job candidates during the past few years had taken more
work in other fields (such as history, the arts, the social sciences, and the
physical sciences); the smaller the newspaper, the more likely the editor was to
state he/she wished that job candidates had taken more journalism courses.
Editors also were asked how important it was to their decision to
hire an applicant that the prospective hire had a particular background or
competency. The difference was statistically significant based upon newspaper
size for all questions except for two -- knowledge of journalism ethics and
writing skills. The statistically significant differences:
* The larger the newspaper, the less likely the editor was to see
journalism skills courses; hands-on-experience with such things as word
processing, graphics, and layout software; communication theory; a knowledge of
media law; and spelling and grammar as important or very important.
* The larger the newspaper, the more likely the editor was to see a
broad background in arts and sciences and business and economic courses as
important or very important.
* Editors at large newspapers were more likely than other editors to
state that grade point average was important or very important.
* Editors at large and medium-sized newspapers were more likely than
editors at small newspapers to state that newspaper internships were very
important.
* Editors at medium-sized papers were most likely to see working on a
school newspaper as important, followed by editors at large newspapers and then
by editors at small newspapers.
* Editors at medium-sized and small newspapers were more likely than
those at large newspapers to see typing or word-processing skills as important
or very important.
* The larger the newspaper, the more likely the editor was to rate
the liberal arts and sciences background of their entry-level hires during the
previous five years to be strong or somewhat strong.
The answer to the third research question ("Do editors at newspapers
of different sizes rate the abilities of their new hires differently?") was
"yes." Responses to pertinent survey questions are provided in Table 3. Based
upon newspaper size, no difference was found between editors as to their
recent-hires' writing ability and their analysis and problem-solving ability;
however, several statistically significant differences were found:
* The larger the newspaper, the more likely the editor was to rate
the journalism training of recent entry-level employees as strong or somewhat
strong overall.
* The larger the newspaper, the more likely the editor was to rate
the new hires as strong or somewhat strong for their abilities in news gathering
and understanding the issues of society.
* Editors of large newspapers were significantly more likely than
editors at medium or small newspapers to rate their new hires' graphics and copy
editing ability as strong or somewhat strong.
* Editors at large and medium-sized newspapers were significantly
more likely than editors of small newspapers to rate new hires' training in
photography as strong or somewhat strong.
The answer to the fourth research question ("Do editors at
newspapers of different sizes have different opinions about what the curriculum
of journalism schools should be?") was "yes, in most instances." Responses to
pertinent survey questions are provided in Table 4.
A majority of editors thought all courses except a course in mass
communications and in newspaper history were useful or somewhat useful, though
only a slight majority thought a course in marketing and audience research was
useful or somewhat useful.
Opinions of editors differed based upon size of newspaper for several
kinds of courses listed and for the curriculum overall:
* Editors at medium and small newspaper were more likely to think a
course in marketing and audience research was useful or somewhat useful.
* The larger the newspaper, the less likely the editor was to think
that courses in newsroom management, mass communications, and media law were
useful or somewhat useful.
Based upon newspaper size, however, no statistically significant
difference was found between editors concerning the usefulness of courses in
newspaper economics, new technologies, journalism ethics, media impact on
society, and newspaper history.
Based upon newspaper size, answers of editors were significantly
different concerning the goals of journalism schools:
* The larger the newspaper, the less likely the editor was to state
that "more emphasis on the nuts and bolts of journalism" was a high or fairly
high priority for improving journalism schools.
* The larger the newspaper, the more likely the editor was to state
that "to provide a fundamental knowledge of journalism, but keep the present
level of commitment to the liberal arts and sciences" was important or very
important. Most editors responded that the present commitment was important.
* The larger the newspaper, the less likely the editor was to state
that it was important or very important "to educate students in mass
communication concepts, as well as the fundamentals of journalism." Of the three
groups, a majority of only the small-newspaper editors rated that goal as
important or very important.
* The larger the newspaper, the more likely the editor was to state
that "training for journalism should be primarily taught in graduate schools,
following the model of law and medical schools." Only a minority of each group
favored graduate training over undergraduate training.
* Editors at larger newspapers were significantly more likely that
other editors to state that journalism schools could best be described as
vocational schools. Only a small minority of each group, however, described them
as vocational schools.
The answer to the fifth research question ("Do editors at the largest
newspapers rate the competencies of journalism graduates lower than those of
graduates in other fields?") was no.
Contrary to what was expected, large-newspaper editors rated
journalism graduates significantly higher than nonjournalism graduates in 10 of
17 categories and not significantly different in two categories. They rated
nonjournalism school graduates higher in five categories. Responses to questions
are provided in Table 5.
Large-newspaper editors were significantly more likely to rate
journalism school graduates as strong or adequate for (1) a knowledge of grammar
and spelling; (2) writing ability; (3) knowledge of current events; (4)
knowledge of geography; (5) having a commitment to a journalism career; (6)
having a knowledge of media law; (7) having a capacity for leadership; (8)
understanding computers; (9) having a knowledge of a second language; and (10)
having a knowledge of business and economics.
The large-newspaper editors rated nonjournalism graduates
significantly higher for (1) having a broad perspective; (2) having a knowledge
of journalism ethics; (3) having problem-solving ability; (4) being widely read;
and (5) having a capacity for hard work. The difference between journalism and
nonjournalism majors was not statistically significant for (1) having a
knowledge of newspapers; and (2) having an ability at gathering information.
The survey provided a finding relating to differences between editors
themselves. Editors at larger newspapers were significantly less likely than
editors at smaller newspapers to be journalism school graduates.
Discussion and Conclusions
This secondary analysis of the ASNE results indicates that size of
the newspaper is related to how editors rate the abilities of journalism school
graduates, what editors are looking for in regard to new hires' skills, how
editors rate the abilities of their new hires, and editors' opinions of what the
curriculum of journalism schools should be. It also is related to whether the
editor has a journalism degree. This study also found that even large-newspaper
editors, who were least likely to prefer to hire journalism graduates, still
rated journalism graduates more competent than nonjournalism graduates in a
variety of areas.
The first hypothesis, that editors would tend to rate the abilities
of journalism graduates above those of other graduates, was supported despite
anecdotal evidence to the contrary.
The second hypothesis, that editors at small newspapers would be more
interested in graduates with basic journalism skills and would more likely hire
journalism graduates but that editors at larger newspapers would be more
interested in new hires with a more broad-based background and would not be as
likely to hire journalism school graduates, also was supported.
The third hypothesis, that editors of larger newspapers would be
more likely than editors at smaller newspapers to find their entry-level hires
to be better prepared, was supported.
The fourth hypothesis, that editors at larger newspapers would be
more likely to favor less-technical courses for journalism students and that
editors at smaller newspapers would be more likely to stress the need for "nuts
and bolts" skills courses, was only partially supported. Though editors at
larger newspapers were less supportive of basic journalism skills courses, they
also were less supportive of most media-related courses and did not support any
course on the survey more than small-newspaper editors did.
The fifth hypothesis, that large-newspaper editors would rate
journalism graduates lower than nonjournalism graduates, was not supported,
however. Journalism educators may ask why editors at larger newspapers, who are
likely not to be journalism school graduates, tend to have no preference between
journalism school and nonjournalism school graduates, tend to hire a smaller
percentage of journalism school graduates, and yet rate journalism graduates
higher than other graduates.
One finding from this analysis of the ASNE study was that editors at
large newspapers don't prefer journalism school graduates over nonjournalism
graduates even though the same editors rate journalism graduates higher in the
areas covered by the survey. That is, large-newspaper editors rate having a
broad perspective, a knowledge of journalism ethics, problem-solving ability, a
capacity for hard work, and being widely read plus possibly other
characteristics not covered by the survey as being more important than such
things as a knowledge of grammar and spelling, writing ability, a knowledge of
current events, a knowledge of geography, having a commitment to a journalism
career, having a knowledge of media law, having a capacity for leadership,
understanding computers, having a knowledge of a second language, and having a
knowledge of business and economics.
That finding might partly be explained by the finding by Bales (1992)
that editors who were journalism majors were significantly more likely to state
a preference for hiring journalism graduates for entry-level positions. The fact
that editors of large newspapers were significantly less likely than other
editors to be a journalism school graduate could mean that they don't have an
understanding of the competencies of journalism graduates; however, this study
suggests otherwise. Another possible conclusion is that editors who made it to
their current position without a journalism degree expect that others could do
the same.
Another conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that
journalism school graduates either are perceived to be prepared only for
entry-level positions and are or are perceived to be only marginally if any
better at the craft after they have gained seasoning at smaller newspapers. The
ASNE survey suggests that journalism graduates lose their competitive advantage
over nonjournalism graduates after they have spent some time on the job or have
to meet the different demands of a larger newspaper. It is not surprising that
new hires without journalism technical skills can pick up those skills after
some experience on the job. To keep their edge over other graduates, journalism
students need to be getting something in their coursework that other types of
graduates do not get. Journalism educators should be asking themselves how
journalism education can be improved so journalism graduates have a greater
likelihood of advancement in their profession.
Another question coming from the study is: "Do editors at smaller
newspapers tend to hire journalism graduates over nonjournalism graduates
because journalism graduates are more capable, because there are more of them
from which to choose, or because they will work for less money?" If editors at
small newspapers are hiring journalism graduates not because they are more
capable but for one of the other reasons, the charge that journalism education
has failed in its basic mission might be valid. However, journalism education
has not met its obligation to graduate just because their technical skills are
better than those of other graduates.
The survey finding that editors differ as to what they see as
important in their new hires calls into question some basic assumptions of
journalism education. The study shows that journalism educators have to please
at least three diverse constituencies: small, medium and large newspapers. A
fourth constituency can also be suggested: weekly newspapers. There are more
than 7,400 weekly newspapers in the United States, and they outnumber daily
newspapers about five to one. No doubt what editors of weeklies are looking for
in new hires would differ from what editors at dailies want, though needs of
editors at weeklies likely would be closer to those of editors at small dailies.
The basic question for journalism educators because of this study
seems to be: "How can journalism students be prepared to meet the needs of such
a diverse constituency?" Phrased another way, "Can one model of journalism
education work for all types of newspapers?" Though the ASNE study does not
answer the question of which model of journalism education provides the best
graduates, journalism educators need to be thinking more about that question by
looking at where editors see journalism graduates' greatest failings and design
programs to meet that need. That appears to be in the area of higher-level
thinking skills. The study also shows that not just one type but a variety of
types of journalism programs are needed because needs of newspapers fall along a
continuum. Such diverse needs cannot be satisfied just by producing one type of
graduate.
The traditional assumption of journalism educators is that their
newspaper constituencies will be satisfied if students take approximately 75
percent of their coursework in "the liberal arts and sciences." This study
suggests that requiring more liberal arts and sciences is only part of the
answer. Liberal arts majors would be expected to do better than journalism
majors in liberal arts areas; however, journalism students overall do better
than their nonjournalism counterparts in two liberal arts-related areas
(knowledge of a foreign language and knowledge of business and economics), and
they still are not the graduates of choice for large-newspaper editors.
Nonjournalism majors are rated higher for competencies that are not
directly related to specific liberal arts coursework: having a broad
perspective, problem-solving ability, and being widely read. Requiring
three-quarters of a student's work to be in other than media courses does not
directly address those three competencies, and there is no reason those
competencies cannot be addressed as well if not better in journalism programs.
One explanation why journalism students don't rate higher for
critical-thinking and reasoning ability is that journalism students aren't as
intelligent as nonjournalism graduates. If that is the case, journalism
educators need to look at why they are not attracting better students. An
alternative explanation is that students who are drawn to journalism programs
are skills-oriented and don't have the broader interests of other students.
Those explanations assume, however, that many journalism students don't have the
capacity for higher-level abilities. Another explanation is that journalism
schools are not doing enough to instill higher-level thinking and reasoning
skills. These are the same skills the Associated Press Managing Editors Agenda
for Journalism Education and the AEJMC Curriculum Task Force proposed that
journalism educators do more to instill throughout their curriculum.
One thing educators might do is to look at the APME agenda and the
recommendations of the AEJMC Curriculum and Vision 2000 task forces. All
recommended stressing critical thinking and other higher-level skills.
Journalism educators are shirking their responsibility to their graduates by
assuming that journalism graduates will get a broad-based liberal arts education
only outside the journalism program and by continuing to assume that they are
doing their job by turning out graduates with a basic level of technical
proficiency. The ASNE study shows the fallacy of such logic and suggests that
such graduates will be able to get entry-level jobs at smaller newspapers but
faced limited prospects of advancement in the journalism profession.
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Table 1
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the First Research Question
What is the approximate proportion of J-school grads who have been
hired in your newsroom during the past five years?
Less than 25% 8%
25%-50% 24%
51%-75% 35%
More than 75% 33%
Do you usually know whether or not the candidate is a journalism
graduate or majored in another field?
Yes 97%
No 3%
Do you generally know whether the candidate is a graduate of an
accredited journalism school or one that is unaccredited?
Yes 43%
No 57%
______________________________________________________________________________
Table 1 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the First Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Rate the journalism school graduates and non-j-school grads who have
joined your newsroom staff over the past four or five years in the following
areas (Journalism, N=378; Non-Journalism, N=378):
J-gradsa Non-j-grada
a. Widely read 25% 88%
(Chi square = 305.04, df=1, V=.635; p<.001)
b. Knowledge of media law 83% 27%
(Chi square = 240.22, df=1, V=.564; p<.001)
c. Broad perspective 60% 92%
(Chi square = 106.35, df=1, V=.375; p<.001)
d. Spelling and grammar 79% 47%
(Chi square = 83.18, df=1, V=.334; p<.001)
e. Understanding computers 87% 74%
(Chi square = 20.28, df=1, V=.164; p<.001)
f. Problem-solving ability 71% 84%
(Chi square = 18.97, df=1, V=.158; p<.001)
g. Knowledge of a second language 93% 84%
(Chi square = 16.67, df=1, V=.148; p<.001)
h. Knowledge of business/economics 74% 63%
(Chi square = 12.86, df=1, V=.130; p<.001)
Table 1 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the First Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
i. Capacity for leadership 67% 34%
(Chi square = 82.67, df=1, V=.109; p<.001)
j. Knowledge of newspapers 91% 85%
(Chi square = 6.61, df=1, V=.094; p<.02)
k. Knowledge of current events 88% 92%
(Chi square = 4.64, df=1, V=.078; p<.05)
l. Gathering information 68% 62%
(Chi square = 3.08, df=1, V=.064; p>.05)
m. Capacity for hard work 87% 91%
(Chi square = 3.05, df=1, V=.064 p>.05)
n. Writing Ability 80% 75%
(Chi square = 2.47, df=1, V=.057; p>.10)
o. Commitment to a journalism career 78% 82%
(Chi square = 1.87, df=1, V=.050; p>.20)
p. Knowledge of journalism ethics 56% 52%
(Chi square = 1.20, df=1, V=.040; p>.20.
q. Knowledge of geography 86% 85%
(Chi square = 0.16, df=1, V=.005; p>.50)
______________________________________________________________________________
aPercent rating graduates as strong or adequate.
Table 2
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Second Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
Is a college degree usually a prerequisite for
employment in your newsroom? (N=381)
Yes 84% 85% 89% 73%
No 16% 15% 11% 27%
(Chi square = 12.22, df=2, V=.179; p<.001)
What is the level of experience of new people who
have come into your newsroom during the
past two years? (N=377)
a. Nearly all of our new hires are recent
college grads. 14% 1% 6% 44%
(Chi square = 101.19, df=2, V=.518; p<.001)
b. We hire more recent grads than
experienced ones 13% 2% 14% 26%
(Chi square = 28.09, df=2, V=.273; p<.001)
c. We hire about an even mix of recent college
graduates and more experienced people. 26% 13% 40% 21%
(Chi square = 27.09, df=2, V=.268; p<.001)
______________________________________________________________________________
Table 2 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Second Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
d. We hire fewer recent college graduates than
more experienced people. 20% 23% 26% 6%
(Chi square = 15.90, df=2, V=.205; p<.001)
e. Nearly all of our hires are more experienced
people. 27% 61% 15% 3%
(Chi square = 112.86, df=2, V=.547; p<.001)
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
Which do you prefer to hire? (N=376)
a. Journalism school grads 41% 16% 42% 72%
b. Grads who majored in other fields 9% 12% 11% 2%
c. No preference 50% 72% 47% 26%
(Chi square = 71.86, df=4, V=.309; p<.001)
______________________________________________________________________________
Table 2 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Second Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
What is the approximate proportion of J-school grads
who have been hired in your newsroom during
the past five years? (N=370)
a. Less than 25% 8% 8% 7% 9%
b. 25-50% 24% 33% 22% 17%
c. 51-75 35% 38% 35% 30%
d. More than 75% 33% 21% 35% 44%
(Chi square = 15.4, df=6, V=.144; p<.02)
How do you rate the quality of the new hires you
have gotten in the past two years compared
to the young people who entered your
newsroom five years ago? (N=346)
a. Better now 30% 44% 30% 11%
b. Not as good now 25% 11% 27% 41%
c. About the same 45% 45% 43% 48%
(Chi square = 32.77, df=4, V=.218; p<.001)
______________________________________________________________________________
Table 2 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Second Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
Do you wish that job candidates who have come to
work at your paper during the past four or
five years had taken more journalism courses
in college or more work in other fields, such
as history, the arts, the social sciences,
and the physical sciences? (N=363)
a. More journalism courses 25% 4% 26% 48%
b. More course work in other fields 75% 96% 74% 52%
(Chi square = 44.52, df=2, V=.350; p<.001)
How important to your decision to hire someone for
his or her first newspaper job is each of
the following? (N=378)
a. Familiarity with communication
theorya 20% 8% 21% 32%
(Chi square = 19.82, df=2; V=.229; p<.001)
b. Computer graphics/paginationa 37% 23% 41% 49%
(Chi square = 18.30, df=2, V=.220; p<.001)
c. Journalism skills coursesb 70% 56% 73% 80%
(Chi square = 16.99, df=2, V=.212; p<.001)
Table 2 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Second Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
d. Broad background (liberal arts)a 81% 89% 81% 69%
(Chi square = 13.21, df=2, V=.187; p<.01)
e. Business and economics coursesa 45% 55% 44% 31%
(Chi square = 13.08, df=2, V=.186; p<.01)
f. Spelling and grammarb 73% 62% 77% 83%
(Chi square = 12.80, df=2, V=.184; p<.01)
g. Typing or word-processing skillsa 64% 51% 68% 71%
(Chi square = 11.58, df=2, V=.175; p<.01)
h. Newspaper internshipsa 82% 86% 83% 76%
(Chi square = 10.17, df=2, V=.164; p<.01)
i. Grade point averageb 53% 63% 47% 46%
(Chi square = 8.85, df=2, V=.153; p<.01)
j. Knowledge of media lawa 46% 36% 50% 54%
(Chi square = 8.39, df=2, V=.149; p<.02)
k. Work on a school paper 61% 60% 68% 52%
(Chi square = 6.69, df=2, V=.133; p<.05)
l. Knowledge of journalism ethicsa 81% 80% 85% 79%
(Chi square = 2.01, df=2, V=.073; p>.30)
Table 2 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Second Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
m. Writing skillsb 86% 86% 89% 83%
(Chi square = 1.36, df=2, V=.060; p>.50)
How do you rate the education in liberal arts
and sciences as represented by your entry-level
hires during the past five years? (N=378)
Strong or somewhat strong 62% 78% 55% 51%
Weak or somewhat weak 38% 22% 45% 49%
(Chi square = 21.91, df=2, V=.241; p<.001)
______________________________________________________________________________
aPercent rating the competency as important or very important.
bPercent rating the competency as very important.
Table 3
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Third Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
How do you rate the performance of journalism schools
in training your recent entry-level hires? (N=378)
News Gatheringa 66% 72% 69% 54%
(Chi square = 9.49, df=2, V=.158; p<.01)
Overalla 66% 75% 63% 60%
(Chi square = 7.01, df=2, V=.136; p<.05)
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium/Small
Copy Editinga 30% 39% 25%
(Chi square = 7.71, df=1, V=.143; p<.01)
Graphicsa 25% 33% 20%
(Chi square = 7.49, df=1, V=.141; p<.01)
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large/Medium Small
Photographya 39% 42% 29%
(Chi square = 5.28, df=1, V=.118; p<.05)
Analysis and Problem-Solvinga 28% 29% 23%
(Chi square = 1.52, df=1, V=.063; p>.20)
Table 3 (Continued)
Responses to Questions Concerning the Third Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
Writinga 51% 51% 52% 48%
(Chi square = 0.30, df=2, V=.028; p>.80)
______________________________________________________________________________
aPercent rating recent journalism school hires as strong or somewhat
strong.
Table 4
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Fourth Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium/Small
How useful do you think it would be for young people to
take the following kinds of courses now being taught
at some journalism schools? (N=378)
Marketing and audience research 51% 42% 55%
(Chi square = 5.60, df=1, V=.122; p<.02)
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
Newsroom managementa 61% 50% 61% 75%
(Chi square = 14.12, df=2, V=.193; p<.001)
Mass Communicationsa 38% 28% 37% 51%
(Chi square = 12.18, df=2, V=.179; p<.01)
Media Lawa 77% 70% 79% 83%
(Chi square = 6.24, df=2, V=.128; p<.05)
New technologiesa 61% 57% 66% 57%
(Chi square = 3.12, df=2, V=.091; p>.20)
Media impact on societya 63% 62% 61% 67%
(Chi square = 1.05, df=2, V=.053; p>.50)
Newspaper historya 43% 46% 41% 44%
(Chi square = 0.79, df=2, V=.046; p>.50)
Table 4 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Fourth Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
Newspaper economicsa 62% 59% 63% 60%
(Chi square = 0.52, df=2, V=.037; p>.70)
Journalism ethicsa 91% 92% 91% 90%
(Chi square = 0.28; df=2; V=.027; p>.80)
Which of the following do you think would improve
journalism schools? (N=378)
More emphasis on the nuts & bolts of journalism
High priority 58% 36% 67% 73%
Somewhat high priority 24% 36% 19% 18%
Somewhat low priority 14% 23% 11% 7%
Low priority 4% 5% 3% 2%
(Chi square = 38.66, df=6, V=.226; p<.001)
How important are the following goals for journalism schools,
in your opinion?
a. Training for journalism should be primarily
taught in graduate schools, following
the model of law and medical
school.b 16% 25% 16% 5%
(Chi square = 16.15, df=2, V=.207; p<.001)
Table 4 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Fourth Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Overall Large Medium Small
b. To provide a fundamental knowledge of journalism,
but keep the present level of commitment to the
liberal arts and sciences.b 92% 97% 93% 82%
(Chi square = 15.05, df=2, V=.200; p<.001)
c. To educate students in mass communication
concepts, as well as the fundamentals of
journalism.b 43% 36% 41% 54%
(Chi square = 7.28, df=2, V=.139; p<.05)
Which of the following best describes journalism schools?
Vocational schools 12% 16% 9% 11%
Other 88% 84% 91% 89%
(Chi square = 3.66, df=2, V=.098; p>.10)
_____________________________________________________________________________
aPercent of editors stating course was useful or somewhat useful.
bPercent of editors stating goal was very important or important.
Table 5
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Fifth Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
Rate the journalism school graduates
and non-j-school grads who have joined
your newsroom staff over the past four
or five years in the following areas
(Journalism N=246; Non-journalism N=246):
J-grads Non-j-grad
Strong Adequate Strong Adequate
________________ _________________
a. Widely Read 0% 38% 39% 52%
(Chi square = 102.2, df=2, V=.645, p<.001)a
b. Media law 39% 50% 1% 34%
(Chi square = 94.84, df=2, V=.621; p<.001)
c. Understanding computers 47% 40% 4% 81%
(Chi square = 61.74, df=2, V=.501, p<.001)
d. Geography 51% 40% 13% 75%
(Chi square = 41.7, df=2, V=.412; p<.001)
e. Knowledge of second language 61% 38% 24% 68%
(Chi square = 38.16, df=2, V=.394; p<.001)
______________________________________________________________________________
Table 5 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Fifth Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
J-grads Non-j-grad
Strong Adequate Strong Adequate
________________ _________________
f. Problem-solving ability 14% 63% 49% 42%
(Chi square = 36.61, df=2, V=.386; p<.001)
g. Ethics 2% 53% 30% 40%
(Chi square = 34.66, df=2, V=.375; p<.001)
h. Leadership 11% 60% 0% 37%
(Chi square = 34.42, df=2, V=.374; p<.001)
i. Broad perspective 8% 64% 24% 71%
(Chi square = 29.98, df=2, V=.349; p<.001)
j. Grammar and spelling 9% 79% 3% 61%
(Chi square = 20.28, df=2, V=.287; p<.001)
l. Writing 23% 68% 4% 79%
(Chi square = 20.06, df=2, V=.286; p<.001)
m. Knowledge of business/econ 14% 74% 8% 56%
(Chi square = 19.1, df=2; V=.279; p<.001)
n. Commitment to journalism 28% 51% 10% 71%
(Chi square = 14.84, df=2, V=.246; p<.001)
Table 5 (Continued)
Responses to Survey Questions Concerning the Fifth Research Question
______________________________________________________________________________
J-grads Non-j-grad
Strong Adequate Strong Adequate
________________ _________________
o. Capacity for hard work 28% 59% 40% 55%
(Chi square = 7.44, df=2, V=.174; p<.05)
p. Current events 34% 62% 22% 72%
(Chi square = 4.08, df=2, V=.129; p<.05)
q. Knowledge of newspapers 17% 72% 24% 70%
(Chi square = 3.43, df=2, V=.118; p>.05)
r. Gathering information 9% 62% 15% 56%
(Chi square = 2.02, df=2, V=.091; p>.10)
______________________________________________________________________________
Are you a journalism school graduate yourself?
Overall Large Medium/Small
Yes 54% 46% 57%
No 46% 54% 43%
(Chi square = 3.97, df=1, V=.102; p<.05)
______________________________________________________________________________
aStatistics based upon three categories: strong, adequate and weak.
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