By: Katie Anthony
"Journalism isn't dying. It's just evolving." That quote was taken from an article written by G.W Miller III, who is a journalism and society, magazine article writing, and entrepreneurial journalism professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Not only does he teach those classes but he also is one of the professors that heads Temple News, the campus newspaper.
G.W Miller III seems like the type of professor that everyone dreams about having. He's blunt when he needs to be, but he cares enough to tell you the truth. He's grown such a bond with these students that he works with everyday, he worries about "encouraging college students...to pursue an industry in the throes of a very public meltdown."
But wait, wasn't this the same guy that is quoted saying that journalism is evolving? I found his article to be extremely lengthy, though I found myself not being able to stop reading. He makes a point that people still want information, they just are finding different means of getting their information. In my opinion, if we can adapt the journalists to those new means of information seeking, then journalism can make a come back. It's just a matter of adaptation.
John DiCarlo, who works with the Temple News staff along with G.W. Miller III, encourages his students that journalism is a teaching tool to help you get involved with many aspects of life. "The bottom line: If you have a passion for this, don’t get scared off," DiCarlo stated. "The skills you learn here are going to pay off no matter what you wind up doing, even if you don’t go into journalism.”
I think, both DiCarlo and Miller to have very strong opinions about bringing strength back into the journalism department, and I believe they have very logical and realistic ways of doing so. They both work daily with the future journalists and also are surrounded by journalism teachers and even some writers for well known newspapers.
Whether it's merely adapting, or if it's giving students the encouragement to pursue their dreams, these two men seem to be determined to bring hope back to future journalists.
But in all honesty, not everything is positive right now in the journalism world. They know this. They frequently discuss the different opinions throughout the article about how it is hard work to find a job, but the hard work is well worth it. They have seen their students reap the benefits of their hard work, they've seen countless people get jobs for putting in the effort...so why not at least try?
It seems like so many people IN the media today are solely focused on the negativity when it comes TO the media. How can a journalist sit there and write an article about how his or her coworkers are losing jobs because there's been a loss in profits? I think those same journalists need to spend time focusing on how they can improve and adapt to the changing media standards of society.
I leave you with this thought, the one sentence out of the entire, very lengthy, article that stuck with me even hours after I read it. Miller sees journalism as being like this, "Being a journalist has taught me to appreciate every moment of every day in a way that lawyers, financial analysts and advertising executives never will."
Living the dream, isn't that what it's all about? Regardless of the sacrifices..
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