Michael Bugeja on Journalism Departments and Education

OurBlook interview with Michael Bugeja, director of Iowa State University's Greenlee School of Journalism

How are journalism schools adapting to the new media landscape? What are some of the major changes that are being implemented? 

MB: At the Greenlee School we opted for a "converged" curriculum to match the converged media landscape. What that means, simply, is we eliminated silos ... those emphases like newspapers, photojournalism, magazine, broadcasting, etc. That's not to say that traditional media aren't important ... they are; the difference is, in today's digital environment, our journalists and advertisers must learn to write, report and create across platforms. And students aspiring to work in PR must know each intimately as well. A converged curriculum also makes you focus on what's important and what isn't. So our operations are as streamlined as they are inclusive.

What are some of the challenges that journalism departments are facing?

MB: First, there is the budget ... it's been declining, especially at public schools. We need state-of-the-art equipment to train cutting-edge journalists and advertisers. We used to rely on media foundations, but their coffers are tapped out, for the most part. Perhaps worse than budget woes are encroachments by other academic departments into digital media, be it computer science and video-gaming, design and digital media, and English and writing. Computer science and design can't do content; and English writes for the ages rather than for the audience. Most schools have budget models pegged to student numbers, so journalism schools with weak directors or department chairs are in danger of relinquishing content to those who lack the zeal to protect constitutional freedoms. The upside is the opportunity to collaborate at the undergraduate level with computer science, design and English. I'm a big proponent of interdisciplinary work. It's an interdisciplinary world, after all.

What are the most important skills that journalism grads need?

MB: The core skills remain the same: fact-gathering, accuracy, reporting, speed, writing and editing. The secondary skills needed for employment include computer literacy, crowd-sourcing, videography, photography and digital design. But if you deal with professionals, you'll hear the same sorry song from newspaper editors to agency heads. Students cannot put two coherent sentences together without a grammatical error or misspelling. That's why to become one of our majors, a freshman has four chances to pass our English Proficiency Test. If they can't, they go elsewhere at Iowa State.

Journalists are having a hard time adapting to the new media landscape. How are journalism professors faring?

MB: We're doing great because media have laid off so many veterans we can cherrypick the best and use them as lecturers! In actuality, though, most journalism professors spend time with professional counterparts either through advising or internship coordination. I feel professors must do more because of the ever-changing state of affairs on the digital landscape. That's why Dennis Chamberlin, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and I worked a week at the Des Moines Register. You can read about that here: http://www.myregisterexperience.wordpress.com

Is there a shortage of professors who can teach these new skills?

MB: The problem is not a shortage of professors; the issue is the incentive. Iowa State and counterparts are in the major leagues of higher education, and I don't just mean athletics. We're research intensive. To gain tenure and promotion, a professor may have to do traditional research. That is changing, though, even at ISU, as deans and provosts realize they can build enrollment by training students for the new-media job market that exists in just about every industry. In a word, you can't learn the latest InDesign techniques and teach videography on the side and still do empirical research worthy of publication in flagship journals. And then secure grants on top of that. Ideally, a school like ours has to develop a harmonious blend of researchers and professionals. It works for us as one inspires the other.

Do traditional journalism schools/departments face competition from online universities?

MB: No. Advisers in online universities write recommendation letters for students they have never met face to face in their lives. Listen, our business is about people, not pixels. The best, most zealous students intuit that.

What advice would you give current educators?

MB: Streamline curricula. End silos. Do a practicum like Dennis Chamberlin and I did and then modify your course or create a new course. Stop creating journalism courses based on the latest gadget or application profiled in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Imagine if Woodward and Bernstein tweeted Watergate!

Are there any examples of projects or programs that are really helping students balance journalism integrity and new media skills?

MB: The best project is the student newspaper. Our independent newspaper, the Iowa State Daily, consistently is rated one of the best in the region and country by the Society of Professional Journalists. I'm also an editor and advisor to the journalism social network, Newstrust.net. We have news hunts and try to educate non-journalists about integrity. See my handbook online:http://newstrust.net/guides

Taking into account the current state of journalism programs, what effect will it have on the industry in 10 years?

MB: Schools like ours with professional lecturers, insightful researchers and a loyal alumni base will be the go-to place for employers. In a word, journalism schools are a dime a dozen, but good ones are difficult to find. When industry does find a good school, it hires graduates. Given the budget situation, that means weak journalism schools will be combined with other departments.

How many new journalism graduates are getting jobs, and what kind of jobs are they getting?

MB: We place 95 percent of our graduates within six months of graduation. Many go into community newspapering, broadcasting, public relations and ad agencies. Many more use their journalism and advertising skills to secure positions in corporations, professional associations and nonprofit organizations. Some go on to be lawyers. Some continue to graduate school.

Do internships still exist? If so, how have they changed?

MB: The Greenlee School has the most rigorous internship program in the country, along with my alma mater, South Dakota State. Ours is a 400-hour gig. Moreover, we have super internships with Meredith Corporation. Students work the entire year for pay at publications like Better Homes and Gardens. We also have those wonderful Scripps Foundation internships that pay $3,000. We also have one of the best internship coordinators anywhere in Kim McDonough who visits with media outlets and secures internships for our students. We also assess our internship experience to make sure that our students are bringing to the job all the skills required in today's converged environment. So far, so good.

Anything else you want to add?

MB: We were in the first cohort of accredited journalism schools in 1948. We just earned re-accreditation this year. The Greenlee School is the longest, continuously accredited program in the state and nation (with several other schools). We're also the largest program in the largest college at Iowa State, with 750 majors.

(Professor Michael Bugeja is the director of Iowa State University's Greenlee School of Journalism. He is a well-known expert in media ethics, magazine and news writing, technology and interpersonal communication and has experience as a reporter, correspondent and state editor for United Press International. Bugeja received two outstanding "University Professor" awards (chosen by the student body of Ohio University); AMOCO Outstanding Teacher Award (chosen by the student body of Oklahoma State University). He also received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Ohio Arts Council and a culture grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is the author of 19 books, including "Interpersonal Divide: The Search for Community in a Technological Age.")