Media arts and technology and advertising freshman Jackson Deaver, right, studies with media arts and technology freshman Jennifer Berggren on Monday at the Communication Arts and Sciences Building. The journalism school, which is housed within the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, is celebrating its 100th year.
Although flat-screen computers, mobile phones, high-speed video and audio equipment and an excess of espresso drinks characterize today’s journalism industry, 100 years ago, journalists still were plucking away at typewriters.
Today, the basic principles are the same, but the way journalists present information is dynamic, said Pamela Whitten, dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
“There have been fairly radical changes to the field of
journalism over the past few decades and I’m proud to say that with (director of the School of Journalism) Lucinda Davenport and forward-thinking faculty, we’ve stayed at the
forefront of that,” Whitten said.
Whitten, faculty, current students and more than 5,000 alumni will celebrate the past 100 years of journalism education at MSU this month with events commemorating the School of Journalism Centennial.
Davenport said the School of Journalism — always known for professionalism — also has become known for research throughout the past few years.
Students are taught by faculty who have done extensive research on the field and work within the field, she said.
“When our students graduate, their skills are relevant in any newsroom,” she said.
“Not only will they be leaders in the newsroom, but on their degree they will have an area of specialization noted.”
A specialization, required of all journalism majors, gives students an edge in the field, Whitten said.
“It enables students to bore down in an area that they’re passionate about,” she said. “They can dive deeply into it.”
Specializations also helpstudents identify internships they might find engaging, she said.
This aspect especially is important because journalism students are required to finish an internship experience before graduation.
Administrators, alumni and faculty identified the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and the Capital News Service — both of which use a hands-on approach to several topical reporting genres — as examples of innovative approaches to teaching journalism that have been developed at the college during the past few years.
Experience is crucial to journalism education, said M.L. Elrick, a School of Journalism alumnus and former State News employee and investigative reporter for the Detroit Free Press.
Elrick, who said he received a D in an investigative reporting class, won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for his work covering
former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s fall from grace.
“Frankly, you can sit in the classroom and be there everyday and do the homework and be a 4.0 student and be, academically, a huge success,” he said.
“But if you’re not out there getting experience, then you’re missing the boat. J-school is important, but more important than anything is going out there and doing it.”
After reinventing its curriculum throughout the past few years, the School of Journalism has a new focus on training young journalists in the ever-evolving forms of new media, Whitten said.
Echoing Whitten’s emphasis on new media, Kelley Carter, a School of Journalism alumna, and Emmy-winning entertainment journalist, and former State News employee said it’s important for journalists to be comfortable in all segments of the field.
“I’m inspired by younger people more often these days,” Carter said.
“Especially for young people, a piece of advice: Try your hand at all types of journalism. It’s going to end up making you a better journalist all the way around.”
Using new media in the classroom has been beneficial, journalism sophomore Jordan Mueller said.
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“Media is moving in a new direction and I think it’s great that the J-School keeps up with it and integrates it into the
curriculum,” she said.
Hands-on experience is another important part of the student experience, Mueller said.
“Each day we’re given information and expected to write a story on deadline,” she said.
“It makes me really excited to start my career as a journalist.”
