Here's more information on the Carnegie-Knight Initiative on the Future of Journalism Education.
1. Why undertake
this initiative aimed at revitalizing journalism schools at this time? And why
these schools?
A: It's all about democracy. Just as we need well-educated and well-trained
teachers for public schools; we need well-educated and well-trained journalists
to analyze, interpret and report for today's media. This is particularly critical
in a time of globalization when context, culture and the complexity of issues
facing our nation and the world challenges the ability of all of us to make
sense of modern times. That's why we must look to journalism schools, which
are uniquely positioned to draw on the educational and intellectual resources
of the universities at which they reside, to prepare the news leaders of the
21st century. We ignore these schools and their curricula at democracy's peril.
This project encourages journalism schools to go beyond their current boundaries
- to be expansive about the kind of courses and information their students should
absorb. It attempts to raise the profile of journalism education - and its place
within the university - by helping improve it at top schools that have support
from the highest level - so much so that their presidents have agreed to support
the project's third year.
2. What's the connection to the McKinsey & Co. study commissioned by Carnegie
Corporation, which found some indifference among leading journalists about the
value of journalism schools?
A: Some of the indifference is deserved. Only 100 of the 450 journalism and
mass communication programs in the country are accredited. Despite the indifference
(or even hostility) to journalism education as it is today, nearly all believe
it is important to the future of journalism. And whatever "leading journalists"
may say, vastly more people enter journalism by way of journalism schools than
through any other portal. What is important is to widen and deepen their training.
The world, including the media world, has become far too complex for journalism
as usual.
3. How does this initiative attempt to help colleges and universities prepare
future journalism leaders?
A: Journalism schools do their best to prepare journalism students for the real-world
challenges they will face, but their best is not good enough in this complex
day and age. Revitalization is important for all critical institutions that
have an impact on our nation and our democracy, and the time is ripe for focusing
on journalism education since there are such enormous economic and technological
changes taking place in the news business today. This is no small task; our
society and our universities are suffering from what Carnegie Corporation's
Vartan Gregorian calls the "fragmentation of knowledge" - experts and specialists
talking to each other but not across disciplines. We hope this initiative will
help to develop not only common vocabularies but also help to build multidisciplinary
bridges across the university that will enrich the education of young journalists
and enrich the other departments as well.
The project increases the capacity of the collaborating schools three ways:
a) By improving subject-matter education for journalists;
b) By developing innovative investigative reporting projects;
c) And by promoting good research on news, journalism and journalism education.
4. What is the role of the presidents, and how will other parts of their
institutions be involved?
A: The presidents assure support for the third year of the program. More importantly,
they have publicly committed to giving the effort a continuing shove - beginning
with their support of Thursday's announcement. That shows they think this initiative
deserves university-wide cooperation.
Collaboration and curricula change have never been easy. We are pleased that
the five universities participating in the Carnegie-Knight Initiative have spent
three years discussing how to work together to revitalize journalism education.
Each university has developed diverse curricula innovations compatible with
their individual institutions. These are not cookie-cutter reforms. Each university
is working within its own context and with its own faculty. The presidents of
the universities involved are committed to this initiative, not only because
of what it brings to their own campus, but because they recognize the need nationally
for revitalizing the profession of journalism. The schools will serve as incubators
of reform for the nation and the profession.
5. And the role of the foundations?
A: From Vartan Gregorian, Carnegie Corporation: The strength of this initiative
- what makes it unique - is that the universities are partnering with both Carnegie
Corporation and the Knight Foundation. This is not just another set of grants
- it is a vision for what journalism schools can become when they are clearly
part of a university president's priorities. In my conversations with each university
president, I have received their commitment to supporting the third year of
the program on their campus. That depends, of course, on clear indications of
success - and we are sure there will be success. I have also given the presidents
my personal commitment that if in two years, we see success, we'll consider
renewal. But, I want to underline, having both the institutional and financial
involvement of the presidents of these great universities is very central to
our vision for this initiative. It sends a very clear signal that the deans
and the schools of journalism are critical players on these respected university
campuses.
From Knight's Hodding Carter: It's a collaboration. We are working with schools
already intent on improvement and reform. They really want to do it, to the
point that they have created an unprecedented alliance to accomplish it. Think
of this as a project developed by these particular institutions that we are
glad to have the opportunity to support, not as a foundation-generated initiative
about which the schools are passive if not grudging in their acceptance. This
has the enthusiastic support of university presidents as well as journalism
deans.
6. Why these schools? How will other journalism schools benefit?
A: Good question. Carnegie Corporation comes at this through its tradition of
advancing education. Knight Foundation has a long history of supporting subject-matter
education, investigative reporting and good research. Knight already supports
these things at great journalism schools across the country, such as Missouri,
Maryland, North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona, Illinois, Indiana and elsewhere.
All of these schools compete, of course - as many in journalism compete - but
they also have shown the capacity to work together. Knight joined Carnegie in
this endeavor, in fact, because it is a unique collaboration of five universities
and major foundations. We were persuaded that these large institutions, acting
together, could raise the profile of journalism education.
We think all good journalism school deans would agree that journalism education
needs to get better and it needs to get the attention from the profession and
the university that it deserves. We have built into this initiative the ability
for these five schools to work with others, and under the grant to Harvard,
they are required to give research grants to other universities.
7. Practically speaking, how does this get journalism schools more integrated
with other campus disciplines?
A: One practical way is for journalism school classes to be team-taught using
subject matter experts from throughout the university. There are many other
possibilities, some waiting to be developed. Producing them is the point of
this exercise.
8. What's the funding breakdown, and how will it be allocated?
A: This is a $6 million program over three years, with $2.4 million from Carnegie
Corporation and $1.7 million from Knight. The remaining pledges come from the
participating universities.
The money will help each campus provide new subject-matter classes, set up a
summer investigative reporting project and provide funds for campuses to do
research for the task force.
9. Describe the News21 Incubator project. These are annual investigative
projects - to be done jointly by students at the five schools?
A: It's impressive that 44 of the best and brightest students will be chosen
each year to be part of the News 21 Incubator. There will be an experienced
coordinator who will supervise both a national release of the story and local
incubators. Students already do wonderful, award-winning work. This will help
such student-developed efforts get the attention they deserve. It will be "mentored
practice" and offer news organizations--both mainstream and emerging--student
work that is in-depth, edited by experienced professionals with a new generation's
perspective The point here is to encourage a much wider acceptance of this mentored
student reporting approach in other universities.
Carnegie Corporation is sponsoring the ABC News Summer Institute this summer
to get this innovation off the ground and 10 students - two from each university
- will be attending.