Columbia Rethinks Journalism Education

Columbia is introducing a new journalism curriculum. But it is doing so in a separate program, maintaining its old program, which has many of the characteristics Bollinger criticized. The new program is a one-year M.A. degree that draws more heavily on the liberal arts and broad areas of study, rather than the traditional, one-year M.S. program at Columbia, which focuses on specific skills like news writing. —Scott JaschikColumbia Rethinks Journalism Education (Inside Higher Ed)

As a journalism instructor at a liberal arts college, of course I’m biased, but I think this is a good step. Students can already learn the skills in internships and during their cub reporter days. What they don’t have when they’re on the job is the luxury of time to reflect on their achievements, and to scrutinize and dissect the forces that influence a journalist’s ethics.

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