Much has been said about the alleged impending “death of journalism.” And certainly the spectacle of newspapers folding, the rise of citizen journalism (assumed to be the detriment of professional journalism), the increased pressures of instant news and information, and the failing business models of many media have given it a great amount of credibility. Or at least the expectation of a giant shift in how the media works and how the news is made.
While the fate of the media and the news industry plays out, the journalism major can be considered one of the many casualties. Journalism studies, like nursing and other more career-oriented majors, seemed to have a real purpose before: to serve as a stepping stone to a respected career in the news media. And the figure and the career of the journalist was a familiar one to the popular imagination.
Not so much anymore. And with so many out of work journalists around these days, journalism is now hardly a tempting choice of major for people who wonder how they will pay the bills. Perhaps an anthropology degree could turn out to be a more lucrative decision?
Forget the death of journalism. Is this the death of the journalism major?
