March 2008
Dear Department of Journalism students:
As members of the newly formed Advisory Board for the Department of Journalism at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, we would like to offer a few suggestions to help enhance your post-secondary education as it relates to newspapers, radio and television in today's ever-changing marketplace.
As full-time media professionals, we recognize that our industry is going through the biggest transformation ever in its long and important history. We no longer simply educate the public, express opinions and entertain exclusively through the written or spoken word. Today we all rely heavily on pictures, audio, links, blogs and video to enhance our media outlets on the Internet. We have also changed our focus from regular deadlines throughout the week to immediate deadlines based on when the news happens and when we can pull it together for publication on the Web. We no longer have to wait for the newspaper to come out, or for the normal news broadcast to occur, to provide important information to the public. We all have multiple ways to communicate and numerous ways to attract viewers or readers.
Our transformation to a 24-hour news operation is what readers demand of today's information gatherers. It's important for you to understand this new reality as you begin to think about careers in print, broadcast or Web publishing.
While our media outlets (and long-time journalists) struggle to find their way through the changing landscape of our industry, many of us are looking to the younger generation to help guide us to financial stability. We're concerned, however, that the reality of the changes we face may not be fully understood by those now enrolled in journalism programs nationwide. As your department's Advisory Board, we hope to emphasize the importance of preparing for the new ways media are operating today and to stress the need for training in all areas of news gathering (writing, sound editing, video and Web site posting) as you complete your degrees. You will become valuable potential employees if you understand these new developments, embrace the change and develop the skills necessary to handle the job.
During our first meeting as a group in February, much of our discussion centered on the need for greater training in multimedia storytelling, a stronger emphasis on posting timely stories on Web sites immediately, and a lessened emphasis on the print product that comes out on a weekly basis. We were pleased to find out that the Department of Journalism at UW-RF has already taken steps to transform its course offerings to reflect the converging of the various media platforms. In fact, the institution was the first in the state to take the lead in the important matter. We were also encouraged to hear that one of your instructors had recently attended a Poynter Institute seminar dealing with multimedia skills and convergence.
We view all of these topics as central to the changing landscape of newspapers nationwide and worldwide. We strongly encourage the student media to stand up and take notice, and to develop a training ground (whether it's through the student newspaper, radio station or television station) that will better prepare you for jobs in our industry today and in the future.
Good luck in your continuing educational pursuits, and we look forward to working with the Department of Journalism staff in suggesting course offerings that are educational, challenging and most of all relevant.
Sincerely,
Marco Fernandez Landoni, Editorial Director, LCN Media
Brett Longdin ('96 alum), Executive Producer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online
Jeff Holmquist ('83 alum), Managing Editor, New Richmond News
