Do Americans View Journalism Majors the Same Way They Do Gender Studies?

Back in the 1970s, when I attended journalism school, the major was seriously challenging. A significant 'F' was given for anything misspelled. The journalism faculty saw it as their duty to sift through the students, culling out those who were deemed unsuitable. This stringent approach was necessary because the faculty was extremely selective about who would succeed in journalism.

While I did learn practical, marketable skills that might have been useful back then—such as cropping photographs and paste up and layout—these skills have largely become obsolete with the advent of personal computers. Back in 1980, cropping photographs and doing paste-up and layout would land you a good job. Nowadays, you might find such skills useful in a museum, but the field has changed dramatically.

Despite the efforts of modern, so-called 'professional' journalists to tarnish the reputation of the field, I still hold the opinion that a degree in journalism or propaganda is far more valuable than one in the 32 flavors of gender studies offered by Baskin Robbins.

The Diverse Worlds of Journalism

There are two distinct realms that fall under the broad umbrella of "journalism". The first is the journalistic norm: hard-nosed, fact-based, and ethical reporting. This approach emphasizes the importance of letting the facts speak for themselves and relies on a minimum of two sources. While it is rare to find such journalists in practice, figures like Cheryl Atkinson and John Stossel exemplify this ethical approach.

The second realm consists of lazy, ideologically driven journalists who mislead, cheat, and slander as part of their daily work. These individuals have significantly contributed to the public's negative perception of journalists, positioning the profession alongside used car salesmen and politicians in terms of public trust.

Public Perception and Ethical Failures

Unfortunately, the public's perception of journalists is shaped by the actions and norms of this second group. Americans often view journalism majors with the same skepticism as they do underwater basket weaving majors. This negative perception is not entirely fair because it overlooks the dedication of ethical journalists who strive to adhere to the ethical standards of their profession.

If journalists could live up to the ethical standards they claim to uphold, the American public might have a much more favorable opinion of the profession. However, the current system of clickbait journalism, driven by the need to drive advertising and thus revenue, undermines ethical reporting. Ethical journalists who prioritize truthful, well-researched content are often overlooked in favor of sensational click-bait stories that generate more traffic.

The challenge lies in fostering a system that values and rewards ethical journalism. Only then might the public perception of journalism majors improve, moving them from the category of 'underwater basket weaving' to one of respect and importance in society.