J-School Grads Optimistic

The news business continues to be in a freefall thanks to a deep recession and changing reader and viewer habits but graduates from the Columbia School of Journaiism are relatively upbeat about their future.

In a down economy, the smart play is to go to school to learn new skills, network, and ride it out. At least, that's the case in a normal industry. But conventional wisdom has it that planning for a future in journalism makes as much sense as signing up for a career as a Pontiac dealer.

That's not how members of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism's just-graduated class of 2009 see it, though. Despite the tough times, they are excited and hopeful that their freshly minted degrees will help prepare them for the news business's rebirth.

They should be optimistic! With the dearth of coverage on all things Obama, coverage with a depth beyond a few millimeters that is, the field is wide open for an enterprising young grad to become the next Woodward or Bernstein. Not to mention that they are digital natives and can run rings around the dinosaurs.

Come on, boys and girls, show us what you got!

Then again, journalism school is simply a place for liberals to sharpen their advocacy journalism skills. They go there either because they are liberal and have an adolescent idealism that they are going to change the world, or else, they become indoctrinated while there, and still go out and report on the world from the liberal point of view.

I read papers, online sources, listen to talk radio, etc. and I think some of the the best information comes from talk radio people like Rush. I don’t think any of the major talk radio hosts were ever trained as journalists, yet they impart good information, and even tell us both sides of issues.

remember the survey which showed 80+% of people in the MSM are Democrats and voted for Obama? Remember how news coverage of the White House has shifted now that Obama is president? It’s much more friendly than the tone of coverage of the Bush White House. If you have strongly biased people in a profession, their biases will affect how they do their jobs.

I know Bernie Goldberg isn’t a big favorite here, but, isn’t it telling that Dan Rather never spoke to him again after Goldberg published his book about media bias?

We could make a list of issues and people and you can see the bias. The MSM is a cheerleader for homosexual marriage, abortion rights, global warming, and other liberal causes. Do they treat Sarah Palin in a professional favorable way? Compare their treatment of Sarah Palin to their treatment of Barack Obama. And I think you will see a difference.

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