Journalism is nothing if not a profession in a state of flux, whether through the rise of social media to the influence of artificial intelligence. In Automating the News, Nicholas Diakopoulos provides an interesting overview of the way AI and analytics are changing the nature of journalism today.
Rather than suggesting journalism is a dying profession ripe for automation, Diakopoulos instead portrays the industry as one that is augmented by AI, whether it’s by the production of automated stock reports or the indelible rise in anlytics-driven journalism. In an age that can be prone to pessimism, he strikes a largely optimistic note, but a recent study from Rice University suggests this note is not being echoed in academia.
“The post-Watergate media era where you would work for a local paper or TV station and work your way up to retirement with a nice pension is behind us,” the authors explain. “Now, papers are shutting down, news outlets are consolidating, and information is widely available on the internet. We wanted to see how these drastic changes in media and media consumption over the past 20 years were impacting journalism education.”
The future of news
The researchers interviewed over 110 members of staff from over 44 journalism programs from across the United States to understand their views on the sector, and the way they’re instructing students today. The interviews suggest that schools are framing the unstable labor market for journlists as an inevitability, and urging students to plan accordingly.
“Professional schools in general seem to be a means by which we can get a good career,” the researchers explain. “A medical degree is a pretty clear path, as is the path of a social worker or engineer. However, journalism is a less defined profession and you don’t need a license to practice. That’s an interesting aspect of this case. Master’s degrees are on the rise but more of them — including journalism degrees — don’t necessarily offer a clear path to a secure career.”
Most of the faculty interviewed for the research were incredibly sensitive to the staffing changes in the industry, with few of the opinion that the old model would ever return. Indeed, it’s only be accepting the precarious nature of the profession that students can be adequately prepared for working life.
Many even go as far as to advocate for their students to work for non-traditional news organizations, especially on temporary or freelance bases, with few believing working for a traditional news organization was a sustainable way forward.
“For a long time journalism had been trying to cultivate the difference between journalism and PR (public relations), so it was really interesting to see this change in thinking, and hear individuals say that students should prepare to work as journalists in non-news organizations,” the authors continue.
Ducking and diving
Most of the academics were also urging students to be as entrepreneurial as possible when they graduate, including being open to starting their own business, creating a website and various other forms of drumming up awareness and business. It’s vital that people aren’t just good writers but also have complimentary skills that help to make an attractive package to clients.
Whilst some instructors were unhappy about the change in their industry, others were embracing the ‘hustle’ involved in modern journalism, and the need for the next generation to be open to anything as they push their skills out into the marketplace.
Overall, the findings are interesting, not only in reflecting some of the changes in the sector, but also in highlighting the way these changes are forcing a new approach to education from journalism schools across the country.
