The future of journalism lies in the ability to interpret vast amounts of data. The key will be the interpretation. The amount of data now available to the average citizen is mind-boggling. The role of journalists is making connections and interpreting it in ways that make sense for the public. That’s where properly trained journalists come in….and where old school trained journalists (like me) feel totally outgunned and nearly obsolete.
In the “old days” those of us in J school used to joke about our aversion to anything resembling math….that’s why we were in journalism school, for heaven’s sake! But that kind of attitude now is as old-fashioned as a TK-76 broadcast news camera. For the up and coming journalist, understanding data, utilizing data tools and having the ability to make connections with reams of data will make a huge career difference.
Students interested in pursing a career in journalism need to take a broader view of their education than what can be found in the mass communication or journalism schools. Although Texas State appears to be ahead of the curve somewhat, I’ll bet that there are not undergraduate courses offered in database interpretation or the use of basic data tools. This may seem off-base to the “traditional” journalist, but these skills are becoming crucial.
As an aside, my daughter is 19 and graduated from Dripping Springs High in 2009. I was very impressed that part of the curriculum for her was learning how to use basic software tools like excel, word and powerpoint. When I went to grad school and had homework and papers to write, data to gather in excel and powerpoint presentations to put together for class, she taught me enough to get by. Because of my professional position, I have never had to learn these skills myself - there have always been extremely competent staff around to do the actual ”work.” (That’s kind of embarassing to admit, but there it is!)
As for what needs to be done in the future, I would suggest a separate track of courses be developed related to data interpretation. The real geeky journalism students could focus their degree on that discipline and be close to “expert” by the time they graduate. For those more run-of-the-mill types, they should at least be exposed to a few basic courses before they graduate with a journalism degree.
