Because of several instances in recent years regarding the instability of our nation’s economic security, the career of journalism has been gravely affected. Jobs within corporations are almost nonexistent, and students with a passion for journalism have all but given up hope. Through this struggle, however, entrepreneurial journalism has been established. In this capacity, freelancing and self-promotion is strikingly evident; this is how many young writers have survived. They’ve taken their leadership skills, and formed themselves into an opportunistic operation.
Potential Quotes:
““…You don’t get to say that no one knows who you are, because you can self promote. Basic HTML, search engine optimization, and knowledge of some kind of content management system are all ‘life skills.’ No work? You’re out of excuses, lazybones” (Jung 2014: 49)” (page 11)
“Since their inception, journalism schools have trained students to work in large, traditional media organizations” (Page 6)
Assessment:
Nicole S. Cohen, the author of the article, is a professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Because this article largely deals with areas in which she currently researches and teaches, this article is well represented and credible. The article is only one year old, therefore it provides relatively recent information. Cohen also used numerous amounts of other credible sources to support her thesis, furthermore distinguishing the article.
Reflection:
The company with which I am currently interning is an entrepreneurial journalistic approach. Cumming Local is a business that incorporates families and fun activities to do around the city with the co-writers love of writing. Because this is the central theme of the article, I feel as though I can take what I’ve learned and use it to further my involvement with the company, and possibly with my future career.
Annotated Bibliography: Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism Among University Students
The researcher examined a Spanish, university-level journalism class and recorded the information regarding the students' opinions, concerns, and comments about entrepreneurial journalism, leading to a further examination of the results. This article constantly reflects the obstacles that many aspiring journalists face, delves deeper into the reasoning behind why the issues have occurred, and showcases the exact journalistic departments in which these challenges have most commonly arisen throughout recent years. The purpose of the research depicted in the article is to establish the efficiency of the new implementations to the journalism programs, and to determine their worth. It constantly refers back to the students and their judgement, seeking their opinions regarding not only the challenges they fear to face in this career realm, but also how effective the course was in preparing them for these challenges. The article also highlights the possible benefits of becoming an employer, rather than an employee, through the eyes of the students and professors involved.
Potential Quotes:
"[Farias] describes how in recent years journalism went from being a profession characterised by professional intrusion to a profession characterised by job insecurity, then by unemployment, and later by the current situation, in which job insecurity and independence issues are the major concerns of journalists. As a result, the credibility of the information and the professional activity of journalism have been deteriorated in the last five years." (page 549)
"The important growth in journalism students can be explained, in part, by the seduction that this type of studies generates among young people." (page 552)
"... the educational system must provide citizens with a number of basic skills… interpersonal, intercultural and social and civic competences, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship…” (page 553)
"The economic crisis of the news companies makes it harder for recent journalism graduates to access decent jobs in the traditional media. Therefore, a professional employment alternative is self-employment." (page 554)
“…several participants stated that after having completed this course they have considered the idea of creating their own journalistic enterprise, although some confessed that they had already thought about it before taking the course.” (page 557)
“At the end of the course, most students recognised that it was helpful, to such an extent that, before taking the course only 39% had ever consider the possibility of launching a journalistic enterprise and the rest (61%) never thought about it; while now, after completing the course, 91% of them does consider this option as a career opportunity.” (page 559)
“The previous information confirms the first two hypotheses of the study: that before taking the course journalism students did not consider self-employment as a career option, probably because they chose this degree influenced by the mythification of the journalistic profession; and that if students were encouraged during their studies, through a specific course focused on providing business and entrepreneurship-related content, many students could change their mind and consider starting a news media company as career option.” (page 561)
“The sections of the project proposal that students found the most difficult to complete were the budgeting and viability plan as well as the analysis of the context and the competition. These findings confirm our third hypothesis: there is a need to improve the economy and business knowledge among journalism students…” (page 564)
“This idea reinforces the second hypothesis of this research study: if students are encouraged with contents and courses that are related to the creation and management of news media companies and offer alternative career opportunities, it is likely that many of these students will consider the option of creating a journalistic enterprise.” (page 565)
“This is recognized by 91% of the surveyed students, who admit that after completing the course they have considered starting their own journalistic enterprise. Before taking the course only 39% of the students had considered this career option.” (page 567)
Assessment:
Because this article was a research document written by a professor and an associate professor of the School of Communication Sciences at the University of Málaga in Spain, it represents both a first-hand account of the ongoing interactions within the classes, as well as an accurate depiction of the world of journalism and its complications as told by those with the correct qualifications.
Reflection:
While this article reflects the challenges and situations that many Spanish students fear, it represents a true depiction of the effects journalism and its challenges have worldwide (as is evident by the reference to the economic crisis that occurred in 2008). It also parallels much of what the article, "Entrepreneurial Journalism and the Precarious State of Media Work", highlights. Both articles establish the limitations and challenges that aspiring journalists continue to face, and provide reasons as to why this may be. "Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism among University Students", however, includes a more optimistic mindset regarding the entrepreneurial approach to journalism. This coincides more with my new essential question, "What realistically profound challenges could I possibly face in the future through entrepreneurial journalism, and in what ways am I able to better prepare myself for a successful journalistic career in this job climate?". This article will allow me to further my knowledge of entrepreneurial journalism, and expand my understanding of its realistic mechanics; all while seeing another side to the same story.
Annotated Bibliography Summary: Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism Among University Students
The researcher featured in the article, "Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism Among University Students", examined a Spanish, university-level journalism class and recorded the information regarding the students' opinions, concerns, and comments about entrepreneurial journalism, leading to a further examination of the results. This article constantly reflects the obstacles that many aspiring journalists face, delves deeper into the reasoning behind why the issues have occurred, and showcases the exact journalistic departments in which these challenges have most commonly arisen throughout recent years. The purpose of the research depicted in the article is to establish the efficiency of the new implementations to the journalism programs, and to determine their worth. It constantly refers back to the students and their judgement, seeking their opinions regarding not only the challenges they fear to face in this career realm, but also how effective the course was in preparing them for these challenges. The article also highlights the possible benefits of becoming an employer, rather than an employee, through the eyes of the students and professors involved.
Throughout the article, there were several quotes that I knew would help my research and push along the findings of my essential question. In saying, "[Farias] describes how in recent years journalism went from being a profession characterized by professional intrusion to a profession characterized by job insecurity, then by unemployment, and later by the current situation, in which job insecurity and independence issues are the major concerns of journalists. As a result, the credibility of the information and the professional activity of journalism have been deteriorated in the last five years", found on page 549, the article accurately portrayed the real, traumatic issue plaguing the world of journalism that ultimately deters students from pursuing this long lasting opportunity. This point of view is also supported by several line on page 554, all showcasing the difficulties that come along with the job. The researcher, however, goes on to state the multitude of reasons in which students are captivated with this career option, constantly highlighting the efforts that the class took to help them realize how amazing entrepreneurial journalism can actually be in this day and age (found on pages 553, 557, 559, 561, and 564-567). This is largely supported by the quote, "At the end of the course, most students recognized that it was helpful, to such an extent that, before taking the course only 39% had ever consider the possibility of launching a journalistic enterprise and the rest (61%) never thought about it; while now, after completing the course, 91% of them does consider this option as a career opportunity” found on page 559.
Because this article was a research document written by a professor and an associate professor of the School of Communication Sciences at the University of Málaga in Spain, it represents both a first-hand account of the ongoing interactions within the classes, as well as an accurate depiction of the world of journalism and its complications as told by those with the correct qualifications. It is also featured as a reliable source in the Galileo folders.
While this article reflects the challenges and situations that many Spanish students fear, it represents a true depiction of the effects journalism and its challenges have worldwide (as is evident by the reference to the economic crisis that occurred in 2008). It also parallels much of what the article, "Entrepreneurial Journalism and the Precarious State of Media Work", highlights. Both articles establish the limitations and challenges that aspiring journalists continue to face, and provide reasons as to why this may be. "Encouraging Entrepreneurial Journalism among University Students", however, includes a more optimistic mindset regarding the entrepreneurial approach to journalism. This coincides more with my new essential question, "What realistically profound challenges could I possibly face in the future through entrepreneurial journalism, and in what ways am I able to better prepare myself for a successful journalistic career in this job climate?". This article will allow me to further my knowledge of entrepreneurial journalism, and expand my understanding of its realistic mechanics; all while seeing another side to the same story.
Annotated Bibliography Summary: The Sociology of the Professions and the Problem of Journalism Education
Anderson, C.w. “The Sociology of the Professions and the Problem of Journalism Education.” Radical Teacher99 (2014): 62-68. Web. 26 Feb. 2017 Professor C.W. Anderson, in his article "The Sociology of the Professions and the Problem of Journalism Education", showcased in depth the extent to which his university, the College of Staten Island, is not only taking precautionary steps to unravel the reasoning behind the crash of available jobs in the journalistic market, but is also taking into account all of the possible ways in which students with a heart for journalism can succeed in this new world. As show on page 63 of his article, saying, "As documented by the Pew Research Center’s State of the News Media 2013, ‘estimates for newspaper newsroom cutbacks in 2012 put the industry down 30% since 2000 and below 40,000 full time professional employees for the first time since 1978…" this article constantly reviews the proven struggles graduates have faced for decades, highlighting the exact ways in which the job market has both fallen through larger corporations and risen with private businesses. Anderson's purpose in writing this article was to educate possible journalists regarding the tangible likelihood of difficulty they may face, while also accentuating the accuracy of alternative journalistic careers. There were several quotes within this article that I found would not only help me with my research, but would also provide me with a perspective that differed my mentor: journalism's popularity, along with its relevancy, is in a rapid state of decline. In saying, "And then, at some point, comes the class I dread. The baldest version of the title is 'How to Get a Job.' Because the problem is, I don’t actually have an answer." (Page 63), Anderson brings the real issue to light; he proves that even he, a professor of journalism, cannot provide a way in which stability is ensured. This is further expanded upon of page 66, when he states that many professional writers, and scholars alike, did not even consider journalism to be a viable and stable career choice any more. He goes on to say, “What is worse, neither entrepreneurial journalism nor the teaching hospital model really addresses the professionalization challenge—the fact that the value of journalistic professionalism is ever more in doubt as technologies democratize access to media production.” (Page 66), which only further proves his point of view to be even more bleak than originally anticipated, forcing the reader to truly ponder upon how this crisis came to be, as well as the ways in which society as a whole can mend the bridge. Because this article was written by a professor of journalism at the College of Staten Island, indicating Anderson's professionalism and experience, it represents a true, first-hand account of how the job climate is affecting graduate students. It is also a featured, reliable source on the Galileo webpages. Through my current Essential Question, "What realistically profound challenges could I possibly face in the future through entrepreneurial journalism, and in what ways am I able to better prepare myself for a successful journalistic career in this job climate?", I've constantly pondered the issues that face the world of journalism today, and contemplated the ways in which I, as an individual writer, could leave my own impact in this realm. Because this article showcases a more negative side to the equation, focusing on the lack of jobs and experience within this profession, it has broadened my perception on the matter. Now, I am able to take this source and compare it with the more optimistic side of the entrepreneurial journalism career choice; this will allow me to more accurately and effectively shape my research with little to no personal bias, while also expanding my understanding of a possible profession!