Why study journalism?
To keep our fellow citizens informed…
In any democracy, journalism is arguably the most important and legitimate branch of communications. Indeed, journalism is an essential activity, and whether exercised through traditional or more recent media, it evolves and develops all the time.
Society as a whole needs competent, well-trained journalists who can share information effectively and impartially—especially now that most anyone can tap into high-tech channels to publish or broadcast all sorts of « news » and « views » where accuracy, thoroughness and even simple truth fall by the wayside.
So, journalists help the average information-swamped citizen cut through the trivial and focus on the truly meaningful; armed with hard facts and solid reports, readers can then make good decisions, both for themselves and for others.
Student profile
Students of journalism need several key qualities, qualities they also continue to strengthen over time. Of course, natural curiosity and a passion for facts and information head the list. Also, true journalists are not out to serve a specific cause, but rather to serve the public good. To that end, students of journalism must also strive to share nothing but the best-quality information available.
Then, obviously, there’s the insistence on truth and relevance, on thorough, in-depth research and on rigorous presentation. In turn, good presentation means an ability to speak and write impeccably, and to wield both of these abilities as a technical tool and as an art form.
Finally, fairness and integrity are a journalist’s passport to credibility and legitimacy, and it’s on the strength of credibility that he or she can claim to provide the public with its rightful serving of reliable, thought-provoking news.