Robert Scoble is a talented blogger and former Microsoft employee. He knows stuff. But he’s getting a lot of publicity today for his assertion that Newspapers are dead. That’s fine. It’s his opinion. But he makes at least one claim that is - quite frankly - difficult to back up. To wit:
How many future journalists are being trained for the online world?
I can tell you how many: zero.
In Texas, we have a name for that kind of assertion. Doesn’t matter that it’s “hyperbole,” it’s B.S.
It doesn’t help that Scoble’s entire assertion is apparently based on his visits with students at one journalism school and surfing the internet.
Why, I know of at least 60 students (and 30 advisers) who are going to be trained for the online world this week in Nashville. We spent a full day helping students prepare for an online future in New York last week. I’ve been to Nebraska (with students at Doane, Creighton and the Daily Nebraskan) and New Mexico State to train students for an online future. I know dedicated educators who are preparing students for an online future in states all over the nation. This fall, I’m heading to Eastern Illinois to focus on online journalism classes specifically to prepare students for the online world. I have weblogs in my RSS reader from students who are about to come out of school well-prepared for their online future. Others who recently graduated, well prepared for the future.
All hat, no cattle, Robert.
The real answer to Scoble’s question: How many future journalists are being trained for the online world?
not enough. But we’re working on it.
For more thoughts on the death of newspapers, you can check out Tim O’Reilly, Dave Winer, Doc Searls and Ryan Sholin. I think Searls has some good ideas. O’Reilly is wrong to equate the trouble with a Bay Area institution with the death of an industry. And Winer’s solution is more job security for journalism educators. That’s cool with me.
UPDATE: related discussion at Information Architects (via del.icio.us and Mindy McAdams)
on Mar 26th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
i’m glad you posted this.
as a professor of media studies who also teaches digital journalism (rather than a professor of journalism who also teaches media studies), i feel a bit outside the loop of these kinds of discussions. that said, i’m finding myself more and more frustrated with these so called a-list bloggers who blog so self-righteously and without much research.
it is true, i believe, that in addition to the state of US journalism being in chaos, the state of US journalism departments are in chaos. that said, as you, mindy, and others have noted, some of us are a) aware of the profound changes that are going on, b) doing our best to keep up with them, and c) doing our best to make sure our students are keeping up with them.
i doubt it’s useful to write up a list of profs, teachers, departments, and colleges that teach digital journalism. rather, i think we should just keep doing what we’re doing and continue to grow and learn and be receptive to new ideas in the field. our responsibility is, of course, not scoble but rather our students.