What is up with these people?

By Bryan, on November 1st, 2007

Paul Conley (the one-man quote machine (TM)) offered this from the CMA/ACP convention:

Among the disconcerting things I ran into at the convention:
1. A senior who said his journalism teachers told him he should never tell a prospective employer he knows how to shoot photos, because it means he’ll never get a chance to write.
2. A student who said her adviser told her she should never, ever mention her college newspaper’s Web site on her resume, because no magazine will hire someone who has written for the Web.
3. A student who said she was told by teachers that newspaper design was a booming field.
4. A slew of students who seemed unaware of the financial and circulation challenges the print media industry is facing.
5. At least a dozen students who said they want to be “writers” and that have zero interest in working on any Web-based product.

WTF? I mean, seriously, WTF? Who is telling students *not* to mention the Web site? Whoever those folks are should have their tenure revoked. I’m serious. Nothing I have heard from recruiters and industry experts suggests that. And what’s more, if they did, I’d suggest they be fired as well.

The only antidote to Paul’s reportage is the numerous contacts I made with folks who really do “get it.” That’s the future of journalism – lots of web editors, multimedia storytellers, and people who are committed to practicing journalism in the best manner on the best platform possible. Those people have a future in journalism. The others? They should go back to their professors and ask “WTF are you thinking?”