Tough time for j-schoolers (or is it an exciting time?)

As journalism professor Mary McGuire points out, it’s a tough market for journalism grads. With all the bad news in the industry–cutbacks and layoffs etc.–there are undoubtedly a lot of students in journalism school wondering “Why am I here?”

But journalism schools continue to attract applicants. Some are optimistic about their job prospects and some are even excited by the opportunities presented by the shift toward new media and citizen journalism. And some observers even think we might end up in a renaissance era for journalism.

These troubled times create challenges for journalism teachers as well. As the dean of Columbia University’s School of Journalism told his incoming class this fall, it’s important for students and new journalists to find new models that will work toward making journalism healthy again. And anticipating the problems the economy will cause in the classroom, one j-prof makes a case for why it’s never been a more exciting time to be a journalist.