Journalism Advisors Trained for Industry Changes

Journalism advisors trained for changes in industry

The buzz around the journalism industry seems focused on a concern that online media will overtake print, thereby challenging long-existing advertising models used to generate revenue. Whatever the outcome turns out to be, writers across the country are finding that the resources for employment are available and interest in the field remains high among young professionals.

To give the industry extra support, a charitable organization called the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation has announced plans to grant the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) more than $4.6 million over the next five years. Specifically, the money will be used to sustain a prominent training program for high school journalism advisors at the Reynolds High School Journalism Institutes around the country.

"In too many instances, youth journalism programs are under stress or marginalized," said ASNE president Martin Kaiser who edits the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "To counter this, institute alums and their students emerge as leaders, making the case that journalism has strong interdisciplinary value, imparts practical life skills applicable to any career and creates a sense of community."

The Reynolds Institutes aim to instruct teachers on the nuances of journalism, focusing specifically on how the First Amendment and news literacy contribute to American democracy, according to the school's mission statement.

During two-week training session, a total of 175 journalism advisors engage in an analysis of topics such as journalistic responsibility, ethical decision-making and news media freedoms.

Over the last three years, more than 400 journalism teachers have received training from the Reynolds Institute, more than half of whom teach at schools in which America's ethnic minority groups represent a majority of students.

A 2007 survey by ASNE showed that minorities accounted for just 13.6 percent of news media employees in the U.S. and less than 11 percent of supervisory roles are filled by minorities.