DU Journalism: Past. Present. and Future?

With the latest issue of the Star in the makings the last couple days, I've been running around Dominican (and the surrounding community) reporting for a couple different stories. One story, or little blurb rather, about the bullet found on campus, led me to the office of Jeffrey Carlson, Dean Rosary College of Arts and Sciences. What I assumed to be a 15 minute interview turned into a 45 discussion on many different things all relating to Dominican and journalism.

Carlson was very interested on my suggestions about expanding the courses offered for journalism students. While a state of the art media center is not in the picture, new opportunities may come!!

We touched on the possibility of an online Star website including blogs (like most newspapers have). We also discussed technology use that allows DU journalists to provide exclusive multimedia coverage for various stories. And my favorite: We discussed the possibility of adding new journalism courses to the curriculum.

In my opinion, future DU journos would greatly benefit from a continuation of Convergent Journalism (CAS 352). This type of class would challenge students to create better multimedia projects and provide additional experience with cameras, editing software and the like. I also suggested that a course teaching the writing style of broadcast journalism should (in my opinion, most definitely) be offered. The intro and intermediate journalism courses here provide extensive instruction on how to report, write and structure a story the correct way. The correct way for print.

I told Carlson that based on my experience interning at WMAQ NBC 5 this summer, DU journos should know how to write stories for broadcast...(not only for an internship or possible career in broadcast, but also for) the multimedia projects we're working on for this class. When I began my internship, my advisor and DU's journalism guru, John Jenks, provided me with a book on broadcast. If it weren't for his advice and guidance, the resume tape I left my internship with would've been half as good as it is now.

I've learned an immense amount on journalism from the journalism courses I've taken at DU. But a broadcast writing course, in my opinion, is a Must Have. Print and broadcast are two totally different information highways. The stories are written in two totally different languages. By this I mean the structure is completely different. So different, it's like comparing the Eiffle Tower to a local 7-11......not saying that either or is in my eyes a 7-11....just saying that print and broadcast are completely different. Both give audiences all the facts. But each has its own method of delivery: printed vs. spoken words. Newspapers are written to read, not hear, and vice versa.

After the 45 minute discussion Carlson and I shared, I left his office feeling fabulous about the possibilities DU can provide future journalists. I was enthusiastic to see how receptive, appreciative and understanding Carlson was in hearing what, why, when and how I think new courses would dramatically enhance the journalism curriculum.

Although I will be graduating from Dominican with my degree in journalism this spring, I hope that my efforts will have made some sort of impact on the future of DU's journalism program. I am confident and very satisfied with the skills I've learned here thus far and hope that future DominiNET bloggers and Star staff writers will have more opportunities to explore their passions for news delivery.