• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Lieff Ink

TELL YOUR STORY

  • About
  • Services
    • Writing • Editing
    • PR
    • Writing Tutor
  • Words
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Clients
    • Client List
    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Book
    • Accolades
    • Reviews

My Alma Mater Wants To Shut Down Journalism

August 27, 2010


The University of Colorado at Boulder announced two days ago that they are looking into shutting down the existing journalism school so they can create a new program that will address “the realities of modern media communication.” Apparently, they have asked the Academic Review and Planning Advisory Committee (ARPAC) to look into it starting September 1. The ARPAC must then present a report within 60 days and a recommendation to the chancellor will be given 30 days later. So in less than three months CU’s entire School of Journalism and Mass Communication could be history because the powers that be think that the digital age has shaken journalism so hard that we can’t possibly continue the way we have been or just make a few tweaks? You know what? I think that’s bullshit.

No matter what happens with print media we still need people who know how to write and communicate properly and shutting down or “reconfiguring” (or budget cutting) isn’t the answer. People have been saying that newspapers and magazines will be the equivalent of ancient artifacts for years now and as we all know, that’s not the case. While there is no question that technology, the Internet and even blogging have forced us to rethink what it means to be a journalist, some people still want to read the written word on something tangible. Last time I checked, bookstores and newsstands still carried Rolling Stone, TIME, Newsweek, People, The Wall Street Journal, etc. And you know why? Because people spend enough time looking at their computer screens that when they want to read something for pleasure they want to hold it in their hand while sitting on their patio, on an airplane or even on their couch. Not everyone is interested in reading 5,000 word articles on a computer screen.

I find it interesting that all of this is going down at CU while the journalism school is going through the reaccreditation process. Apparently the school’s record over the past six years is subject to review and that accreditation teams are interested in whether schools are considering new ways to teach media. While the chancellor did announce that regardless of the outcome, all undergraduate and graduate schools who are currently admitted to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication will be able to finish their degrees what does that mean for alums who graduated several years ago? I have many friends who have degrees from CU’s journalism school so what does that mean for them? Will their degrees have less value if the very school they earned their degree from no longer exists? And will this end with journalism or will the English department be next?

I hope CU knows what its doing because no matter what happens in the writing world in the future we will need talented writers. Of course I am very aware of the changes that are happening and will continue to happen but there has to be another way. Schools all over the country are “reconfiguring” in order to “respond to the modern dilemmas of journalism.” What dilemmas are we talking about? If schools continue to shut down journalism and writing programs then our biggest dilemma will be how to deal with college graduates who don’t know how to string sentences together or convey a message or an argument. What will we do then?

Laura

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chelsea says

    August 30, 2010 at 12:24 pm

    Love the post, Laura! So true! I spent my entire Sunday reading scientific journals online, and the eyeballs are officially crossed. Would have been great to hold a "real-life" magazine!

    Reply
  2. Laura Lieff says

    August 30, 2010 at 4:19 pm

    Thanks for reading Chelsea! We need a phone chat very soon!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Blog Archive

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010

Footer

Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.
Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.

Work With Me

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
lieff-ink-logo_updated-2
  • About
  • Services
  • Words
  • Blog
  • Client List
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · PO Box 1228 Edwards CO 81632 · info@lauralieff.com