For a journalism school graduate and someone who has been in the news industry practically all of my life, is that a dumb question?
For publishers, editors, digital gurus, ad VPs, any media person – 25 or 65 – reading this, what do you think?
We live in a world of TLAs. We live in a world full of people who can’t recall how to spell but can string together abbreviations to make a point.
Via social media, millions provide instant digital documentation of events – or non-events, hoaxes, rumors. An odd product of our time are the fake news-, rumor-debunking web sites that attract millions.
At the end of the day, whether you’re 17 or 77 and interested in a news events, a car wreck, a fire down the street, a sports score or concert info, you want it to be right, Facts, you know. (It’s an added plus when the words are spelled correctly.)
So, I ask again, why do we care about j-schools; aka journalism schools?
Because last time I checked, they still deal in facts, and also are working hard to adapt and grow in the digital world, and prepare students for what’s really out there.
These days, I watch my alma mater – the University of Texas at Austin, College of Communication, School of Journalism- with particular fascination.
This winter they received two intriguing gifts.
Gift no. 1: The Moody Foundation of Galveston announced a $50 million commitment to establish the Moody College of Communication at UT, the largest endowment for the study of communication of any public university in the nation. The goal: help position the college “as the nation’s leading institution for research and teaching in new and convergent media.”
Gift no. 2: It was announced that the 114-year-old student newspaper, The Daily Texan, will move from supervision by the Office of Student Affairs to the College of Communication. Its parent group, Texas Student Media, has had 5 directors in 6 years, and is bleeding money like crazy, with no plan other than continue to cut until there is no money left to cut. The venerable paper – daily for 100 years now – has produced people like Walter Cronkite, Lady Bird Johnson, Willie Morris, Ronnie Dugger, Karen Elliott House and Liz Carpenter, but today it’s flying straight into the mountain, without a pilot.
Want to guess which gift likely produced the greatest glee at the Moody College of Communication?
As an alum, the Moody infusion positions the college to be one of the premiere – if not THE premier – College of Communication in the country as the media world shifts and changes.
But what about The Daily Texan?
Much is messy and not something to dwell on here, but you can read more at The Friends of the Daily Texan, Inc. web site.
The alumni group was formed last year to offer its help, and so far the alums (honesty alert, I’m a founding officer) have managed to jump into a boiling pot of water with an eclectic mix of folks: j-school professors who have seen it all through the years and are frustrated that The Texan is in this situation; the Friends and alumni who honestly just want to help; Texas Student Media hired employees, swimming to the other side of the pot to stay away from the alums; student editors who just want the problem to go away and the adults to get along; the UT administration, which made the move switching The Texan back to College of Communication; the Office of Student Affairs, current supervisors; and now, the Moody College of Communication.
The sad financial state of TSM and the Texan became public a year ago. Since then, in some ways nothing much has changed, other than TSM is a year closer to running out of money. Many alums, who feel a debt to The Texan for helping launch their careers, have offered to help, financially and otherwise, and the alums are waiting for TSM response. A report – 66 Paths to Profitability – has been prepared by the alumni group Media Committee, pro-bono, for TSM. A group of eight digital experts, all alums, suggested real-world, low-cost or no-cost solutions, and a path to profitability within 12 months.
Now everyone waits to see if any action is taken.
But on the other hand so much has changed. Some on the TSM Board members understand efforts must be made to make The Texan profitable and that further cutting print publication is tantamount to suicide, since The Texan is woefully, woefully behind on digital revenue and digital overall.
And then there is the Moody College, soon to be the overseer of The Texan and TSM.
Only guessing here, but I bet there has been some thought around the college about what the heck do we do with this failing paper? Will it tarnish what we are trying to do?
If that thought is there, here’s something to ponder.
The ills of The Texan and TSM are not unusual, and some are industry ills and some are due to the fact that there is little to zero newspaper business expertise at TSM. In this challenging publishing world, imagine how that would work at a professional newspaper.
The Texan itself is still a fine student paper, one of the best in the country.
As time goes by, will it become obvious that these two “gifts” both carry value, not just for UT and the Moody College, but for journalism education, and the industry itself?
Texans like to say they think big, and the UT slogan is “What Starts Here Changes The World.”
That “change” would be good for The Texan, and anything learned for other student papers or the industry itself is a plus.
Industry friends, keep those eyes on Texas.
Media Solutions Partners offers both strategy and hands-on guidance to help media companies and the media support industry transition to a creative and innovative digital future. Contact John Reetz at (404) 316-4759 or john.reetz@mediasolutionspartners.com