When I started college, I was a communication major and quickly added journalism as a double major. I have always been passionate about people and learning their stories, and I thought journalism would be a great way to explore that. Through this major, I have the opportunity to meet students and faculty that I would have no business talking to otherwise. Being able to connect with people about what they care about is so special to me. I also get free food occasionally when I cover events, which is pretty cool, too. I have met a community of students who are passionate about people just like me because of what I’m studying.
At the University of Connecticut, we have a lot of STEM majors. We are a research-heavy university, which means I have heard a lot of criticism about my major along with other liberal arts majors, so I wanted to debunk some common misconceptions about journalism majors.
1. We’re Nosy
I would say that we are curious rather than nosy. Between all of my classes and the articles I’m assigned to, I can’t be in everyone’s business. I don’t have the time for it. More importantly, there are a lot of ethical considerations in newswriting, such as respecting what or who our news article is about, writing the truth, and getting a variety of sources to confirm information. This means that we can’t publish everything that we hear. I don’t publish every bit of drama I overhear. That would be crazy! For my major, I am required to take a journalism ethics class. It teaches students how to be a responsible journalist in today’s media landscape. By being a journalist, we provide people with information they need to know, not drama that serves no purpose.
2. It’s an easy major
Doing classwork for journalism requires a lot of time, dedication, and communication with other people. All of those can be very time consuming. During my freshman year, I took a newswriting class that required us to write three articles. These were essentially our big assignments. We had multiple drafts due and had to find sources for our articles, conduct interviews, and make sure we were following a specific style of writing, also known as Associated Press style. All of this happened outside of class time. You may think it’s easy, but it requires you to reach out to strangers daily, learn about new topics, and be correct on every single detail. You may think it’s easy, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Not to mention, from the time you start writing and getting things published, the world can already see your work. That part is always a little daunting. The content we learn may be easy to understand, but the work we do is extensive.
3. WE won’t find a job after college
Many people don’t realize how broad the journalism field is. There are lots of different types of news jobs, such as print, which refers to newspapers, broadcast that covers television news, and radio. As a journalism major, I have learned skills such as good writing skills, video editing (both long and short content), knowledge about AP style, and many more. I have been able to practice these skills in the classroom and in other news organizations I am a part of on campus. Many of the students I meet have a preference for one of the three. My preference is broadcast because I love to meet people and travel to interesting places for stories. Employers are looking for people, especially young people, to get a fresh new perspective and help manage their news Instagram account.
4. IT isn’t a practical major
Journalism has taught me and reinforced many skills that are applicable outside of my career. For example, I can talk to people from different walks of life. I have interviewed children, professors, and politicians. I feel that this has taught me to have empathy for people and help me keep up all kinds of conversations. Another skill I learned is that it’s okay to mess up. You’re going to make mistakes when you’re writing, editing a video, and sometimes even conducting interviews. I am hard on myself as a student and strive for everything to be the best it can be all the time. I know that’s impossible, but by being a journalism major, I put less pressure on myself when mistakes happen. There are a lot of things to figure out in news; from planning your package to setting up a microphone, things are bound to happen.
Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason. Just because many people believe something doesn’t mean it’s true, no matter how much you want to believe it. I find that learning the truth and asking people their thoughts is always the best way to go.