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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was a journalism major (double major actually) but am no longer a practicing journalist.

If I were to make a recommendation, it would be to major in an area of interest - what the budding journalist would want to cover - economics, finance, political science, history etc, but work on the school newspaper/blog whatever.

There are fewer journalism jobs because hedge funds and billionaires have purchased many networks and newspaper syndicates and put them out of business.

As a result, many are creating their own forums, or are banding with others on Substack and other platforms to basically scrounge for income while covering a beat.

Something has to give, because it isn't good for a healthy democracy.[/quote]

I also was a journalism major and also am no longer a practicing journalist (though in my case, leaving was by choice, to stay home with kids; I freelanced for a former employer as a writer/editor for years and now blog for a tourism site).

I agree with the PP above. Area(s) of interest plus work on the school paper and/or as many journalism classes as possible. I'd probably lean even more toward a double major in journalism and a subject of interest. My major was journalism, my minor was poli sci, and I got a master's (in one year, special program) in a poli sci subject, which all were a huge help to me getting newspaper jobs covering government -- but that was a while back. Definitely I agree with PP that newspaper jobs, and also TV jobs, are now increasingly in the hands of corporate owners who do not have much interest in actual news or whose interest is based on advancing their personal political agendas. It's a tragedy for democracy and for facts, for sure.

We do greatly need young people to go into journalism. Not blogging or opinion pieces but actual hardcore reporting of facts. But the route to doing that is not necessarily journalism school followed by a path through newspaper reporting/local TV reporting. I hope OP's kid does go into the field but with the backup of another subject and with a clear understanding that he or she might have to cobble together a career moving from media outlet to media outlet. [/quote]

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