Living with Drones: An Audience Perspective

Sixty years after the first university undergraduate course in journalism was offered at Cornell in the mid-1870's, Columbia University pioneered the first exclusively graduate program in journalism.From that first program in 1935 at Columbia, graduate education in journalism/mass communication has grown to more than 160 programs with enrollment exceeding 8,000.(1)Columbia's denture into graduate journalism/mass communication study was a strictly professional journalism program. Programs that followed went in different directions, with some emphasizing theory, others taking a professional orientation, and still others offering multiple tracks.Media professionals and academics debate whether graduate education is needed or not, whether graduate programs should be theoretical or practical, broad or specialized, rigid or flexible. There appears to be no consensus.The result is that graduate programs today are a diverse group.Admission criteria, content, and graduation requirements differ among the programs in response to different goals, the needs of a diverse clientele, and competition for students.This article reports the results of a 1991 mail survey(2) of 120 masters programs in journalism and mass communication. The survey collected data on admission criteria, program types and content, and graduation requirements.The data are also compared with survey in 1971(3) and 1979(4) of journalism/mass communication graduate programs.METHODQuestionnaires about their master's program were sent to graduate program coordinators at all 120 graduate schools of journalism and mass communication in the United States listed in the 1991 Journalism and Mass Communication Directory of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.(5)The initial mailing (November 1991) resulted in the return of 70 questionnaires (58%). The second mailing (December 1991) resulted in the return of an additional 26 questionnaires, for a total response rate of 80 percent.Only 91 responses were usable because five program coordinators disqualified themselves for various reasons.(6)Partial information on 11 graduate programs of schools that did not respond to the questionnaire was obtained from the respective 1991-92 graduate school catalogs and from Rudolf's 1990 profile of 65 accredited master's programs.(7) Thus, a total of 102 schools were included in the study. Results are expressed as a percentage of 102, unless otherwise noted. (The N varies among findings because not all schools answered every question.)The questionnaire had four sections:1. General questions--types of degrees offered, enrollment, and accreditation.2. Admissions requirements---tests and other requirements for admission to graduate programs.3. Course requirements--required graduate courses, areas of specialization available, and whether graduate credit was given for internships and work experience.4. Graduation requirements--theses, professional projects, comprehensive exams, and formal tests of writing abilities.FINDINGSGeneral questions. Eighty-four percent of the programs offered only one type of master's degree, and the remaining 16 percent offered two or more types of master's degrees, most commonly the M.A. and the Some had several categories of degrees within the M.A. or type, such as M.S. in Advertising or M.S. in Journalism.Seventy-six percent of the programs offered an M.A. degree, 29 percent an M.S., 21 percent a Ph.D and 22 percent offered other degrees, including master's degrees in Journalism, Arts in Journalism, Mass Communication, Fine Arts, Communication, As in Mass Communication, International Journalism, and Journalism Education. Seven percent of the schools offered dual degrees through cooperation with other departments, such as Journalism and East Asian Studies or Journalism and Law.The range of total student enrollment (full-and part-time] in master's programs in journalism and mass communication was 6-250 (mean = 59), and the range of international student enrollment was 0-50 (mean = 9). …

Macromolecular Journals and the People behind Them

Thelastyear hasseensomedeepchangesinthestructureof the editorial office. The editorial tasks have been redistributed between two groups within the Macromolecular Journals Team. Firstly, the so-called ‘‘Editorial Team’’ is responsible for administrativesupport of the editors and for the complete management of the manuscripts in the publishing process from acceptance until publication. Secondly, the editors ‐ although with individual responsibilities for the respective journals ‐ work together for the further development of the Macromolecular Journals, acquiring new and interesting contributions for all journals andhandlingthemanuscriptsontheirwayfromsubmission to final decision through the strict peer reviewing procedures. This includes the choice of suitable independent referees and the final decision whether to accept or reject a manuscript on the basis of the referee comments. The two groups work closely together as the Macromolecular Team (cf. Figure 1) which we would like to introduce

The proposed article analyzes the experience of training journalism students in the International Journalism program at the Russian State Economic University (RINH). The paper also examines Russian universities offering training in the International Journalism training program. Among the universities are MSU, HSE, RUDN University, MGIMO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, RGGU, IGU. The authors note that not all of these educational institutions offer the study of Oriental languages within the framework of this specialty. Along with this, it is noted that MGIMO students can study 26 Oriental languages, including Chinese. The paper describes the experience of the Department of Journalism of Rostov State University of Economics (RINH) in training students of the International Journalism educational program. All the students in this training program were interviewed using the questionnaire method. It was found that most students have difficulty memorizing keys and hieroglyphs, pronouncing and constructing sentences in Chinese. To overcome these problems, students use repetition, listening, and additional classes with native speakers. Resources used by students include mobile apps, dictionaries, presentations, online lessons, and textbooks. Students attribute diligence, good memory, constant practice and the presence of a qualified teacher to successful language learning. It was also noted that the process of training international journalists at the Russian State Economic University (RINH) It is based on a media competence approach. The study showed that despite significant difficulties in learning Chinese, students successfully cope with them using an integrated approach to learning and modern educational technologies. Success in mastering the program largely depends on the personal motivation of the students and their willingness to work intensively.

It has been said that of all the shared borders in the world, none offers more of a contrast than that between Mexico and the United States. Similarly, the gulf between the reputations of the Mexican and U.S. press is very wide. Professor Murray Fromson of the University of Southern California's Center for International Journalism has cited critical problems facing the Mexican press, including a shortage of well-trained editors and reporters: One reason these obstacles are difficult to overcome is the inadequacy of the educational system for journalists. Many reporters and editors loam on the job. The existing journalism schools at Mexican universities do not teach students how to be critical thinkers. Hence, many reporters are more like stenographers who can record the facts given by an official or taken from a news release, but they cannot tell readers what those facts mean.1 In its current state, the Mexican press faces numerous problems including a lack of respect from its target audience and the sources it reports on. But while problems such as bribery and intimidation of reporters and editors continue to be a widespread fact of life in Mexico, there is some encouraging news. University journalism programs are starting to change to meet the demand for a better-trained, more professionally oriented media. In the professional sector, the Grupo Reforma newspaper chain, which includes the widely respected Reforma of Mexico City, has instituted innovative personnel practices, and investments in training of potential and current journalists that are credited with having made a positive impact on the journalistic standards and practices in Mexico. There are two broad categories in which formal training of journalists takes throughout the world: classroom-based, educational settings, primarily represented in modern countries by journalism programs in universities; and on-the job professional development provided by an employer. Based on a series of in-depth interviews with influential figures in both areas, this article provides an overview of the current status of university and on-the-job training in Mexico. The State of the Mexican Press The working conditions faced by many journalists in Mexico are legendary and long-standing, including countless examples of intimidation, legal threats, beatings, kidnappings and, in some cases, murders.2 That pattern of violence has continued in recent years.3 While anti-press attacks have ranged from verbal intimidation to assassinations, they have also included a more subtle use of legal and sometimes government-sanctioned intimidation.4 Not surprisingly, the evolution of true press freedom in Mexico has been slow,5 and the atmosphere of blatantly aggressive threats and subtle coercion has created a press corps that has a less than stellar reputation nationally and internationally. The credibility and professional standards of the Mexican press have been widely addressed in both the trade and academic press and, generally, the reviews have not been complimentary. Historically, the press in Mexico faced low reporter wages supplemented by bribes, government and management pressure to conform, and, in the most extreme cases, physical violence that could include murder.6 Bribes for reporters and owners were institutionalized, and, as recently as 1997, a report on the credibility of the Mexican press noted that it was still common to see reporters accepting travel expenses, watches, cars and $50 boxes of frozen steaks in return for flattering stories.7 Further, it is common practice for newspapers to sell front-page space to advertisers who run self-generated stories without disclosing the content to readers as paid material.8 In many cases, the reporters who help place these ads, known as gacetillas, are given a cut of the profit - usually 15 percent - by their newspapers.9 The pressure to toe the party line has traditionally come with varying degrees of subtlety from both big business and within the entrenched government structure. …

In June, I attended and participated in the first World Journalism Education Congress, held with the 16th AMIC [Asian Media Information and Communication Centre] Annual Conference, in Singapore. The United States and AEJMC were well represented by AEJMC President Wayne Wanta, various journalism & mass communication school deans/directors, senior scholars in international communication and journalism education, scholarly journal editors, and others. Just three days before the conference started, the Chronicle of Higher Education published an article headlined, Practicing Guerilla Journalism in Singapore, which mentioned-among other points-The media-watchdog group Reporters Without Borders rates Singapore at the same level as the military dictatorship of Myanmar when it comes to press freedom. Thus, picking that country for a journalism and/or education conference seems like an odd choice if that choice itself were not meant as a political statement. (It doesn't seem to have been, and there were reports that various potential attendees stayed away precisely because of the conference location.) However, the Congress was informative, thought-provoking, and otherwise useful in many ways. Just reading the English-language Straits Times every day demonstrated through that newspaper's relentless pro-social content what some would like U.S. news media to be, if not also packed with Singapore's equally relentless pro-business content. Here and in at least the Autumn 2007 JMCE, I am reporting key presentations, debates, documents, and other international developments at and since the Congress. On its first day, representatives from national and regional journalism education associations convened and drew up a Declaration of Principles of Journalism Education. After reportedly intense debate (I was not in the room) about various concepts and even individual words, the delegates produced: We, the undersigned representatives of professional journalism education associations share a concern and common understanding about the nature, role, importance, and future of journalism education worldwide. We are unanimous that journalism education provides the foundation as theory, research, and training for the effective and responsible practice of journalism. Journalism education is defined in different ways. At the core is the study of all types of journalism. Journalism should serve the public in many important ways, but it can only do so if its practitioners have mastered an increasingly complex body of knowledge and specialized skills. Above all, to be a responsible journalist must involve an informed ethical commitment to the public. This commitment must include an understanding of and deep appreciation for the role that journalism plays in the formation, enhancement, and perpetuation of an informed society. We are pledged to work together to strengthen journalism education and increase its value to students, employers, and the public. In doing this we are guided by the following principles: 1. At the heart of journalism education is a balance of conceptual, philosophical, and skills-based content. While it is also interdisciplinary, journalism education is an academic field in its own right with a distinctive body of knowledge and theory. 2. Journalism is a field appropriate for university study from undergraduate to postgraduate levels. Journalism programs offer a full range of academic degrees including bachelors, masters, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees as well as certificate, specialized, and mid-career training. 3. Journalism educators should be a blend of academics and practitioners; it is important that educators have experience working as journalists. 4. Journalism curriculum includes a variety of skills courses and the study of journalism ethics, history, media structures/institutions at national and international level, critical analysis of media content, and journalism as a profession. …

Interviews with editors and reporters at 50 daily newspapers found that 45 papers practiced ad hoc reporting trips abroad, thus substantiating that parachute journalism is a growing trend.