The New York Times recently ran an interesting article that completed an extensive look at the future of journalism. There is no doubt that the face of journalism has changed drastically over the last several years. As the Internet has continued to grow and become a more dominate force, journalists around the world have struggled to determine how they will change the business in order to keep up with the demands of the modern world.

As journalists look for ways to meet these new demands, colleges around the world are also struggling to create a curriculum that will meet these demands as well. After all, how can journalism students be effectively taught the craft when no one is certain how the face of journalism will change over the next several years? While newspapers are still in print, journalists are increasingly being asked to take on tasks that are different from the traditional journalistic assignment. After all, the American Journalism Review recently released a report indicating that approximately 15% of newspaper newsroom jobs were eliminated in 2008 as consumers increasingly chose to turn to the Internet as their news source. The New York Times also reports that many major newspapers have closed up shop completely over the past couple of years.

These changes don’t mean that journalism is dead, however, as there will always be a need for qualified individuals to keep the world informed. Rather, it means that journalism schools have to search for ways to prepare their students to write for a digital world were information is expected to be provided immediately. This means following the traditional methods for developing a story cannot always be followed, as various news outlets are in competition to get the most accurate story reported as quickly as possible. For now, journalism schools around the world are still struggling with finding the right way to approach this new dilemma.

“I don’t know a journalism dean in the country who knows what the solution is, or where the journalism industry is going,” said Christopher Callahan, who is the dean of Cronkite School at Arizona State, in the New York Times article. “I am convinced that those answers are going to come from people of their generation [referring to the students], not my generation.”

Yet, despite the deep level of uncertainty within the journalism industry, mass communication schools have actually seen an increase in enrollment over the past several years. In fact, according to the annual survey conducted by the University of Georgia, undergraduate enrollment in mass communication schools actually reached an all-time high in 2007. Furthermore, the number of students who are specifically enrolling in journalism has been increasing as well. According to the New York Times article, many of students enrolled in journalism schools are still excited by the thought of seeing their name in print. In addition, they look forward to being “pioneers” in the new world of journalism as they decide how it will evolve to meet the demands of a technologically advanced society.

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