JOURNALISM IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Alana Taylor, 21, just graduated from New York University. She earned a degree in journalism . At first, she was thinking about a career in magazines, but soon she changed her plans quickly to blogging. Taylor’s experience is like that of many other young journalists. They are discovering that the Internet brings new ways to report news. They learn that it is easier to find a job if you know about internet programming, blogging or more. Alana Taylor began working for a blog called Mashable. Her new job was interviewing managers and writing about tech conferences in New York. She says that when you work for a newspaper no one knows who you are or what you look like. ‘I like that every time I write something online readers can go and see my photos or connect with me on Twitter or LinkedIn’ says Taylor. Starting salaries for reporters have never been high. In 2008, journalism graduates earned about $29,000. This is equal to about $2,400 a month. That is not enough for rent and the piled up bills. Also having a job at a newspaper is not that reliable anymore. More readers get their news online. Fewer people want to buy newspapers. That means fewer people and companies want to advertise in them. Newspaper companies are not making as much money. As a result, many have stopped hiring reporters. This causes a problem for journalism and mass communication schools as they insist jobs are still available. However, they admit that students will also need new skills. They encourage the students to work with their peers in the business and computer science departments. Journalism schools are now making changes. They want to prepare students for reporting with new business models in the digital era. They are beginning to teach students about writing for Web sites. They are teaching them about blogging. Last semester, for example, a university held a competition where students had to design their own iPhone applications.