Tomorrow's News, Tomorrow's Journalists

TNTJ February: Do a degree or do it yourself?

(David Molloy is a Senior Sophister majoring in English at Trinity College Dublin. He has spent his college years working as a reporter and in various editorial roles in Trinity News, and has worked in the national press on placement.)

There’s been one major influence in my education as a journalist that overshadows all others, and I’m sure it’s the same for many of us — my college newspaper. Trinity News regularly sweeps the annual national awards in Ireland, and outputs alumni who go on to successful careers in the media. Each year, 50 editors solicit and edit more than half a million words of content from hundreds of contributors for this established fortnightly broadsheet.

My university has no journalism course, yet we produce a superior product to every nearby university I know which does.

It is my belief that a degree does not necessarily make a great journalist. I have never been confronted with a skill I haven’t been able to learn. I can report, research, sub-edit, layout pages, manage staff, and write (teeline) shorthand as fast as my lecturers can speak. I can understand the basics of HTML, CSS, CMS, and I’d like to think I’m up to date in the trends of social media and digital distribution — more so, I’d guess, than many journalism majors. Hell, I’ve even done the theory too, reading books on ethics, books on design, even the AP styleguide. And all I needed was a passion for the subject, a little free time, and somewhere to hone my skills.

I’m not saying I’m a prodigy. Far from it — my first placement in the national press taught me how inefficient I am at managing time in a tight deadline environment, and how hard it is to produce quality copy on demand. What I am saying is that anyone who has learned their skills “on the job” (professional or student press alike), whether it was in addition to a degree or not, should be able to appreciate that it’s the concrete experience that matters.

Someone who can write shorthand at high speeds is clearly a valuable asset. But it’s not so clear why it’s important that a potential job applicant has formally studied journalistic codes of practice. Yes, ethics are important. But if you’re an unethical journalist, reading academic textbooks isn’t going to change that. You’ll discover what’s important to you when you receive important information “off the record” or have the opportunity to gain attention or sell papers by violating someone’s privacy. And you’ll sit there looking at the screen in front of you and find your answer before the deadline. Such seminal moments have nothing to do with your degree.

In fact, I remember an anecdote concerning the editor of one of the biggest-selling middle-market tabloids in the country, and how he generally ignores job applications from journalism graduates. His reason? That graduates have been indoctrinated into a system of taught writing, where they lose their individual voices. Essentially, he saw such graduates as standard, rather than exceptional.

Almost four years ago now, I was torn between studying for a degree in journalism at a very reputable university, or pursuing my BA in English and Philosophy. I cannot overstate how glad I am that I chose the latter. It meant that journalism education was a hobby and not a daily grind. It meant that I needed to push myself to be recognised in the student press. It meant that awards, promotions, and placements all meant that little bit more because I knew I was doing what I wanted to do, and not something I had to do. And at the end of the day, I’ve received a much broader education than I think I would have studying such a specific subject as journalism. And having looked at the content of the MSc in journalism (basically described as an intensive version of the three-year undergraduate degree) I’m not sure I’d learn anything there that I haven’t already.

Sure, I may pursue another vocational course or two. It’s more concrete experience, and relevant practice. And I’ll continue to learn on my own- that’s something none of us should ever forget to do, in this ever-changing industry. But I don’t feel I’ve missed out by skipping the abstract theory and getting right down to practice. At the end of the day, the piece of paper I slide across the desk to my employer will be the best example of my work. And I’m confident that it will prove more valuable to the person facing me than a record of my exam results.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go brush up on my shorthand translation.