How to Be a Journalism Student

Professors in a variety of disciplines get a little frustrated with students from time to time. Why aren't they, as a group, more curious, more disciplined, more intellectual than they used to be some elusive golden age of yore? (By the way, profs usually think that that golden age was when they were undergrads...)

Having taught journalism for going on 20 years, I find myself sometimes asking that question. The problem, it seems to me, is that most undergraduates don't act like journalists. With some notable exceptions among the students I've worked with over the years, they don't seem to have the unteachable instincts of journalists.

So how to study journalism? British journalism blogger Paul Bradshaw offers a great set of 10 ways to study journalism. And this list seems to speak of those traits that I'd love to see in all students — not just journalism students. I especially like the following:

Get a life. Journalists generally report about a particular area - politics, sport, the environment, science, health, education, communities, religion, technology, motoring, finance. If you haven’t picked an area, pick one, and start getting involved — join organisations, attend meetings, go to events, do things and talk to people. Stories don’t come with a convenient label: you need to be able to spot them - while experiences can make for great material.

And how 'bout this one?

Don’t sit around waiting for an email reply. People can ignore emails, and they generally do. A phone call is much harder to ignore, and you’ll get more than a one-line reply. Learn to use the phone.