Journalism: Challenges Facing New Graduates

On Saturday, May 16th 2009 I attended the graduation ceremony at the School of Journalism in Missoula, Montana. It was most impressive as graduates and Professors talked about the challenges facing new graduates. It was a very proud occasion for me because my grandson Nat Hegyi was one of the graduates and attending his graduation was on the top of my bucket list that I put together during radiation treatment for Prostate Cancer. What a proud moment it was when he received his degree. It was 48 years ago that I was wearing the black gown and hat when I graduated with a science degree. I was full of hope when I entered a new era in my professional career. Now, it was my grandson’s turn.
As I was looking at the faces of the new graduates, my mind started to wonder what will they think when they reach the end of their journey? How will they be facing the challenges in a profession that is expected to play a key role in the shaping of the future of the next generation during these harsh economic times? Will they be able to report the truth without being used by special interest groups to promote an agenda that does not necessarily serve the interest of the population at large? Will they become infatuated with left wing ideas or trade in their ideals for economic gains and align themselves with the group focused on making money? Or will they be able to serve their audience in an unbiased manner by reporting the truth in a realistic perspective?
Before going to the graduation ceremonies, I was watching TV in my hotel room. There were two programs that caught my attention. The first one involved a reporter interviewing a Roman Catholic Cardinal from Nigeria. It was a perfect interview from the Cardinal’s point of view. The interviewer expressed her admiration for the good work and ultra conservative views of the Cardinal, what a great honour it was for her to be granted an interview by a priest who moved up to one of the highest ranks in the church. All the questions were presented as a great lead to promote the status quo in the church. There were no questions about the church’s position on why women are denied opportunity to enter the priesthood. Abuses of young children by priest was conspicuously ignored and the Cardinal tried to leave the impression that there are no shortages of priests, in fact in some countries such as Nigeria, the church had absolutely no problem recruiting priests. The interviewer missed an opportunity of quoting well known statistics that show the complete opposite of what the Cardinal was stating. Hence viewers who are not aware of the truth were misled by this biased reporting. Of course, the Cardinal was beaming…and the interviewer will get another interview at any time. After all, such great publicity, free of charge, is priceless for the church but will it serve the interest of those Catholics who want changes in their beloved church?
The second interview, on the other hand, used more the approach that I hope the new graduates will adopt. The interview dealt with the controversy that the pro-life groups are promoting around the visit of President Barack Obama to the University of Notre Dame. The interviewer covered this delicate topic with skill and diplomacy, presenting the position of both sides in an unbiased manner. The extremist views were put in realistic perspectives with regard to the numbers they represented within the context of the entire population. The interviewer did his homework and provided information for his viewers that was informative and truthfully reported the current situation.
I was impressed with the speeches the representatives of the new graduates delivered during the graduation ceremony. They gave the impression that they were taught well about responsible reporting, they showed dedication to their chosen profession and are aware of the immense responsibility and challenges they are facing as they enter their professional life. More than ever in our history responsible reporting is needed as we are trying to recover from tough economic times and the terrorist attacks.