The constant talk about the future of our industry is extremely depressing for a college student. By the time I graduate, many say there is the potential for newspapers to be dead, leaving myself and all the other journalism students left with nothing. But, as Smith says, there is a future, and it is up to the journalist to make the choice to just "let the future happen, wonder what happened or make it happen."
Some say the future of journalism lies with social media, some say once the economy picks back up so will newspapers, and others say news can no longer be free and readers will have to pay for news online.
As I sit here typing this blog post, I wonder, what am I getting myself into? Almost everyday I ask myself that question while pondering if I will ever have a successful journalism career. But, Smith's article has given me a little bit of hope. Instead of waiting for the future to happen, students like me need to make it happen. But how?
How can a puny freshman like myself possibly know what direction to head in? There is so much left to learn, and so little time. Right now, bringing this topic up in class for discussion is one way to get some great ideas. Learning about technology and the effectiveness of Twitter, video, and web is going to take a lot of time, but it has to be done if a student like me is ever going to gain success. SPJ is a great organization, and it has the power to change the future of journalism.
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