Because technology is changing so rapidly, Fiedler argues, aspiring journalists should spend more time developing subject-based expertise and less time learning practical skills that could be obsolete in a few years — and which, furthermore, could be learned at a weekend seminar or during a summer job. (BU already boasts a strong science-writing program.) It’s a persuasive argument. But this past June, when — in his role as co-author of the aforementioned Carnegie-Knight report — he made the same case during a journalism-education conference at the Shorenstein Center, some in the audience took umbrage at what they felt was a condemnation of their basic M.O.
“There was an unsteady rumble [in the room],” Jennifer Reeves, a journalism professor at the University of Missouri (which is known for its practical approach) blogged afterward. “After, the room was pretty hot and bothered for about 20 minutes . . . the conversation continued into drink time and into dinner time . . . a TON of emotion.”
If Fiedler pursues this goal at BU — and he seems inclined to — he may discover that not all of his faculty are on board. He might also inadvertently push prospective BU students — undergrad and grad, in Massachusetts and elsewhere — toward the more utilitarian journalism programs at Northeastern and Emerson, both of which offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. But given Fiedler’s recent executive-search committee ties, he’s operating from a position of unusual strength. If he decides he wants to re-invent the journalism department, he’ll probably get his way.
To read the “Don’t Quote Me” blog, go to thePhoenix.com/medialog. Adam Reilly can be reached atareilly@phx.com.
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