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Frequently-Asked Questions: The Print and Digital News Emphasis Area
What type of work do people do in print and digital news?
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"Students who graduate from the print and digital news emphasis area typically take jobs as reporters, editors, designers, graphics editors or producers for newspapers. Increasingly, students are finding jobs in online and other sorts of electronic publications."
Scott Swafford
Print and Digital News Faculty
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"Missouri Journalism alumni are working all over the world and are represented in every level from top management to entry-level. You might want to check out the Profiles in Success on this Web site. Alumni share information about their jobs, what they've learned and other highlights in these features."
Brian Brooks
Undergraduate Studies Dean
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What kind of background is important?
"Students in print and digital news learn to report and write stories. They learn to edit them, write headlines for them and design the pages they go on; they also learn about graphics and photos."
Liz Brixey
Print and Digital News Faculty
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"You'll need exactly the kinds of skills we teach you. Folks who want to be reporters need to learn to identify and research news stories, to identify and interview sources, to write clean and well-organized news copy on deadline and to work well with editors and other facets of the newsroom. Investigative reporters increasingly require computer-assisted data analysis skills. Those going into newspaper or Web design must learn how to edit copy and how to use computer pagination software to make news packages most appealing to readers. Those who hope to be editors must learn all the skills that reporters need but the ability to manage teams of reporters, to edit copy quickly on deadline and to exercise lightning news judgment."
Scott Swafford
Print and Digital News Faculty
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What type of hands-on experience might I get while I'm in school?
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"I'm working for real companies and creating advertisements for their products. The hands-on experience I'm involved in is almost exactly what I plan to be doing after I graduate."
Kate Cerve
Print and Digital News Student
Shorewood, Ill.
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"Your editors give you a lot of responsibility. They're there to help you, but it's implied that they count on students to produce the newspapers. That forces you to get the work done. It's a compliment that they're giving you the responsibility. They trust you. Because the Missourian is real, it's as close to being a real-world job, but not getting paid. The pressure is there."
John Dietrich
Print and Digital News Student
Portland, Ore.
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"You work at the Missourian. It's very fast-paced, always on the go. What you take out of it is what you put into it. You really develop a support system. I've made many good friends. Because you're getting published, you get recognized for your work, and you have students, faculty, deans and even the president of the university system say how great a story you've written. That makes me feel good."
Sheena Martin
Print and Digital News Student
Spring, Texas
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"Our students have the best of both worlds: a liberal arts education and ample opportunities to practice journalism and Print and Digital News."
Brian Brooks
Undergraduate Studies Dean
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How do you benefit from learning from faculty who have had practical experience in the field?
"I think because almost all of my professors have had extensive experience in reporting, it gives them a better perspective and helps give good examples of when they were out in the field and can, in turn, explain to us what to expect when we go out in the field. Our learning is more than information from books."
Millie Munshi
Print and Digital News Student
Skokie, Ill.
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"You are taught by faculty who know what they're doing. You can draw on their first-hand experiences. You learn what the real world is like because they've gone through it. It's very practical and builds on theories. It's beneficial because these are people who are doing or have done all that you're going to do."
Cristof Traudes
Print and Digital News Student
Columbia, Mo.
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"My editor treats us as employees, not students. He doesn't act like he's the professor and he knows more than us. Rather, he treats us like equals and that makes it feel like a real-work environment. I really like the J-School because it's really demanding; it's not just busy work because my work is important and getting published."
Kate Cerve
Print and Digital News Student
Shorewood, Ill.
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"The faculty know what you actually have to do on the job. For my info graphics class, I had a professor who had done it extensively and knew current trends and the best way to accomplish projects. The theory was combined with the how-to application."
John Dietrich
Print and Digital News Student
Portland, Ore.
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What other qualities and skills are valuable?
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"Curiosity and the ability to engage sources in conversation are the primary personal skills a reporter will need. They also need to be able to coordinate their efforts with others in the newsroom. Editors must be able to offer constructive criticism and to improve their reporters' working while imparting important lessons at the same time. Anyone going into journalism must be willing to work long and weird hours when the news requires they do so."
Scott Swafford
Print and Digital News Faculty
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"The best traits a budding journalist can have are curiosity about the world and the people who live in it. We can't teach that; the rest of the skills we can teach you."
Liz Brixey
Print and Digital News Faculty
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Where do Missouri Journalism students get internships?
"Our student body is very geographically diverse and this is well reflected in their internships. Most of our students do their internships independently and have had varied experiences with publications such as Boston Magazine out east, Paper Magazine in Atlanta, Southern Progress down in Birmingham and Fancy Publications in Irvine, Calif. Our summer programs, such as our London, Washington D.C. and Summer in New York Program, also provide a structured outlet, and students have had internships with Jane, Billboard, M Magazine, the Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Time Inc., Conde Nast and Fairchild publications. Newsaper students' experiences also range from small community weeklies to large metropolitan papers and international wire-services. Students'internships are well represented in the Midwest with students at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Omaha World-Herald, Des-Moines Register, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Kansas City Star, to name a few and a few internationally with one reporting for Reuters down in Peru and another at the AP in London."
Phou Sengsavanh
Career Center
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What kind of jobs are graduates getting with a print and digital news emphasis?
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"Our top-level graduates frequently win jobs at high profile or mid-size metropolitan newspapers, including the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, the Kansas City Star and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch."
Scott Swafford
Print and Digital News Faculty
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"Graduates get jobs in all fields; a print and digital news degree is incredibly versatile. We teach you how to communicate clearly and accurately; that's an indispensable skill. But within print and digital news, grads get jobs at newspapers; reporting stories, reporting and creating graphics, editing, designing, photographing."
Liz Brixey
Print and Digital News Faculty
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What are the salaries and working environment like in this field?
"Salaries are not the reason you should get into this business. But, if you never want to be bored, if you are interested in people and their stories, and you are interested in sharing those stories and what they mean to the community, then journalism is a great way to live. I've always had job satisfaction."
Liz Brixey
Print and Digital News Faculty
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"Salaries vary greatly. If you come out of college and go to work for a small-town newspaper, you can expect to make only $22,000 to $24,000 per year, or even less. If you hit it big and land an entry-level job at a major metro, you might be making something more toward $35,000 to $40,000 per year, with quick opportunity to advance. Where you end up depends a lot on personal preference and your level of experience with internships and other journalism opportunities in college."
Scott Swafford
Print and Digital News Faculty
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"Salaries depend on the particular job tasks, the size of company you'll work for and the location or region in which you work. For information on specific jobs in certain locations, two Web sites to visit for more detailed salary information are www.salary.com or www.monster.com."
Phou Sengsavanh
Career Center
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What is one tip you would give incoming students about this emphasis area?
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"For the reporting side, even if you don't want to be a reporter, try to love it, try to own it, because if you don't, it will be miserable. I loved it; it consumed my life but I loved it. You have to love it and make it your own."
Sheena Martin
Print and Digital News Student
Spring, Texas
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"I'd suggest that students get involved right away with various outlets like student newspapers. It helps you gain an edge over your peers."
Millie Munshi
Print and Digital News Student
Skokie, Ill.
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"Persevere and be ready for a long haul. You must know that you will be spending a lot of time at the Missourian for two years, probably around 20-25 hours a week. There have been times when it's taken 30-35 hours a week. You have to be ready for that, but let yourself get into journalism and enjoy it as much as you can."
John Dietrich
Print and Digital News Student
Portland, Ore.
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"Be prepared to work hard. Get a really high GPA while you're taking your general requirements because it will help you as an upperclassman."
Kate Cerve
Print and Digital News Student
Shorewood, Ill.
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What are your recommendations and advice for current students?
Gain the broadest possible knowledge, learn to think critically, and learn to pay great attention to detail.
Lisa Myers, BJ '73
Print and Digital News
Senior Investigative Reporter, NBC News
Washington, D.C.
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I would say several things. Learn the basics of good reporting and writing. Learn a foreign language, especially Spanish. Travel and have an active interest in the world and make it a life-long habit. Stay positive. Most importantly, believe in your heart that you can succeed.
Randy Smith, BJ '74
Print and Digital News
Deputy Managing Editor, The Kansas City Star
Kansas City, Mo.
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There are several themes I found prevalent during my time at Mizzou that have been reinforced since I have joined the working world. First, do not miss deadlines. Learn to write under pressure, and you will go far. Second, there are no excuses for errors, regardless of how little time you have to write your stories. Third, the competition that is inherent at MU's J-School is an accurate reflection of the competition in the real world. While that means you have to find effective ways of dealing with this competition, it does not mean you must be consumed by it. Learn from the tremendous resources all around you. The professors, professional students and staff there have researched, talked to people and written things far beyond what you can imagine. Take this seriously because in a few years you'll be getting paid to research, talk to people and write these same kinds of things. Secondly, respect your sources. Many of your sources are doing you a favor by talking with you. Finally, accurately evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Can you interview people? Can you think on your feet? Can you write clearly? Can you write on deadline? Can you work with numbers? Can you spot trends? Can you find the news? Fix the weaknesses before you get paid to use all the skills a reporter is supposed to have.
Chris Kraeuter, BJ '99
Print and Digital News
Senior Technology Reporter, Forbes.com
San Francisco, Calif.
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Study everything you can; you will use it. I've used communication law knowledge, management skills, photography, marketing, writing and advertising in my career. Take every class you can. Focus on one thing, but have a finger of knowledge on everything.
Kim Kavin, BJ '94
Print and Digital News
Freelance Writer, Photographer and Editor
Long Valley, N.J.
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