The article by King (2014) about declining journalism demonstrates the reasons as to why enrolment in journalism in colleges has been declining. The author researches different colleges to determine what reasons can be associated with this decline. Furthermore, King (2004) takes a look at the areas that journalism students or graduates pursue. A consideration of his main points and evidence below reveals variations in masters and undergraduate enrolments and that many external factors influence degree choices.
From the research, it is clear that there are lower enrolment rates in masters degree as compared to undergraduate degrees. The author goes ahead to use figures in statistics collected to demonstrate the changes that have been witnessed. The statistics of 2008 and 2012 show that there has been a difference in the number of journalist graduates among universities and colleges (Becker, Vlad & Simpson, 2013). Several factors are attributed to this trend.
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One factor attributed to the changes that have been witnessed is economic changes. The economy affects and cuts across all sectors in a country and therefore arguing that this has affected journalism enrolment is acceptable. King (2004) also demonstrates that different branches of journalism are preferred as compared to others. For instance, students prefer to pursue public relations and communication as this will enable them to venture into different sectors in the workplace. Additionally, King notes that most journalists focus on global events. Currently, it is easier to get more viewership when topics discussed are those of global events rather than focusing on issues that are within national boundaries.
The argument and accompanying evidence are valid as most students enroll in courses that will enable them to land in a job position. However, job openings are not a motivating factor to enrollment in a course but rather the ability to land a job afterward (Vlad, Becker & Kazragis, 2011). Thus, the perception of the industry among individuals plays a great role in whether students choose to pursue journalism or not. The author would have greatly contributed to the debate by exploring job opportunities available to journalism students after graduation. Still, an essential lesson learned is that a variety of external factors influences trends in career choices.
References
Becker, L. B., Vlad, T., & Simpson, H. A. (2013). 2012 annual survey of journalism and mass
communication enrollments: Enrollments decline for second year in a row. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator , 68(4), 305-334.
King. M. (2014). Journalism enrolments fell two years in a row. Is it the start of a downward
trend?
Vlad, T., Becker, L. B., & Kazragis, W. (2011). 2010 Annual Survey of Journalism & Mass
Communication Enrollments: Enrollments grow, reversing stagnation of recent years. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 66(4), 299-324.
